Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1924-10-23
Woman Editor Tells Of
Country Newspaper Life
MABEL HANSEN HAS EDITED THE
HARTLAND NEWS FOR g YES
LIFE WORK SUCCESS

in Hartland previous to that time,
The Hartland Index printed by
G. w. Sizer at Oconomowoc, endured
for only two years The News was the
first paper to be printed and publish
ed in it's own printing plant in Hart
land. Since 1898 it has been owned,
edited and published by the writer of
this article, Mabel V. Hansen, who
continues to guide the destines of
The News.
We came into The News office in
1895, after finishing high school, We
did not choose the enWspaper voca-
ton; it chose us Although had it
been in our power to decide we could
have made no happier choice. We love
the work, it is part of our life. Thru
it we are able to express all the
thoughts and impulses that activate
our life through it we are able to
serve others; and through it we are
able to feel our relationship with the
forces of mind and thought and actiy-
ity that dominate the world; through
it our interests became world wide
and corresponding and through this
same avenue we have come to know
people-these are the most important
and interesting things in the world
A small country town does not Of
fer many alluring opportunities How,
ever, fom the viewpoint of twenty-five
years and more, we believe that the
small town does larger, fuller and
more free life than the big metropolis
The opportunity to learn type-set-
ting was offered at the attractive sal
airy of nothing for period of six
weeks, after which we were to receive
$100 week for six months Then
$500, ETC. We took the job and in six
weeks became fairly adept at type
setting. We could spell, and were good
on composition and punctuation and
other things so necessary in getting
up newspaper.
In a short time we could set a. gal
Icy III W pc W1LuOuL oh III OpC1A-
ing and punctuation; and the type dis
tribution in the cases was also our
own work We learned a little about
handling job type and the practical
end of printing; We afterward made a
concentrated study of type-arrange-
ment and other matters pertaining to
tho vNr;rfinor f1YYcinpcc
In the course of two years the OPP
portunity came to buy The News.
Here again, we did not choose to pur-
chase the paper, but as in all the turn
ing points of life, the way has seemed
to be decided for us, there was but
one thing to do-make the plunge, and
we did The next few years were full
of vicissitudes for the town was not
large enough to properly support a
newspaper that was not firmly estab-
lished; and we encountered numerous
trials over which we had no control.
But we struggled on.
Financially it was a losing PROPOSE
ton, but our love for the work led US
on in the earnest endeavor each week
to get out a better paper than the
one of the week before
We finally built up the paper by
slow degrees on solid foundation.
Our printing business increased. We
added new equipment as fast as we
could get money to pay for it, and we
have followed up this policy and to-
day we have a well equipped modern
printing plant which includes an inter
type machine.
Our newspaper is flourishing, at
least 5000 people read our paper every
week We are able to command an adj
vertising patronage that is matter of
pride to us. We do not use subscript-
ion premiums of any kind and we sell
our paper solely on its merit. The sub
scription price is $500 year.
During those early years we set our
own newspaper type, and helped out
on the setting of advertisements and
job work, besides writing the copy
attending to the business end. These
years were hard, difficult years, and
the writer was a woman, too, which
did not make the pathway any easier
But we never entertained discourage
ment, and this optimistic outlook to-
gether with an Unborn love for the
work sustained us when most people
would have given up the ship because
of the financial outlook.
However we have always maintain
ed that there are things in this world
of more moment than money, neces
sary as money may be, and there are
things that even money cannot buy
which a country newspaper life af
fords. If you can harmonic your life
to a situation of this kind, you car
make a successful country newspaper
editor and publisher. Otherwise it is
best to stay out of the game. We Offer
this advice to the hundreds of aspir
ing Journalists that are flocking tt
the colleges of journalism each year
We would also say that there is {
great deal more than knowing how tx
write a newspaper in being a country
publisher. One of the essentials is tx
he a practical working printer There