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Show comments on activities, local, state,, and national, that affect the lives of all citizens. He discusses questions from the I standpoint of their bearing on community welfare. He must nave a good working knowledge of government, legislation, social conditions, industries, labor, taxation the things that affect the working man, the businessman, and the family. The local editor accepts a real responsibility in publishing even the smallest paper, for when the reader sees something in print, he thinks it is the truth. How many people appreciate these facts that underlie the ownership and publicaion of the 12,000 country newspapers news-papers in the United Staes? Those papers are the greatest safeguard of our nation's independence. They are individually individ-ually owned, and the vast majority of their editors are well grounded in the ideals of Consitutional government, and are opposed to trends toward socialism which disregard the importance of the individual. The country press reaches a majority of readers in the United States. It deserves more recognition than it receives. And in that respect it is like the wheel under a Pullman car, but with this difference. It is human and it can appreciate a word or act of encouragement encourage-ment while upholding the rights of others. THE COUNTRY PRESS oome of the most important things in'hfe are taken for granted and accorded scant consideration until they cease to function. For instance, the occupants of a luxurious Pullman Pull-man sleeper think little about the wheels on which it rolls. The most vital things are generally the least obvious. The country press goes in this category. But there would be no United ' Sta tes w ithout the country press, any more than there would be a Pullman car without a wheel. No na tion in the world is so universally served with newspapers as is the United States. But the average citizen citi-zen doesn t know this he takes the newspaper for granted even in the smallest town And yet without the newspaper community affairs could not be conducted as they are. Try to think of your town without newspapers, even the smallest weekly. Where would you get the local news and the intimate inti-mate information on births, marriages, deaths and the affairs ol the community that at some time or other are so important impor-tant to every family? Where would you read the personal columns, the news about the local churches, and the advertising adver-tising of the local merchants? The big city dailies carry the world news, but they cannot carry the day-to-day happenings happen-ings of the smaller towns and cities. Along with the school teacher, the local editor is re-i re-i ponsible lor the education of the community. A good editor |