The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1939-05-31
TOO
LATE
TO
CLASSIFY
BY RUSSELL KAY
FLORIDA News Service)

@z-N-s-S-s-a-
The local newspaper. particu-
larry the small town weekly, rem
ders a greater service to the COM
munity than any other single
agency. Faithfully and constant
ly it mirrors the life and activity
of the territory it serves. With
pride, it points to the progress
and development; with alarm it
records the evils and weaknesses
that retard growth and advance
ment.
No better yardStick for the
measurement of town or city
can be found than the newSpa-
per, that day in and day out,
week in and week out, gives a
running account of local happen
ings, accurately reflects the aims
and interests of its citizens, their
achievements and shortcomings,
their work and their play, weav-
ing from these individual person
alities the composite spirit and
personality of the community it
self.
The influence and importance
of the local newspaper is striking
ly illustrated by Frederick Char
tiers in a recent article in ,"Coro-
net" which tells of a young
couple, native New Workers.,
whose friends were always re-
ferring to people and things
back home.
Wishing that they might have
a home town" to talk about,
they decided to adopt one. So,
getting out their atlas, they pick
ed out small town in Indiana.
A town they had never been to-
in fact, had never heard of-but
they termed it their "home
town. And to fsmiliarize them
selves with it, they subscribed
for the local weekly paper. dill
gently reading every line and
every advertisement.
In a few months they came to
know just about everybody worth
knowing in the town. They had
their favorite grocer and auto
mobile dealer, enjoyed COM
mencement exercises at the high
school. imagined themselves at the
Sunday School picnic, took keen
interest in the doings of the city
council. AS pictures of citizens
appeared they studied them and
could talk interestingly and in
diligently about their ''home
town. 1t was a fascinating game
and they looked forward eagerly
for the coming of their "home
town" paper
So they decided to pay their
adopted town a visit and, piling
in their car, they drove there.
Going straight to the newspaper
office, they introduced them
selves to the editor, told him
their story and he, amazed, pub
liShed it in the next issue.
AS a result they received in
vitations everywhere. They were
taken in and made to feel so
much at home that they decided
TO really become citizens. They
played golf with the local insur-
ance man, bridge with the bank
er's wife, went fishing with the
hardware dealer.
Because of the knowledge they
had gained from the local paper,
they were able to converse in
diligently on any subject. They
didn't have to ask anyone where
to go for merchandise or serv-
ice. They knew that Tony ran
the shoe repair and shine shop;
that the Palace was the leading
drug store. Everywhere they
went they found familiar land
marks: the new wing on the
courthouse-Ike Feinberg's flashy
Neon sign-the narrow bridge to
the east of town where the
Thompson boy crashed his car
and was killed-the new traffic
light at First and Main-the road
house that there had been so
many complaints about-the new
recreation center built with WPA
funds.
And SO from the columns of a
small town weekly paper they
became as familiar with the COM
munity as were those who had
resided there many years. They
became citizens of town they
had never seen and never heard
of until a few months before,
could call folks by their first
names, participate in its activi-
ties. and take their place with
the old timers as good citizens"
Annually we spend large sums
for elaborate and costly booklets
and folders, issued by chambers
of commerce, to attract visitors
and prospective homeseekers.
None Of these, no matter how at