LETTER: Paper irreplacable

As we pass through the time of our community we sometimes forget we are leaving an indelible trail of our concerns, conclusions, rational and irrational judgments. We sometimes do not remember that the local newspaper serves more than just expressing current news.  It also forever reflects how things were accomplished (or not accomplished), whose influence prevailed, and why a community developed the way it did. It illustrates in detail the feelings, judgments, reasons and influence of the community’s leaders, would-be leaders and its citizens. It tells future generations all about us and how they, in their time, have arrived where they are. 

A reflection of this was in last week’s Spencer Magnet that had two stories regarding history. In one of them it said that Betty Darnell wrote two books of abstracts using local news of early Spencer County newspapers. This is one of the reasons that such newspapers as the Spencer Magnet are irreplaceable.  Without them the “Passing Parade” of a community would be forever lost to future generations.  

Tom Schmitt

Taylorsville