The Robesonian., 1917-07-12
Telling the Plain Truth

MarShV1lIe home.
If country editor should attempt
to adopt city methods Of handling
news he would probably get drum
med out of his community. Anyway,
that is what L. B. Funk, an Ohio
country editor, thinks about it. Some
times little things happen that cause
a fellow to jump right up and say ex-
actly what he thinks, without any
formalities or frills in his remarks.
When city advertising agency made
criticism in which it was charged
that country newspapers published
matters of trivial moment, the critic
evidently viewing "news" matter on
ly from metropolitan standpoint,
this Ohio editor made the following
blunt reply from the standpoint OF
country editor:
These fellows sit back in their
swivel chairs in their city offices and
try to measure country people by the
same false half bushel measure that
is So often used in computing the
value of city folks. They know the
city people are not what they seem,
yet they try to apply the same
thoughts and actions to the free and
straightforward people of the open
country.
This offender says he often reads
in the rural weeklies such items as
"John Smith has nainted his barn"
He then argues that there is no news
value in such items. He does not
know what he is talking about. Such
items are the most valuable of those
published by the country weeklies.
Such items are true and are told in
a simple manner. Make a oompari-
son of the item the city brother holds
up to r:dicule with any of the society
and other platitudinous articles that
fill the columns Of the big dailies.
Just the other day we read an ac-
count of marriage in one Of the big
city papers. Here are some excerpts:
"The bride is the beautiful and
charming daughter of Mr.. and Mrs.
. Her beauty has won for her
many compliments; her personal
charm is of magnetic force; he &C
tivity in church work has been so
g;'eat that it will be hard to find an
otnsr to fill her place. He is held
in the highest esteem by all, and her
companions are glad to see her hap
uily mated, yet are sorry to lose her
from their ranks" Then follows a
lot of similar gushy junk about the
bridegroom.
Now, it so happens We have known
the contracting parties for many
years. The bride is a homely girl.
She joined the church when a girl in
her teens and attended the different
meetings as much as and no more
than the ordinary citizen. For each
person that can be found to speak "a
good word for her we will guarantee
to rake up dozen who will swear
she is a snob. And the groom can be
measured in the same small measure
The marriage should have been re-
ported about like this: -"On Wednes-
day evening, May 3, Miss Susan Sun.
bonnet was married to Sammy Stub
blefield." It is always better to tell
the truth and then stop.
If the country paper was to take a
leaf out of the book of the city paper
it would report the barn painting
something after this manner:
"John Smith two weeks ago secur-
ed the services of two of the most ar
tistic painters and decorators the
country affords. They brought with
them all the ingredients for mixing
their own color. After sandpaperino
the barn and finally rubbing it down
with punice stone the artists made
repeated tests in an effort to secure
Just the right shade to bring the barn
into sympathy with the landscape at
all seasons of the year. The cclor
selected is such as never was seen
before, for it was compounded for
this one job. The work has now been
finished, and it is superb"
If the editor Of the rural weekly
told as many lies in his paper as his
brother does he would be drummed
out of town as the greatest ass that
ever happened.
| August Cosmopolitan
One of the most striking features
In August Cosmopolitan is the begin