The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-12-07
THE COUNTRY EDITORS
MISSION IN LIFE


ture the things of community inter-
est by giving them what the news
paper man calls preferred position
displaying them conspicuously in MS
columns, letting the things Of the
outside world have secondary place,
leaving their larger treatment to the
metropolitan press.
It is his mission to make popular
the bestowal of gifts upon the home
town; to awaken in prosperous cltl-
zens an appreciation of the home
community as a factor in their per-
sonal success; to induce them to give
gifts as libraries, hospitals, commun-
ity house, Fairgrounds and parks.
"The editor of the country news
paper serves his community also by
some of the things he fails to print;
the omission of carping criticism, or
matters hurtful or degrading to
community life. His newspaper is
his own, and if he is wise, he will
not play into the hands of interests
hostile to the highest community de-
velopment.
'He needs to realize early in his
career the power of the printed
page, the strange magic of state
ment which appears in type, it's in
fuence upon the mind. 1t is in his
power to do tenfold more damage to
his community through his newspa-
per than can be wrought by any
slanderous tongue.
1.-THE country editor has high and
unselfish ideals for the home town,
and a passionate desire to see them
realized. He needs to realize in ad-
vance that he will meet Unborn con-
servatism and prejudice to change;
that he will encounter what might
be termed "the inertia of the mass
es" With infinite tact and patience
his ideals must be spread before the
community mind. to be repeated
again and again, each time varyina
the presentation.
: "Cheerfully and with confidence
he must watch the slow dawning o.
the coming day; with faith in man
faith in the integrity of the com
munity heart; charity for our busy
driven race. 1t is given to him t
labor year in and year out to chang
a mediocre town to a better town
a better town to the BEST town
When public interest in communit
affairs languisheS and the tow
threatens to die, his optimism
must not fail. He can still see tn
purple in the gray landscape, an
weave fabrics and dream dreams.
"When knowledge and enlighten
ment become community. posses
sion, when public attention is ono
awakened and aroused, action Wi
come, and dreams will come true.
"The editors dream of an idea
community will not be complete no
truly symmetrical unless he seeks t
"h'iterate the corporation line an
include within the term "commur
ity" both the jewellers Of the field
and of the town, blending these tw
groups into one sympathetic fellow
ship, commercial, social, and relit
ious, all that is included in that al
embracing word-neighbor.
when the country editor tn,
conceives his mission in communit
life; when he sets the standard I
his newspaper and of his own Wit
purpose in the objection of the higl
est moral, social and intellectual a,
vancement, he will find rallying
his support the choice spirits Of til
: community. He will find himself
a place of privilege and power.
THE country newspaper sa,
William Allen White, is the inca
nation of the town spirit. The new
paper is more than the voice of Il
country-town spirit; the newspap
is in a measure the will Of the tow
= and the towns character is di
:. played with sad realism in Il
: towns papers,
= 1T is the country newspaps
: bringing together the threads of t
= towns life, weaving them into som
= thing rich and strange, and settil
the pattern as it weaves, directil
. the loom, and giving the cloth
color by mixing the lives of all I
people in it's -pot-it is tt
country paper that reveals us to OF
II selves, that keeps our communi
is hearts quick, and our country min
N open and our country faith strong
1t THE publisher who faithfully d