GROWTH OF THE MCGRAWVILLE SENTINEL NEWSPAPER

 

The McGrawville Sentinel, Thursday, February 10, 1887.

GROWTH OF THE SENTINEL.

SUPREMACY DESTINED TO TAKE THE LEAD.

Marvelous Increase in the Sentinel's Popularity, Which Has Been Attained in Two Years.

   Two years. Yes, this week is the second anniversary of the present proprietorship of the McGRAWVILLE SENTINEL, and we are happy to say that in a business way the years have been pleasant to us and in a fair way profitable.

   Under the existing circumstances at the time of our coming here we had little anticipation of accomplishing so much in county newspaper work as we have. However, small beginnings are oftentimes productive of wonderful effects, and, though we might possibly have accomplished more than we have, yet we feel constrained to say that our accomplishments have been only such as persistent work could bring about.

   To better convey an idea of the growth of the SENTINEL since the beginning of the year 1885 we need but say that at that time there were scarcely three hundred names on the subscription list and since then it has incessantly increased till its subscribers in Cortland county alone numbers five times as many as the whole list when we took the proprietorship and management.

   Looking over the files of the SENTINEL of past years we are struck with the tenor of the editorial prospectuses from time to time. At one time the editor's heart would be light as well as his pocket-book. In the face of stern reality of want he would force the sad feelings aside and imagine a brighter outcome. We say the editor's heart was light. The cause was love. Two hearts were mingled together in blissful adoration; and the rays of such joy in the editor's heart shed a beam of mirth through the columns of his paper. The shining side of the cloud was made to face him although it brought not with it the pittance that would have gladdened his financial career. Why was this state of affairs? The SENTINEL was in a word a charity seeker. To be sure these circumstances were of periodical duration.

   As the boy takes on the character of the man he deserts his childish ideas. A child that is not a fool grows in wisdom. The love grew in strength and culminated in the sharing of life's blessings and sorrows with the object of his affections. This put a new phase into the business life. Two must be supported by one's exertions. The editorials were a little sterner in character: "If you want your newspaper enterprise continued, you must help it"—hard to leave the rut. We are pleased to say this sentiment of charity is now dropped. The people want a good county newspaper, one that will yield abundantly from the seed—the subscription price. With the change in management we determined to put the tub on its own bottom and see if it would stand alone. It seemed to strike a business-like tone in the minds of the people and has gained in favor with its growth.

   However, we admit the enterprise is still young in years and is capable of steadily maturing. We claim for the SENTINEL now, that it is worth its subscription price. It is the product of untiring efforts to make it valuable and interesting. We find that we have "many men of many minds" to deal with, but our aim is to use a fairness with all things that will meet with the approval of sincere persons.

   Many little episodes that happen during our labors would make amusing reading if dressed in narrative style, but we pass them by, preferring not to offend. Some people like praise, while others distain it; some can stand the truth while others resent it. Articles that appear sometimes in newspapers give the impression that editors are "tough nuts," but it is wrong. Usually the subject deserves a raking or a thorough expose so as to guard others. Editors are sympathetic. Nothing breaks us up so completely as for a person to say: "Now, weren't you a little hard on such a person? Did he really deserve so stinging a rebuke? Think it over;" while we have no compassion at all for the man who rushes into the office and says: "If you ever say anything about my mother again in your old paper I'll smash you." We tell such a person that he had better do the smashing at once if he has a cause; two can play at smashing.

   Then again there are things that please an editor. One says: "Now there's an article in your sheet this week that suited me; here's a dollar, just send what extra papers you have to persons who are not subscribers." We can afford to befriend such a man, he deserves it. In doing this we are led to believe he would never do anything rash.

   But how do you make the newspaper? First, we have to get the news. The Sentinel has a small army of correspondents and special reporters that are scattered in every section of the county, who gather personals and items of interest for us each week. But very often something of unusual importance occurs that directs our personal attention. A man suicides, a robbery is committed, a serious accident happens. We go then personally for particulars, rain or shine. Sometimes we procure all the elections returns but from one or two towns; the report must be complete. Midnight Wednesday night finds us getting the poll clerk out of bed to give us the desired information. Crandall, of Truxton, performs depredations that men shrink from convicting him of, through fear that he will escape and make them objects of his persecution, but the SENTINAL procures a man to shoulder a gun and investigate the whole Crandall neighborhood for information while in the guise as a hunter; the effect is good; he evaded the law during all time before but this time he receives his deserts.

