The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-06-03
Progress OF the New York Press.

| to self respect?
! Progress OF the New York Press.
There will be very few people, we fancy, who
will refuse to read or read without interest the
| sketch Of the New York press, which we publish
| in another column. The history of newspapers
in the present day is the history Of the human
mind the advancement of the latter is exactly
commensurate with the progress of the former
In highly intellectual and free communities the
press is sure to be both able and popular where
intellect is rare or freedom extinct it is vain to
seek the newspaper press. To see journalism in
its glory, the eye must turn to such countries
as the United States and England, where know
ledge, civilization and liberty have reached the
highest point Of development the world has yet
witnessed. 1t must be studied, too, in its pre-
sent and not its past aspects. The press in
which Junius gloried was undoubtedly for
midable weapon and a noble institution; but
how paltry when contrasted with the journals
Of to-day Junius wrote for few highly
educated men, and his finest performances are
satires upon noblemen whose names were I'M
known to the masses, satires whose point and
| force often consist in inuendoes which none but
very few of the initiated could comprehend.
Hence, however formidable to the pride and the
feelings OF the noblemen he assailed, Sir Philip
Francis never welded one 1.-THE of the power
which is now reposed in each of several jour
nails in his country. We speak to-day not to
class or clque-but to the whole people not
Of this court favorite or that rival Of our own,
| but Of themes OF national Importance and pub
lie concern not In classic phrase polished with
careful fyle and chisel, but in the strong ner-
vous plain language of the moment and the
masses.
How this sy stem or this institution we call
the daily press has sprung up in New York the
narrative elsewhere endeavors to explain. We
thereirom learn that in 1920, thirty five years
ago, when the population of New York
was about $4,000, there were eight daily
papers published here, with an aggregate
circulation of about 10000 ; OF which
the Commercial .4dcertiser and the Foe
ming Post, still living, enjoyed the lions
share. Twelve years afterwards we end thir-
teen daily papers published here, with an ag-
gregate circulation Of ls,4OO the population
of the city being then about 1000. At the
present day, the number of daily journals is
not materially increased, but their aggregate
circulation, in population of some 10000,
can hardly be reckoned to fall short of l3O, 900
copies daily. Thirty five years ago, therefore,
the proportion of readers to the whole popula-
ton OF the city was not quite to 10: in the
twelve years which followed the number of
readers had fallen off, and the proportion stood
as to IL. Between 1882 and 1885, this retro
erosion was changed. Cheap papers began to
be established in the latter year, and the next
cycle witnessed wonderful change 1t can
not be doubted that in 1874, the number of
readers had increased prodigiously as we have
seen, this year they stand to the whole popula-
ton Of the city in ratio of l to 5. The num-
Der of readers has thus been doubled within the
last twenty years.
In looking for the causes of this phenomenon
we must not give the whole credit to the ge-
neral march of intellect and spread of know
ledge. knowledge and intellect have been rs
widely diffused in Boston and Philadelphia a
they have been here, and yet the birth OF jour
nalism in those cities is an event yet hidden in
the future. 1t will be found we imagine, that
the disproportion existing between our progress
and theirs is due in greater measure to the in-
dividual efforts of the men who happened to be
at the head of journals here than to causes of
general application. Whether this be so or
not, it is undoubtedly true that at the time
when the sudden increase in newspaper readers
took place, new feature in American journal
ism was coming to light. A new experiment
was being tried, which was the creation Of the
modern newspaper-a mirror OF the times. re-
1ecting in an nnbroken surface every move.
ment aud every hero Of the day, aud presenting
side by side with the reality such a picture OF
the abstract right and true Us the Editors
Judgment enabled him to furnish This
creation was then in embryo. IL had never
existed anywhere. Imperfect attempts to realize
il had been made in England, but feu far short
OF the public wants. Here, the field was virgin.
| Against the success Of the experiment two
| great obstacles initiated: the first, the diff
| Guilty of obtaining such reflection as was re-
| quired, the second that OF sustaining news
paper in q position Of independence of party.
| Both were overcome; the first by lavish expen-
| diture OF money the second by altering the old
Newspaper 81 stem, aad relying upon advertisers
Tor support. This last placed journals far above
the dictates OF party patrons, and for the irst
time in this country, editors were enabled to
| think for themselves.
| OF the fruits OF this system, after nearly
twenty years working, we are now begin
! ming to be enabled to Judge. The New