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Show 'Tilings I Have Onit." J- Lecford Brady of the Lawrence, Kansas, Kan-sas, World, prints the following which is re sjffectfully dedicated to all the I" tab. editors who may deem the language applicable. I used to think it the province of a small daily to be a leader in the world of thought. I do not think so now. It is better to be content with reflecting rather than originating. originat-ing. I used to feel that the world needed just the quality of brain I could bring to its service. ser-vice. I do not think so now. The country editor who attempts to reform the world has a bigger task on hand than when tit was content to elect county commissioners who would give him the county printing and, goodness knows, that is putting it strongly. I used to Diiblish a paper solely for the purpose of making a reputation. My editorials edit-orials were toned to suit the imaginary pub-ltc pub-ltc or, more properly, my neighboring country editor; and, as I have started in to confess, it may not be amiss to say that I also had hopes of having my efforts reproduced repro-duced in a great aaily. I have also quit that. Bright paragraphs are nice but they do not make country newspapers pay. My experience has been that a rattling good dog fight, spicily written up, will double discount any bright paragraph the average country editor ever wrote. Like the pendulum of a clock, I oscillated to the other extreme, and professed great contempt for short editorials. My columns were then utilized as a practice field for leader work on a great daily. I have quit that, also. I used to save all my good things for the editorial page, preferring to have my fellow workers iu egotism see how I could when the notion struck me. I have since found that a local hit double discounted a State failure. I have quit several other things, but these are the most important ones. Since quitting so promiscuously, I have become reconciled to the life of au editor of a small daily; have regained my old-time peace of mind; sleep soundly at night, and mako a newspaper that people pay for in order to read. 1 now try to write for my community, instead of my exchanges. It no longer nettles me to see a bright article in another paper that I can possibly write. |