They say a photograph is worth a thousand words.

If that is true, then two photographs on Thursday’s front page of The News spoke volumes. The photographs offered readers a stark contrast between what is good, and what is wrong in the world today.

Pictured prominently on the top half of the newspaper was a photo of Besser Elementary students gathering together school supplies to be sent to Texas to help students there impacted by Hurricane Harvey. The Besser students are being joined by students at All Saints and Immanual Lutheran in the relief efforts. The headline over the photograph was “Blessing kids in Texas.”

Lower on the page was another photograph, this one from the Alpena County Courthouse, where bulletproof glass was being installed in all the offices. It offered a chilling reminder of the new realities in the world today. Just days earlier we all were reading of the Las Vegas tragedy and wondering to ourselves how something so evil could happen in the world.

As evidence by the photograph no area is immune to violence, and county officials were taking a proactive approach to minimize any incidents here.

Call us old fashioned, but we still believe goodness will triumph over evil in the end, and thus we were buoyed by the generosity of local children and their families reaching out to assist similar families in Texas. Their donations warmed our heart.

And, we are glad to see Alpena County Courthouse employees receiving protection. Certainly a strong case can be made for it.

We just wish we lived in a society where such protection wasn’t becoming a part of everyday life.