Character Analysis
Papa is the editor of the town newspaper, the Adenville Weekly Advocate. J.D. explains:
I thought Papa was the greatest man in the world except for one weakness. Papa just couldn't resist ordering any new invention that he saw advertised in magazines or catalogs [...] You would think a man smart enough to be an editor and publisher would be smart enough not to let himself be swindled. But Papa kept right on ordering new inventions. (1.5)
Papa is an idealized father figure. In this world, Father does indeed know best. When he's not ordering new inventions, he's participating in the life of the town. Like a stereotypical 1890s man, he spends most of his time either at work or behind a newspaper in his easy chair.