   In our office six men are employed in the various pursuits of work, the attention of four of them being wholly directed to the newspaper and the other two assist when it is required. All the reading matter of the SENTINEL is put in type in our own office, letter by letter, and in this we claim a supremacy over any other Cortland county paper. All our contemporaries are using reading matter that is composed in some city where hundreds of plates are made from it and sold to county publishers at a quarter of the costs of home production, and they are usually of about a quarter the interest to the readers. These our contemporaries buy in order to lessen their expenses so that they can withstand the loss sustained by the preference given the SENTINEL by many of their former patrons.

   An increase of production in our office has demanded an increase of facilities. In two years we have quadrupled the amount of type the office contained, we have doubled the size of the room, have added a large new composing stone, new cabinets, and with the beginning of the present year commenced running our presses with steam power. After a long hunt we purchased the very best small power engine we could find. It is styled the "Shipman," is two-horse power and automatic in all its workings. On this page we give a good illustration of it, and it will probably excite much curiosity among our readers who may wish to know how it works. The fuel we use is kerosene oil. With a pressure of air or steam which passes through a diaphragm and atomizer, the oil is drawn from a tank and is sent in a spray into the firebox. There it is ignited by a torch that is constantly kept lit and a very blaze or mass of flame is produced. From cold creek water we have obtained twenty-five pounds of steam in fifteen minutes. It will run up to the required amount in from two to five minutes more. The diaphragm is adjustable so that one can set it to shut off the fires at any number of pounds pressure that is wanted. Our fires go out when the indicator stands at 60 and as soon as it lowers they start again of their own accord. A float is fixed in the boiler, which regulates the pump. When there is sufficient water the float is high and the pump stops its operation but as the float goes down the pump commences pumping, and in fact the engine is so automatic in its work that it will run for hours with no attending and it is considered so safe that no extra insurance is created by it. We are always pleased to explain our engine or other machinery to anyone who desires it and when our readers cannot be better employed we invite them in to see us. Our "latch string hangs out," you needn't rap nor be backward. We can better mutually understand each other and appreciate the work of the other by becoming better acquainted. Drop in. We don't care if you do owe us most a dollar. If you have got it pay for the paper, but if not—why sometimes we are without a dollar ourselves and we know just how to sympathize with you.

   One paragraph more and we will desist. We want to double our subscription list during this year to come and ask of our friends that they speak a kindly word for us if conscience permits it. It will cost you nothing, and then, you may want a favor of us sometime. Every new reader we would inform that the subscription price of the SENTINEL is only $1.00 per year and we ask you to unconditionally try our paper and compare it with others. We send it three months for only 25 cents, and if you tell us distinctly to stop your paper when the time is up we will do it without any further trouble to you. We must say that puffing ourselves in the paper is new business to us, and it will not be overloaded with such articles in the future, but if we don't toot our horn we are afraid no one will toot it for us so effectively, and this being a proper occasion we have tried to improve it. We are not usually so long winded on one subject and hereafter as heretofore we shall extract the cream or essence of articles and still preserve their nourishment. Brevity is the soul of wit. This is one reason we have not made our paper larger, but the principle reason is that we can not yet afford to. With one or two thousand more subscribers, though, we will be able to do much better, and for this end we shall endeavor to work during the present year. To those who are constrained to help us we will offer to give them one subscription for every four other new subscriptions they send in. This will be a cheap way of taking the SENTINEL. Induce four of your neighbors to subscribe and we will present you with a paper free. We have a man who gets from fifteen to twenty a day when he is on the road, and he has to fight the superstition of strangers at that. Anyone who can talk can do as well as he can, and if you try the work to get your own subscription, and like it, we will make liberal cash inducements for you to continue. And [with the expense to us of four or five dollars for a day to canvass, it would be almost nothing] to some of our readers, and what would be an expense to us would be an income to them—not a bad profit for a little persistent labor.