The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-12-26
ssAAAs NEWSPAPERS m THE UNITED STATES.

GkheAAh NEWSPAPERS w fht UNNtU Sihiks'
~-~~~>~~.>~S~~>~~~>~.~~~~
M strength q the German slsnsnt in The reps
naion Of the United States il most s.rk6gly exh!-
ND BY the numbe and the circulation OF The Ctr
nan newspapers which It support. There are
ysAnsAed In nineteen OF the States thirty daily AID
sssm one hundred aad fry TO one huud ed and
seventy ssmi.weekly and weekly papers or the
iexmer the aggregate circulation may be estimated
q something over sixty thousand copies; that Of
- weekly issues connected with some OF them 81
irty thoofand and that Of oil the other weekly tt-
weekly and ssmiweekly publications as one huu-
bred and twenty thousand-making grand total Of
about two hundred and ten thousand copies. Nov,
~ daily papers being published exclusively in the
hsge cities where they are to be found in oil the
rxmsrous lager bier houses, 1t is fair to CONT st
least five readers for every copy issued, MAKING
fhree hundred thousand readers for the danes
alone. The average number of readers Tor every
eepy of the tri.wsekly, semi weekly and weekly |
,epers NAV be set down st from tires 10 Tour,
piyina q total Of about i've hundred thousand IL
Ssang ack 40 Sledged by every one acquainted win
~ German population Of tbs United States that
xhe numerical proportion Of Newspaper readers 10
- wkole community is much smaller with them
nan with The native population, We can hardly
cyerste Il in assuming shat every German newspa-
xer reader represents seven OF the Germsn popuis
sjou-wymen and children of course Included
tzuts we would get at five millions az the prohabV
Gmber of the entire German pc lnsaaion. But y i 3
pumher nelndes the larger pars Of TIE so-C lied
PENNSYLVANIA Dusehmen, who, although m ISL ~ the
eimon pure article Of native American, stB decline
20 read any otner papers than those puhi1 ed in the
German Language, and also the naIiv, born des-
sendants of Ger nan immigrants.
The German newspaper press Di the Unitsd
atsses is Of comparatively recsnt Wigin, IL We ex.
cent The Pennsylvania Dotch pape 8, some OF which
ore among the Oldest in the 0ount:y But they
represent the earlier period or German immigrs.
tior, whose peculiar chancWr is widely different
tom that Of ths present one. 1t 10 generally
Known that she earlier German settlers Of Psnnsyl-
vanh were for the NEST part religious communi-
ties, who left their Fstherland actuased by the
same motives as the Pilgrim Fathers Of New Eag-
land. Great energy, perseverance, and patience
under the most trying circumstances, aud untiring
industry were the leading features Of their charac-
ssr. Their ardent love Of liberty and their devotion
70 the cause Of national independence were fully
shown during the Revolutionary War. But vithal
hey lacked that restless activity Of the Anglo.
Saxon race, which manifested itself in the rapid
expansion Of tue United States over the whole
breadth of the continent. They we're contenied to
concentrate their energy upon the developement of
Ne natural resources within their immediate reach,
and limited their aspirations TO the acquisition Of
Substantial but unpretending prosperity. Thus,
they have become the most conserv alive community
IN che Union. They have most religiously kept all
their ancient habits ami customs, and even taeir
political views seem to partake OF the same heredi
tayy character. Even AZ these Pennsylvania
DutchMen themselves, SO are their nc nspapers.
Eninently conservative in their views, it is very
seldom they venture to discuss different topics from
those which have absorbed their attention for
esyesrs. Staunch adherents Of the principles of mu-
nirpa independence they are very apt to stretch it
- its utmost capacity, and to neglect everything
beyond the line of thsir particular county or dis
tEiot In national politics they bslong mostly to the
democratic party, and readily endorse every
measure bearing the stamp OF REGULAR
ty," without troubling themselves about
iss meaning or consequences. fney have stock
q hseknayed, commonplace phrases, which are
simply sufficient to qnench the thirst after political
knowledge that the honest peasants" are Supposed
b possts So. Very little they care about the grea
events In distant quarters OF tina GLOBE about the
copquests of art end science while their to and
county pcities receive their undivided attention
In treating these subjects the Petnsy vapis Datch
editors have acquired "routins" that serves them
bettsr thsn any marked talent or extensive uoe
ledge. The language used by them is si1gul !
compound Of poor German and Gernani zed English.
Every number contains, besides the political readog
matter, its quota Of the most venerable jokes and
wisticisms, which probably were lot quite fresh a
hundrei years ago. Short humorous sketches in
~,
somnenGabe in regard to the selection Of their
subjects still show vein of that coarse bu, honest
kind Of jokes which in Germany are designated as
"Bausrnspass," and of which the celebrated Eu'
sexspisgel" (Espegle) was the representative. let
II in this they shsw that their opinions about de,
esncy Of language differ somewha: from thoEe Of
Anglo Saxon readers, they are still inbued with a
strict religious sentiment. TIE old orthodox Lu.
aheran creed has, in the United States, its rmest
Foundation among the German peasants of Penn.
sylvAnia. None Of their papers would ever venture
10 indulge in neers at the doctrines of Christi anity
with which twothirds.o the younger German papers
abound. Altogether, these papers (nesrly forty in
number, most of them weekes) have olittle aiaity
with the bulk of the German newspaper press that
1ew none Of the remarks suggested by the later
can be applied to them. They are wholly Of loca'
9o1(nOtSi, aha oh'Au bo oPPoisunhy vi AofAAiuk
. just opinion on the character Of the Ger
man population outside the State Of Pennsylvania
During the first quarter of the present century
sAe German immigration was very Insignificant
one, in numbers well as in character They appear
% have been as it were mere straggers, whs wers
speedily lost among the native population, without
leaving any mark Of their peculiar national che.
sacter upon the communities where they settled.
Bot few Of them belonged to the better educated
easses and those who did found in the character Of
fheir sountrymen, who had settled in the United
Bates before them no inducements for preserving
my Of their peculiarities. Anything Exc German
nAesature al that time out Of the question. The
coarse appetite Of the German immigrants arriving
- that time was satisfied by the very lowest kind Of