Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1922-02-10
Outside VieD of The Country NelUs-
Paper as Appraised by Observation
IA Study Club dysLh by Mrs
Maneyl

Despite the tendency of city papers
and city folks to ridicule the country
paper. there is little doubt that. in
some ways, the country paper is The
best paper printed.
The metropolitan press is usually
considered TO be typical OF American
journalism. There are $500 daily
newspapers IN the United States, not
including its outside possessions, and
more than half Of these are published
iA cities Of more than $4,000 popula-
ton.
Thc farmer and the small town sub
Scriber are furnished daily with the
news Of the world foreign. domestic
state. and, IN some instances where
the city is close at hand--lOcal news
Any news story or any advertisement
printed III these papers gets wide and
immediate publicity. and editorial opin.
ions are known and discussed over an
area varying according to the impor-
lance of the paper section Of the state
etc
1t would seem therefore. as if the
real power of the press lay III the city
papers. and that small town newspa
pers must decline before the greater
service of the superior organization OF
the daily papers This was the opin
ion of many of the country editors
| themselves who fought the coming OF
the rural free delivery of mails, think
| ing ii would bring them q competition
| they could not meet--that the public
would not care for paper delivered
once a week, one which brought, Ill
best. but a summary of what had hap
pened in the world.
! Circulation is not necessarily an in
| falliblo index Of the power and influ
cncc Of Il paper, any more than OF q
| book. The six best sellers are not nee
esSarily the cream Of the annual lit
crary output. The power Of any writ
| ten work, whether book or newspaper
! is to he estimated in terms not of pub
| lieity. but of the results OF thoughts
and action.
| # is the boast of the country week
! " that it is the paper which goes into
| he home where it is read with some
| legree of care by every reading mem
Der of the family: that its measure OF
| influence is not to be estimated IL
terms Of circulation, but i'll terms OF
| social impulse given TO the family
| unit
The city paper is a production fol
| General information, which does no
ret into the homes in the same sense
| hat the country paper does. 1t is
| ought for certain features and has M
| feeling of friendship, such as the cOun
Ary paper calls up.
| The family in the small town is II
| ccord with the aims and service o.
The good country paper The country
| own has more stability of residence
! than the larger centcrs. People llv'
| there year after year and most OF then
own their own homes and have dls
| tinct and fairly permanent place III th'
| business and social life OF the commun
| ity. They are interested in theil
neighbors and in the progress and de
| .elopment of the town and of the trade
| conditions in the locality. This com
| nunity Of interests makes possible th'
service Of the country weekly.
Warren ID. Foster, of the Youths
| COMPANION, says that a large part o.
| the success of that magazine Is baSet
upon what he calls the rural minded
ness of its readers. BY that he means
that the average American is not raj
removed from the soil. BY inheritance
most of us are interested in the things
Of home. in our neighbours dOings, ant
| in the thousand and one things tina
make up our community life.
simple. homely things interest lis
Wholesome relations with our fellow
beings is part of the life OF the country
/ We like 70 talk about and read things
which portray life's virtues ana desir
able qualities. and especially the things
which occur in our immediate vicinity
The country paper comes nearer u
fulfilling the purpose for which it was
| pStlDiISflpu lDdu any otihtA P"PS@ 20
sib)y can. 1t has no other held 10 Gov
or and can deal with local and county
news intensiveIy. The county weekly
is provincial, but so are the daily pa
ners of the cities. for each has its owf
/ local flavor. New Orleans and Allan
IA are different from Denver and SAL
Lake CITY. and those of the east have
their own distinctiveness, for our coun
| try is large and many slded-We VII
call il their own individuality or com
posite personality brought about BY
location. New York takes little inter
est in anything but New York. SO II
il that if the country weekly has its
own provincialism. it should not b'
reproached by city people for this side
but cOmplimented.
The problems of the country week
" arise chiefly from the fact that 1t Is
one-man enterprise. In most cases
the editor may have assistants in office
and Job departments, but the details
and management of all parts OF the
work are his. Having so many things