Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-04-27
Ne WSPAP SHORT
COURSE FINISHED
VOTED At THE END AS THE MOST
PRACTICAL AND VAlU.
ABLE OF ANY. .

Ames, April 26.-One hundred and
twenty-five country newspaper mer
attended the sessions of the second
, annual country newspaper short
course at Iowa State college, and al
their final meeting they voted amid
applause that it was the most prac.
tical and valuable newspaper meeting
they had ever attended" This express
sion came at the last session, follow.
ing brief talk by Field Secretary G.
L. Caswell of the Iowa Press associa.
ton in which he declared that the
short course had been highly educa,
tional along needed lines and that 1T
ought to be continued.
The short course devoted itself to
the practical problems of the country
newspaper. It considered how such
publications might be made to fit more
fully the country field men like w. G.
Dewel of the Algona Advance, G. Fl. j.
Mitchell of the Storm Lake Pilot
Tribune, e. J. FEELING of the New
Hampton Tribune and Herman Steen
of the Des Moines Register telling OF
their results in developing farm news
departments. J. l.. Frazier Of the In
land Printer in series of illustra-
ted lectures emphasized correct prin-
ciples of design in job printing, in ad
composition and newspaper makeup.
J. c. Morrison of the Morris, Mimi,
Tribune, who has spent years In a
study of better newspaper methods.
lectured on cost accounting applied to
country newspaper conditions. Mr..
Caswell led a round table discussion
on country newspaper rates that was
reluctantly abandoned only after three
hours. H. NJ. HARDWOOD, T. w. Purcell,
o. j. Benjamin, J. F. Aue, H. L. Sund-
erlin, w. F.. PARROT and others widely
known in the country field, gave Of
their best experience along various
lines.
On the inspirational side there were
two talks especially good by A. F.
Allen Of the Sioux City Journal. and
H. C. Wallace of Wallace's Farmer.
Mr.. Allen brought message of the
need Of better editorial columns for
the country newspaper, not dealing
with affairs that are remote, but ri
to home folks. 'The editorial
column" he said, us deliberately neg
lected, not merely in the country news
paper, but in it's city cousin as well.
It is more often a mere space filler
of the canned variety, serving no pur-
pose but to conform to custom OF
an editorial column. The
editor should do more than this. 1t
Is his privilege to analyze events,
bring separated facts into proper rela'
tons. to reveal hidden meaning, and to
present the truth to his readers as
God has given him to discover the
truth. He should be the readers
guide, their philosopher and friend in
he field of morals as well as in bust
ness. His is the ministry of enlight-
enment.'" Mr.. Wallace urged the i'm
oortance of the country newspaper as
!, force for rural betterment, not mere
y for promoting greater crops. but for
making economic and social conditions
better in the open country"
Prizes were awarded in the contests
Is follows:
Front page column class: LeMars
Sentinel, first; Hampton Chronicle,
second; Tabor Beacon. third. Six col
INN class: Estherville Democrat,
first; Knoxville Journal, second; Wav-
erly Democrat, third. Dailies-Sioux
City Journal, first; FIT. Dodge Messen-
ger, second; Waterloo Courier, third.
AID Observation-Disclosures Republic.
IAN, first; Hampton Chronicle, second;
Toledo Journal Chronicle; L. M.
Smith, King Printing Co., Ames, Sec
md.
Cover composition-Knoxv Jour
1al, first; Harlan Republican, third.