The Neshoba Democrat., 1921-11-17
YOUR HOME PAPEB

National subscribe-to-y your-own-
town-paper week" begins tomorrow.
The town is judged by it's home
paper. Much of the effect of a hand
some town hall or pretentious school
building is lost if the town paper is
In poverty. The effect of both is
heightened and the general tone of
the community is advanced If the
home paper is sprightly, alert and
prosperous.
The town paper will very largely
be what the town willsit 1t to be. Gen
lerally speaking, the editor is the
hardest working man In the commu-
nifty. He is invariably doing his part
to make his paper barometer the
town as thrifty, wide awake and on
the map. Ii the townspeOple do a
fraction OF what they should in the
! way OF support, he will make his
paper an intelligent and highly
respectable representative of the
community. If they do only
"a little of their part, the paper
will do more than any other one
thing to give the town standing at
home and abroad.
AS every newspaper man knows,
one OF the first things done by those
in distant states who are looking
Isoy new location is to send for the
town paper. Such applications come
lin numbers the year through to
every town newspaper. The appear
alce OF the paper, it's signs of thrift
or poverty, largely determine wheth-
en- the applicant will ever see your
town. No agency does so much for
the community and gets so little
back as well conducted town news
paper. Much is asked of it, and little
bestowed. The man who wants free
publicity and gives nothing back in
advertising besieges all newspapers
especially the home paper.
The mail ovcrwhelms the town
paper with all kinds Of copy with
the request that 1t be inserted free
and marked copies sent. Stock
shows, horse shows, county fairs,
church fairs, school fairs, world fairs,
June festivals. health commit tees,
development committees, promotion
committees, publicity committees,
general welfare committees and every
other kind of fair, show, exposition
and committee, shower the editor
with requests for free space, for edi-
torials, always holding out as re-
muneration the assurance that it is
for the good of the community, new
er realizing that white paper has to
be paid for in money, that printers
must be paid and that newspapers
cannot subsist on hot air.
In no other activity In the world
is there so much endeavor to get
something for nothing as is carried
on with the newspapers. No activity
in the world gives SO much to the
public gratis and gets SO few thanks
back. The thing has gone so Ear that
much OF the public holds it to be the
duty OF newspaper to support
every and any public proposition
that seems in some remote way to
promise some public benefit, carry
ing their view almost to sort OF
public ownership OF the policy and
plant OF the paper.
For all the boosting OF the commn-
nifty, for all the constructive agita-
ton, for all the struggle for reform,
for all the appeals in behalf of public
movements, for all the free notices,
free insertions and free exploitation,
many In the town expect in return
to lay few flowers on the defunct
editors grave and let 1t go at that.
No servitor is more faithful and
devoted, no citizen more sincere and
but few figures In the community so
a.. 4.