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RICHARD KNOWLES - October 19, 2006
We had a request last week from the family of Richard
Knowles. The grandchildren wanted to know more about his life. I knew
that he had been a stockholder in the early ’80s, but nothing more. Bill
Bailey loves assignments like this. He searched back issues from that
period and found several of his writings.
We are reprinting Knowles’ first article for present day
readers. I feel that his thoughts are still in use today.
“We believe newspapers such
as The Calhoun Chronicle should have a lot of news about the community
and the people in the community. It should have lots of ads to keep the
readers well informed as to what the local merchants are offering. The
paper should keep the vital statistics--the births and deaths--and other
items of general public interest; it should offer timely opinion and
commentary, and of course, letters from the readers.
We think the Chronicle does all of the above, perhaps
not as well or as fully as we would like to, but still it does a pretty
good job as the chronicle of the county. Still, there’s another area we
have not covered, and it does not fit easily in any of the categories
we’ve mentioned. And that is the area of the personal yarn, the
accounting of some things that happen that may not be strictly news, but
still may seem important to the human condition. An area where questions
may be raised and never answered, where wonderment or other human
emotions may be expressed. And you also see right away that all of the
above has been an attempt to justify this news column, which will be
appearing regularly, entitled ‘The Chronicle Corner.'
As ‘The Chronicle Corner’ we’ll take the liberty to keep
the content as varied as possible. Remember: don’t expect news, or
timely opinion. In a column such as this you certainly find commentary,
but not of the measured newspaper editorial variety. We have room for
that elsewhere.
So we launch the new column with very few preconceived
ideas as to what it should be. We hope it will entertain our readers
primarily. If it causes thoughts or feeling to arise that lead to
letters to the editor, that’s fine. If it does no more than bring a
smile or a sigh, or a nod of the head among our readers, we’ll be
pleased.”
Also notice the top left hand corner of the front page.
The flag is in a prominent spot to remind us that we are an American
newspaper. Below the flag, it says, “Good Government, Pure Homes, and
Godly Hearts.” It is a quaint, old fashioned statement, but it is there
to remind us that even though it may be hard to achieve, we will
remember these thoughts to help us decide what is in the paper.
The title, “The Calhoun Chronicle,” says that we feel
that it is important to represent all parts of the county. We work hard
to make sure activities are covered from each area."
We also agree with Mr. Knowles that letters to the
newspaper will be welcomed.
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