Page:The Newspaper and the Historian.djvu/121

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tion of the importance of these interests and a desire to promote them . It is true that occasionally such interest is a factitious one and is feigned only with the ulterior object of increasing its circu lation among those concerned with these questions, but even this

indicates in itself another side of the personality of the newspaper. " Special editions" issued by women , or by an educational in stitution , or in the interests of the Red Cross movement , or a new tuberculosis hospital, or some local charity all throw side lights on the personality of the newspaper. Essential differences are found between the country and the

metropolitan press. Notmore than one-tenth of the newspapers published in America are said to be published in the larger cities.46 The country weekly , whose editor is probably the leading man in the community and whose general attitude is one of kindliness and affectionate goodwill towards his fellow -citizens, is far different

from the great city daily with its impersonal, coldly critical,mas terfulpersonality. Even in small ways the differences are marked . The metropolitan papers disclose an exoteric interest in life and

give news in regard to what prominent citizens of their commu nities are doing elsewhere , where they are traveling, and the social attentions shown them . Special correspondents are assigned to summer resorts, winter resorts, watering places, and other locali ties sought by the leisure class , and the social life there is reported for the stay -at-homes. The opposite attitude is taken by the pro

vincial press and this serves as a medium of communication

among the neighboring places and as a clearing house for the local news of all the surrounding country villages where it main

tains a large staff of local correspondents. The suburban newspaper is often disclosed by its omission of many subjects that are discussed in full by the neighboring metro politan dailies and presumably read by the entire community .

Marked contrasts are found between the daily , the weekly , themonthly and the quarterly , and between the representatives of

these classes in the different countries . No more important illus tration of this can be found than becomes evident in examining long runs of periodicals, or extended files of newspapers. The 46 H . F . Harrington, and T . T. Frankenberg, Essentials in Journalism , p . 210.