280 THE AGRICULTURAL PRESS 



bility, and is meeting that responsibility, in making better and 

 more prosperous farmers and better and more intelligent citizens. 

 The paper that caters in a narrow sense to the mere economic 

 needs of the farming class is not the best type of farm paper. It 

 is a mere trade paper. Likewise does that type of farm paper fail 

 of high success which attempts to take part, in a partisan way, 

 with the momentary and passing issues of politics. The best type 

 of farm paper and there are now several farm papers in this 

 class is performing service for its readers. It is published in the 

 heart of the section which it serves. It has an editorial staff large 

 enough and able enough to keep in contact with the farmer and 

 the farm home. Its leading articles fit local conditions. The 

 individual farmer is reached and helped. The farm community 

 receives more help than the individual farmer. The social side 

 of rural community life is properly evaluated and treated. The 

 significance is recognized of the slogan "Better farming, better 

 business, better living." This type of paper is truly a household 

 paper, since it contains departments and articles of interest to 

 each member of the farm household. A maximum number of 

 articles appear fresh in this paper and a minimum number are 

 clipped from other sources. It maintains a clear, wholesome moral 

 tone. The farmer prefers this tone in a paper. 2 The advertising 

 pages of this type of paper are a good index to the service it is 

 rendering its readers. No patent medicine advertising is carried. 

 No financial advertising is carried. In fact, so far are the interests 

 of the subscribers protected that now the papers of this type are 

 adopting the policy of guaranteeing their own advertising. In 

 short, these papers are rendering service and protection of a 

 high order to their patrons. They are rural institutions of 

 first importance. 



Worst Type of Farm Paper. There are a few farm papers 

 scattered over the country that apparently have not taken deep 

 root in the soil. Their editorial staff is not rural minded. Their 

 contents are collected mostly by the scissors. They prostitute 

 their advertising pages, teaching the farmer to spend his money 

 for " cancer cures/' "rheumatism cures," and other fake remedies, 

 as well as for brass jewelry, gimcracks, gewgaws, frauds, shoddies 

 and other bogus merchandise. These papers are parasitic in their 



2 Agricultural communities were the first to vote for prohibition of the 

 liquor traffic the cities the last. Farmers look upon the cities as being some- 

 what cynical on moral and religious questions. In these matters the farmers 

 are fundamentally conservative. 



