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Oregon Exchanges

In this, our third appearance, we feel very much as if we were responding to a curtain call after seeing ourselves “clapped back” on the editorial pages of papers from all parts of the state; and we experience the keen yet anxious excitement of the amateur who bows his appreciation from the stage.

But this time we make our entrance with less of confidence and assurance than ever before, because it is our initial appearance under exclusive student editorship, management, and publication. Even tho our knees do knock together a little bit this time, nevertheless we enter with enough ambition and enthusiasm to offset partially, we trust, the inevitable shortcomings.

We look forward eagerly for comments made either editorially or in personal letters, for we recognize them as infallible criteria of success or failure. We shall welcome especially any constructive criticism from those who, by their wider knowledge and experience, have the power to save us from the many pitfalls along the road to success.

The kindly encouragement and voluntary contributions already received give us the courage and confidence necessary to the undertaking of duties and responsibilities entirely new and strange.

And just remember that Oregon Exchanges will contiue to appear as long as we prove valuable to you, the newspapermen of Oregon, and our aim is some day to prove ourselves invaluable.

Ethics—right and justice—is the most important of qualities in country journalism, declares F. S. Minshall of the Philomath Review in his article in this number of Oregon Exchanges. “In metropolitan circles, however,” he adds, “the mere mention of ‘ethics’ in the newspaper game would cause a gust of merriment.”

Oregon Exchanges does not agree with Mr. Minshall. We have heard metropolitan editors make similar slighting remarks concerning the lack of standards and ideals in the country press. With them, too, we disagree.

Mr. Minshall is arguing for professional organization and cooperation. Why should not the rural newspaper man have his city brother in mind as well as his small town colleagues when he says with Mr. Minshall, “The frieindly handshake of his fellows, the words of greetings, might ofttimes be all that is necessary. The common friendly meeting would do much to check the hasty word, refute the charge of an enemy, and establish a friendly relationship that would result in bringing forth to the surface what is best and noblest in us all.”

Oregon Exchanges has already commented with pleasure on the increasing attendance of city newspapermen at state editorial meetings. Let’s get together; we are all members of the same profession—one of the noblest of all."

The Jefferson County Record, published at Metolius, called attention recently to a statement made in an advertising convention by the advertising manager of Sears, Roebuck & Co., of Chicago, that when ever he found the volume of advertising done by the merchants in any city was small, he flooded that territory with catalogues, and that unfailingly, “the result is an extraordinary volume of orders for our goods.” The Record pointed out that a considerable number of the Sears, Roebuck catalogues had reached Metolius within the week in which the article was printed, and rises to ask, “Whose fault is it?”