St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1918-03-13

heartrending grief b printing tie
news OF the things that happen IN tie
community from day 10 day. auppres-
/ sing only that which would leavea little
| hurt Of DO damage without any e0mpen-
saing iahsfit to the parties evolved,
teasing the boys and girls goodnaturea-
Is, ticking the pompons members OF the
town family With straws from time to
tine. and helping the very human folk
WAC read il evening after evening to
carry their responsibilities and solve
their problems in just little better
manner today and tomorrow than they
did yesterday,-that IS the mission of
the country press. And it is very
good mission and the country scribees
get more than their share OF fun ont
OF life as they go along with it, passing
as much of it on to their neighbors as
they can spare.
To many people the business seems
heartless in a way because the news
paperman has to deal with the cruel
and sacred things of human life, birth
and marriage and sudden death. the
meeting and parting of friends, always
tragedy along with the comedy. But
the picture is not all shadows No one
who has run a country paper success
fully for any length of time and who
is as honest with himself as with his
community, but must admit that the
business oply makes cynics Of those who
are cheap and tawdry themselves at
heart. In a thousand instances the
country town newspaperman has it
brought to his attention that there is
more of good = life than bad, that hui
manity at heart is sound, that far more
people will keep the phone bell dingling
in the evening to praise some good deed
which has been given publicity than
will call up to criticise or crouch or
harangue or talk some evil thing that
possibly got by unnoticed in the crush
Of the days work. Many a newspaper
man who is honest with his peaple and
strives earnestly to help them With his
paper, locks his office and goes home on
Saturday night for the brief respite of
the Sabbath with the knowledge in his
heart that there is more of good in life
than bad, more of success than failure,
more of reward than of unreQuited
struggle. Many country scribe from
his elbow touch with all classes of
human folk III his community is forced
to admit that he is often made an opti
mist i'll spite of himself And if after
long labors- in q little town, printing |
the joys and SORROWS and the ups and |
downs of his neighbours fortunes. he |
refuses to admit that something is the
matter with the scribe himself, not with |
his community or its people
There is no maudlin sentiment about !
this. The job Of publishing a little !
daily il little town is to be desired /
beyond many other jobs because often
far more than a pastor i'll his pulpit /
the little local paper exerts ali influence
that many pastors truly
may envy. The man who can DO it is /
unusually financially successful, at least I
reasonably so. lie goes along with very
day, trying to make the good fight of !
life along with them, learning from /
human nature in thousand ways that I
God is good, that this is His earth, and
that the men ana women ia it are in I
deed created III His image HIS place
OF atfluence is far greater III proper
tion to his clientele than any city !
journalist barred behind the glazed
glass doors OF his Office and seeing no .
enc through the hours but his proofs,
his typewriter and his stenographer.
Che country journalist indeed may be +
come First in little Iberian village
instead Of second at Rome and though
ais field is smaller, the reckoning Of his
life shows up many things of greater
value than the new area of his rani
Eeations.
The Cale3onian joins with q wide