St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1938-08-19
Here And
There
By w. NJ. snith

cries. Indeed some of them can run
back through the years to the time
when they were four year old mar
vels. have listened to many in
triguing tales of things they did in
those distant but well remembered
years of immaturity. Personally !
have not been greatly impressed for
have never been able to understand
how they could recall the things
they do with such accuracy, nor
have / been able to convince myself
that the dOings of four year Odds
are worth the effort required to
keep them in memory granted
that they may possibly be truly re-
cOrded-and that, believe me, is
some grant.
But a newspaper that has lived
to reach the age of four years is
something else again. By that time
it has reached a state of "innocuous
desuetude" where it makes little
difference if it lives or dies or it
has overcome the growing pains of
youth and has grown to maturity
where it has become a recognized
institution and a factor in COM
munity development where it must
be reckoned with.
I am thinking now of the Min
neapolis Spokesman and st. Paul
Recorder which celebrates with
this issue their fourth birthday.
How wildly / recall every Incl
dent of those tempestuous years!
The publisher of these papers
had had a considerable journalistic
experience. 1t had left him deeply
dissatisfied with its lack of accom-
pIishment; lack due chiefly to re-
strictiOns to individual initiative.
He cOnfided to me and others that
he felt the time had been reached
when it was the part of wisdom to
cut the "GOrdian knot" and reach
out for himself and establish the
kind of publication the Twin City
community deserved.
He believed he had the proper
ideas and we both knew he had the
necessary experience. For knowing
what I did of newspaper business
took it for granted that he had
secured a thousand or so dollars
with which to launch his expert
ment. I discovered later that his
capital was a very little money, a
imitless ambition, a great faith in
public reaction and supply of in
ternal fortitude that for me has
been the most marvellous ingredient
of this iconoclastic enterprise. By
the time this knowledge had been
absorbed the six page st. Paul and
Minneapolis papers had be e n
launched and it was a case of do
or die.
From the outset the public was
pleased and generously gave the
support and encouragement that
enabled us to "dO." OF course,
there were some who would have
helped us to "die." Their efforts
were only a spur to ambition and
is recalled now only to set forth in
glowing cOIOrs the inspiration and
help received from the many who
understood and appreciated this
dynamic departure from the rut of
former methods of news distribu-
ton.
One of the stumbling blocks to
be overcome was the fact that
other publications had taught the
public to believe that Negro papers
were not worth paying for. Per-
haps that was true. But we knew
that the kind of publications we
offered were not only worth paying
for but must be paid for if the
standard of excellence aimed for
was to be reached and maintained.
One of the most satisfying MEM
cries of those hectic years is the
manner and the speed with which
our friends, the public, have ac-
cepted this educational viewpoint.
Today we point with commendable
pride to the largest circulation
Negro journals have ever reached
in the Twin Cities, a circulation
willingly paid for and many times
without painful and embarrassing
solicitation.
i One of the most difficult of the
many hurdles to cross was the
lethargic attitudes of the businesses
of the two cities. Notwithstanding
our people spend with them all Of
three million dollars annually they
had become so accustomed to &C.
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