Mr. and Mrs. Merchant—
PAPER REFLECTS TOWN
It is recognized that a town rnay be rather ao
curately judged so far as its progressiveness is con
cerned, by the way in which it supports its newspapers.
In other words a creditable and prosperous looking
newspaper may be safely taken as an indication of a
live and enterprising community.
The reason is plain. A live town naturally demands
a representative newspaper and there will always be
found someone to meet the demands. Almost without
exception it may be found that a town has just about
as good a newspaper as it deserves; sometimes better
than it deserves.
In this connection a quotation from an address
by James J. O’Shaughnessy, former executive secre
tary of the American Association of Advertising Agen
cies, is to the point, In the light of his many years of
experience in dealing with newspapers, he says:
“1 have been widely quoted as saying that the vil
lage newspaper is the cornerstone of American journ
alism, No one has disputed that assertion. Modem
communities, large and small, grow and prosper in the
wake of their newspapers. If their newspapers are
prosperous, retail business prospers and real estate
appreciates in value.”