The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-05-01
The Rise OF the Newspaper Press-Glory 10
whom Glory Ii Due.

Voted 70 prayer and church-golng.
The Rise OF the Newspaper Press-Gl0ry 10
whom Glory Is Due.
The editors Of q morning contemporary, in
abiding, few days ago, to the prominent incl
dents of their career as journalists took occa-
sion to pay themselves some well turned COM
pliments on their public usefulness, and to
claim, on their own behalf, the lions share of
the improvements which the last fifteen or
twenty years have effected in American jour
nalism Far be it from us to say anything
which could cast a shadow on their innocent
qualification. That their paper has fire.
quently exhibited evidence of talent and
enterprise we should not be backward in
at the proper time and in the
proper place. We should, ere this, have con-
graduated its proprietors on the bold stake they
have recently adventured in the game for popu-
larity, had we considered that newspaper
changes possessed sufficient public interest to
justify the distinction of a special notice. But
we cannot, in justice to the absent. suffer them
to crown themselves the founders or even the
restorers of American journalism, without a
word in behalf of one whose claims they seem
to have entirely overlooked.
In our opinion, and we cannot help thinking
in that also of every unprejudiced person, no
one can so justly claim the credit Of raising
New York journalism to its present standard,
as James Gordon Bennett If any one will take
the trouble to compare the leading newspapers
of 1886 with those of to-day, and note each par
ticular in which we moderns excel our prede-
cessors, he will find that with one or two ex-
ceptions, each individual reform or improve
ment was first projected by Mr. Bennett, and
first carried out in the HERALD. We do not
gudge to our contemporaries very consider
able share of credit for their prompt apprecia-
ton and judicious adoption of Mr.. Benefits
measures; but common justice should induce
frank acknowledgment from them that nearly
borrowed, in the first instance, from the HER
AID. What Mr.. Bennett originated they copied;
and it is on the strength Of the merits of the
copy that they now appeal to the public for
applause for their past deserts. Lest we should
be accused Of doing them injustice, let US de-
ing journals Of 1885 and those Of 1853.
In the former the news was brief. scanty, and
stale The arrival Of courier from the North
or South, or packet from England, was god
send and either event would have monopo-
lized the whole available space Of the paper.
Now, the papers present their readers every
morning with panorama of the United States
ANY event of note happening within radius
Of two thousand miles, is fully chronicled in
New York twenty-four hours, at latest, after its
occurrence; and twice or thrice week the news
of Europe, Asia, and the rest, is amply repro
duced. Here is startling progress. Trace it
to its origin and you shall find that before tele-
graphs were used Mr. Bennett was the first to
run foreign news expresses from Boston and San
dy Hook The mercantile community have not
forgotten it--nor have our contemporaries. who
ridiculed the prodigal outlay which Mr.. Ben
nett incurred for the purpose. lost all recollec
ton of the sacrifice Of amour l'ropre they made
when, after two or three years of constant de-
eats, they combined to run rival express.
When telegraph lines were established, Mr..
Bennett was the first to avail himself of them.
His example was soon followed by the other
papers of the city; and in very short space of
time the New York press received over the
wires a much larger quantity Of matter than
the London papers of the present day. They
were destined to do still better. When Mr..
Calhoun delivered one Of his great speeches,
Mr.. Bennett procured q verbatim report of it
by telegraph, at cost Of $3.50. This was the
first Congressional speech that came over the
wires verbotim. At later period, our cotem-
poraries discovered that two or three hundred
dollars expended in q telegraphic report Of an
interesting speech was money well invested,
and joined the HERALD in procuring such re-
ports. But the example of the practice was set
by Mr. Bennett. and whatever credit it reflects
on its originator is due to him.
Newspapers in 1885, did not publish reports
of lectures or meetings. The most obscure
lecturer is now sure of tasking the skill of
several stenographers, and figuring at consider
able length in three or four morning journals
This Improvement is also clearly due to Mr.
Bennett. He it was who Grst dcputed re-
porter to attend lectures and religious meet
ings-many Of our readers can still recollect the
ironical applause with which his reports of the
May anniversaries were at FIRST received. The
practice has now, however become universal !;
and if there be any who feel grateful for the
summary Of the previous evenings lectures.
which appears in the morning papers, he is
surely better entitled to their thanks than those
who merely followed in his footsteps
Again, money articles were new feature in
American journalism, when Mr. Bennett first
introduced them. The first regular money
articles published in America we're written by
Mr.. Bennett for the HERALD. When we look
around us and realize the vast influence that is
welded to-day by the writers Of money articles
in the leading journals Of New York, we may
possibly be excused for owning to q feeling Of
pride at the consciousness that the sway now
exerted by the press over the commercial
world. was originally founded by this journal