The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1929-05-17
FROM FAR OFF CHINA
C. P. o. Box No. 1884,
Shanghai, China,
April 4th, 1929

April 4th, 1929
Dear Editor:
Your excellent paper received and
read with interest. You do well to
take pride in it. You have a big
work. An editor is not. only the
servant of the people but can be a
good servant. BY pains and effort
he can serve up to the community
not only news local; but of all the
world and so keep his readers post
ed in everything worth while, be 1T
science, invention, literature, poll
tics or religion. Would that every
editor desired to make his influence
felt around the world-for good.
The locality without live, helpful
newspaper is indeed unfortunate.
The community that has one such as
your own has reason to be thankful
and to support it with subscriptions
and with telling, true advertise
ments.
When I came, there were num-
Der of English papers published in
China's coast towns; but there were
only two or three Chinese newspa-
pers and they were small indeed
both in size and circulation and had
no advertisements. About twenty
six years ago l began to publish my
Chinese Christian Alamanc. l need
ed advertisements badly to make it
pay its way, as does every publ1ca-
ton worth while that must be sold
cheaply. l went to Shanghai i'm
porters to get them to advertise in
Chinese in my Almanac. They
looked at me as tho / had gone daft.
Advertise in Chinese! Silly! They
did not think it would do any good,
chiefly because they could not read
the ad in Chinese characters. SO
had to carry on a continued argu-
mentative campaign OF education.
They advertised in English papers.
But few Chinese could read English.
They could read the chicken
tracks," / urged that there was
much more advantage in advertising
for the Chinese. There were not ~
thousand foreigners in China. There
were 400 million Chinese. They
were here for the Chinese and Dut
for the Chinese trade they would not
be here. At first they gave me ads
for good-fellowship's sake. Some
times they gave them to get rid OIL
me! But to their surprise letters
began to come in from the interior
asking for goods advertised in zen
Yong rs Ming''-my Almanac. Inc
ice was broken. Ads came in more
freely. The few Chinese newspa-
pers seeing the ads in my Almanac
began to get wise and solicited ads
and reaped fruit from my sowing.
Those papers began to prosper
] growing in size and circulation
mot only did foreigners advertise,
but the Chinese merchants took TO
advertising and found it paid well.
Soon many other papers were start
ed to reap the advertising harvest
and other profits, until the papers IN
the Chinese language are numbered
by hundreds. Some few have Cir
culation of from 20 to 80 thousand
while many run from few hundred
up. They all exist largely on adver-
Using. lay a little claim to Zoe the
father of Chinese advertising.
Newspapers have played big part
in the present Nationalist move
ment. They were simply forced tc
take sides and to write what the
leaders wished them to say. Where
and while Northerners were in pow
er they had to talk North" or die
and some did die. When the South
erners came into power the papers
had to talk South" Newspapers
have proved power in China, as II
every other newspaper country, ane
1 feel a little pride in being pic
neer in this line here; but l am moi
proud of many of the things papers
in China print. l would not, how
ever, have China go back to pre-
newspaper days when only one in
million knew anything about affairs
five miles from his village or town;
but wish the editors would weigh
their words more carefully and keel
wellIbalanced, level heads wheI
writing so as to lead the people wise
ly. Newspapers in China are
power for evil as we'll as for good
A newspaper editor, as we'll as al
official, a preacher or missionary
should be sane. But editors mus
be heroes to be sane in China
Where the editor is sane the com
munity is pretty sure to be sane
and possibly visa versa! With yer,
best wishes,
Yours in Christ's glad service,
Crew H. G.. c. HALLOCK