St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1916-05-20
NEWSPAPER A CITYs BEST ASSET

III "a 1AA NAs
Few people realize the real value to a progress
siye community of the newspapers published in
it In fact, the newspapers are practically the
engines in the machinery of progress that moves
the town. Those cities or towns where there are
no newspapers have remained the same from
the beginning and will remain the same to the
end of time. It is not saying too much that
many cities and towns have been builded by
newspapers.
The newspapers herald your advent into the
world, your christening, your childhood birth
day parties, your good works and covers your
early preferament in politics and social life,
your business activities and connections, your
goings and comings; it praises your good works
and covers your shortcomings with the mantle
of sweet charity; finally it chronicles your last
illness with regrets and prints a sympathetic
and CLOWN. obituary of your demise. All of
this is its service to you individually.
In the social circles of the present day it is
practically indispensable. 1t has taken the
place of the town crier with his bell and stem
torian announcements. It invites your friends
to partake of your hospitality and spreads on
it's praise of the same with lavish expenditure
of time, space and ink. The woman's clubs and
societies find in its circulation of their an
nouncements a vast saving in stationery, time
and postage. The various activities of social
life are chronicled with truths and faithfulness
in its columns, in it you can keep up with your
friends and your friends friends. Your visitors
or its visitors and its welfare yours.
In business it keeps you posted as to the
movements and activities of the outside world
and your local competitors and conditions of the
markets.
It keeps the records for you in every line of
endeavor. It's market pages and business adj
vices are yours for a mere p%ittance. It is your
finger on the great throbbing Of the worlds life
stream. In its columns you read of revolutions
on the other side of the world occurring the
same day as a minor accident to your neighbor
right down the street. Each day it brings to
you the news of the great planet on which you
live and keeps you in touch with all that makes
your life and living worth the space you fill in
the economy of this sphere.
For your town and city it is the most con-
slant booster. It conceals with profound con-
crecy all that would hinder or hurt. It allays
the public fear of impending failures and cree.
ates public confidence in propositions of merit.
Fl brings custom to the doors of your place of
business and builds interlocking interests of
successful civic affairs. It spreads before the
outside world the advantages of your locality
and makes the inhabitants of other places ssit
up and take notice" of your city's progress.
It forms and crystallizes public opinion in
things political, social, economical and moral.
1t is the champion of the right and the shield
against the thrusts that might penetrate the
vitals of the community. It shapes rules of
conduct and advertises rectitude in public of
fee; while it searches out. the decayed spots in
the body polite and society and calls for their
extirpation. It offers a public forum from
which the humblest as weel as the most ex-
altered may reach the public ear, attain
ment of higher ideals or redress of public
wrongs.
Mr.. Citizen, think these things over, then de-
eide whether you do not owe something to your
town newspaper. Consider your obligations to
1T. Increase the heartiness OF your support of
1T. Aid your newspaper in trying to be what it
should be and tries to be. Boost your town pa
per. 1t boosts your toWn.-BrunsWick Banner.