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Show THE REV. JERRY ROUNDER t Preaches on Newspapers, After Failing in the Business. He Says You Have as Much Right to Ask the Dry Goods Merchant for a Silk Dress or an Overcoat as to Ask for a Free Boost. "I havo been requosted by some of the newspaper peoplo to try to correct cor-rect a few misapprehensions which are entertained in regard to newbpa-pors. newbpa-pors. Thero aro very many who seom to have the false Impression that newspapers are a charity; that their work In tho world Is of a philanthropic philanthro-pic character. I want to impress upon up-on you that a newBpaper Is nothing moro nor less than a business enterprise enter-prise which, to be considered successful, success-ful, must, like any other legitimate (business undertaking, be able to pay Ub way in tho world and turn over a reasonable profit to its owners. A newspaper has not demonstrated Ita right to exist unless It has shown Itself It-self to be able to make a living from its lawful business operations without with-out depending for its support upon tho charity of millionaires or political organizations. 1 "Tho nowspaper has Its space to rent Just as the store has dry goods to sell or the hotel has rooms to ront or meals to sell Eery time you go Into a newspaper office and try to get BOmothlng for nothing, trying to work the editor for a free advertisement, you aro putting yourself into the attl-tudo attl-tudo of a cheeky beggar Just as much as though you expected the real estate man to let you have tho rent of a house for nothing or tho smoke houso to let you have a box of cigars for nothing. Much of the time and nine-tenths of tho patlonco of the average editor are consumed in a consideration con-sideration of th0 claims of people who want for nothing boosts which they should have no thought of getting get-ting without full payment for value received. If every man who goes into a nowspaper office would go there with his money In his hand, expecting to pay for what ho wants, he would always find a pleasant smile awaiting him; thero would ho no Bitch thing known as editorial grouch and tho llfo of the editor would bo greatly prolonged. pro-longed. If some editors are considered moan It is only hecause thoy aro moro Insistent upon tho rights and more consldorate of tho property of tho newspaper owners and not so eas-ilv eas-ilv played for suckers as aro other editors. "Whether you are a very worthy churoh or a great political party, or a man runnjng for a ton-thousand-dollar offlco or a big show or a benevolent be-nevolent society or a good cauae of any naturo or description, you will bo much more respected and will be receded re-ceded w 1th greater Joy if you will remember re-member that the newspaper also has to make money, and if you will bo ready to pay for what you get to tho nowspaper tho same as to the Iceman or tho milkman or the blg store. Because Be-cause you pay 2 1-2 cents a day for your newspaper or becauso you patronize pat-ronize a newspaper by reading tho copy at tho restaurant while waiting for your breakfast, that doesn't entitle en-title you to expect that newspaper to booBt your little gamo or your business busi-ness for nothing. "There aro people who insist that they ought to be favored with a free nowspaper. T.hoy give a roportpr an Item about a dance or a social event or a union picnic or somo other doings do-ings that they want boosted and then expect to bo put on the free list he cause they wore so friendly with that reporter that they worked him for 'free advertising space which was the I oxclusivo property and stock in trade of tho proprietors of tho nowspaper not of the reporter A newspapci boosta for a man running for office or tho party ticket which that newspa per professes, and after that candl date" is elected, in return for th boosting ho insists that, being now an official, he must got a free cop of the paper, thus lessening tho rev onuo of tho newspaper through the success of the party it helps along. "Freo riewspapers are asked for by clubs, labor union reading rooms, po' lltlcal and fraternal halls, those who beg this gratuity evidently not realizing realiz-ing that if 50 or 20 or 10 men Tead a newspaper at a club or hall or read-Ing read-Ing room, those 50 or 20 or 10 men are not going to huy that newspaper on the street or at the news stands or havo It sont to their homes, and the newspaper has lossenod Ita possible possi-ble circulation by Just that 50 or 20 or 10. "Then there are so many people who givo as a reason why you should glvo a free boost to tholr scheme the argument that the other newspaper has agreed to givo them a boost for nothing. No"w -because you are able to work one Ogden hotel for a froo meal is no reason why you should expect ex-pect another hotel likewise to foed you for nothing. It Is a mistaken impression, im-pression, although a prevalent one, that a nowspaper is a philanthropy and that its main reason for existence exis-tence is to hunt out deserving causes and boost for them. "It may -bo that in heaven newspapers news-papers aro going to bo run on a philanthropic phi-lanthropic basis purely. But that isn't so on earth, and when you go into a nowBpaper office begging for a charity char-ity you can count upon it that you are not going to bo received with open arms or with Joy. You don't oxpoct millionaires like" John O'Rourke and Harry Gallwoy and Ben CalklnB and Abe Cohen to stand out on the street corners and throw their wealth to the crowd; why, then, should you expect a poor newspaper, struggling for a living, liv-ing, to glvo you for nothing all that It hns byi which It may gain a livelihood. liveli-hood. "I am unable to understand that condition of official mind which, when a crime is committed, declares that it must on no account bo allowed to leak out to tho press. When a man commits a crime he knows full well that he has committed it, he knows that it will bo discovered and that tho authorities will be after him, Tho publication In the press isn't putting tho criminal onto anything. The official of-ficial mind which is Imbued with the Idea that It is going to bo easier to catch u burglar or a highwayman if tho fact of the crime Is kept from the newspapers must bo strangely and wonderlully mado. Publication puts thousands of people on the lookout for the criminal, whero othorwlBe only the police would ho looking for him. Many and many aro tho criminals captured cap-tured through the aid of the press. If the criminals could havo their way about It thoy would havo a law placed plac-ed on the statute toooka prohibiting newspapers -from the publication of all crimes. That would help them in their business. "Wo hear a good deal of criticism of tho 'yellow press.' There are yellow yel-low newspapers or course too many of them. Thoro are also yellow doc- i tors and yellow lawyers yos, and , even yollow preachers", now and then. - There are also some yellow business i men and yellow stock brokers and - yellow mining operators. Thero aro - yellow men all over the world, In ev-! ev-! ery walk of life, In every town They ' evon get Into politics sometimes. As r long as thero are vHow men there will 'be yellow newspapers, for as i thore aro all kinds of men In tho world, so, too, there will be all kinds and fashions and colors of newspa-i newspa-i pors. Newspapers are not perfect any ' more than men ate perfect and the average newspaper will not be much better than the avorage man, I am sure, however, that there aro moro good newspapers In the country than thero are bad newspapers, In spite of the fact that tho yellow ones often seem to bo better patronized, and I believe that the good newspapers aro getting bettor and that yellow papers aro getting less yellow. It is a mistaken mis-taken impression to regard tho press as perfect, or to condemn all newspapers newspa-pers because some newspapers are bad. I think that the newspaper's average Is protty good and that It Is on the up-grade. "One more thing and thon I am through. When the day arrives to pay your subscription, many of you will purposely absent yoursolf from home, knowing that the collector has so many other calls to make that you will not see him again for sovoral months, but when he do8 catch you at home don't Ho to him and say, "I know that I paid you on the regular reg-ular rate when you called last." The Lord may forgive you for asking for a free advertisement, -but nevor for lying out of an. honest subscription dobL" |