The Caledonian-record. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1920-current, 1922-11-28
1900 Pieces of Mail
Flood Editors Desk

The other day an enthusiastic
stamp collector wanted to write
for US a series of articles dealing
with his hobby, and took it as 4
personal aiiront when we had TO
, decline his offer. A lady who re-
Gently became interested in the
oscphy was highly offended when
we refused her Il column a week
for articles on the subject. A
friend was greatly disappointed
when we sidestepped his suggestion
that he contribute two columns
each week showing how the prin-
ciples which Adam Smith had laid
down in the wealth of Nations"
could be applied in solving all the
economic and industrial problems
Of the present day.
Hardest Of all to turn down are
the people who want free pub
betty for entertainments, bazars,
church dinners, sociables, and q
thousand and one like enterprises.
Because the money is to be used
for a worthy cause they think the
editor should give them the pub
lefty they seek.
A few years ago we started
paper in a suburb near Chicago
J Il was small town, sand several
Would-be publishers had exchanged
! money for experience in trying to
establish papers there They
printed anything that was handed
IN, regardless of its news value or
its advertising character, and the
public had come to look upon
local paper as a sort of bulletin
board where they could get I'M
limited publicity for nothing.
The bars had to be up or down,
and sow hen the next notice came
in boosting a church supper and
sale, we called up the lady IN
charge, telling her it was an adver-
tisement and would have to be
paiG for. We tried to explain that
the article was written for pur-
pcse Of persuading people to at
tend, and thereby add to the prof
its of the affair. The lady was
very indigant, insisting it was Gust
an item of news" and told US we
might just as well stop publishing
our paper right then if we thought
the people would stand for such
policies and, besides, we ought to
be glad to help the church. We
replied that we were glad to help
the churches-ran notices Of their
services every week. and in the
course of the year gave many col
umns to their affairs; they We're
gwen a special rate and we fig
cured the notice would cost eighty
cents. The lady could not or
would not see our point, and loud
ly insisted that the notice chad to
be printed as news This is no
way to get a concession from
publisher, and the paper was
printed without that particular
item of "neWs.'
The committee that came to see
US from this particular church set
a new record in the use Of high
explosives. When we had wanted
to charge for their notice 1t mad
the "only advertising they had
planned on using" they had made
preparations for one hundred and
fifty at dinner, but without the no.
tee in the paper to remind the
people of it they could not expect
over fifty. Instead of clearing sixty
to seventy-fve dollars, they would
now lose money, because the din
neIs would not be eaten and the
fool would spoil. One woman loud
" advocated suing Us for damages
right then and there.
When the ladies stopped from
sheer exhaustion, we explained
thai it wasn't a matter Of eighty
cents for one week, but when such
instaces are multiplied fifty two
time, year, and then multiplied
by every church, lodge, school, So
ciety, and the organization that
wanted to reach the public it
meant the difference between 2
down at-thc-heel newspaper with
no standing and newspaper that
is run on a business basis and
commands the respect OF the COM
munity.W we finally got our
message across, we assured them
we did not want to upset all Their
plans and offered to print and give
them enough handbills to cover the
town-not to "make up" for leaV-
ms out an advertisement for which
they had refused to pay but TO
show we were entirely friendly 10
the church, and to let the public
know that our newspaper was not
to be classed, in its service or IN
its policies, with the "weaklies'
that had preceded it. By the time
that dinner was over we had re-
ceived more advertising than we
could have purchased at any pnce.
The editor, especially in the
smaller communities, IS a sort OF
father confessor to his subscrib-
ers, and he has to listen to the
troubles and disappOintments and
ambitions Of many people, strang-
ei.s as well as friends He is q wise
person who, wanting something
kept out of the paper, goes straight
to the editor and tells him all
about it. Every business and
ana every profession has its
ethics, and no newspaper man of
standing ever violates q confidence,
even though he knows he may be