The Abbeville banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1847-1869, 1857-07-30
FAILURE IN JOURNALISM,

FAINT child. Tho shores Of the restless wave
ofalvcnturc arc thickly strcwn with wrecks
Of newspapers. They start from port with
high hopes, with hearts clatc, with deter
minaton TO right all tho wrongs Of society,
and with the broad flag of an admiral nj
their mast head, bcaring in magnificent
letters, the august eve" Down the stream
they go for awhile mcrrily, dscoursing
about the power Of the press and the tolls
and trials Of IN editorial life, and presently
k chug-they come up against a snag,
the broad penant tumbles overheard, the
power of the press cannot pump the ship
dry. the tolls and trials of tho poor editor
arc al over and sinks heavier than his lead
cd columns, to the bottom Of David Jones'
locker
That which brings to an untmcly end so
many hopeful Journals is simply tho want
of cash, vulgar and Internal thing, no
doubt, and often n great curse, but still cs-
scntial in the publication Of newspapers
There may bo talent, tact, energy and am
bition, OH board journal, but there must
DC cash in the magazine, or it can fire moth
ing but blank cartridges, and will soon have
to hush its batteries altogether. During
the last twenty years, upwards Of two llun-
drcd newspapers a magazines have been
started in London. and after involving their
proprietors in immense losses, have passed
away into the land Of oblivion. Theme was
genius, learning and newspaper talent
enough in these papers 10 lave graccd the
London Times, but the proprictors had not
sufficient capital to hold OH during the year
OF probation: until the money they had
sown could spring up and bear fruit. 1t is
s''o Ihcre arc no more newspapers and
magazines published in London now than
there were twenty years ago, and that only
one periodical in Il hundred that is berun.
is ultimately successful. Indeed, the Lon
don Critic, says, though we hardly know
how to credit the statement, ,llat the active
newspaper press Of London, with the cxccp-
ton OF the Times, does not pay lis own cx
pcnses.
Wo have no such newspapers in Amcri-
ca rs the Times, though wo have many
presumptuous initators, whose attempts to
rival the independence and power of the
great thundcrer, bring forcibly to mind the
fable OF the frog endcavoring to emulate
tho dimensions Of the OK. The New York
Times has tho same name, the New York
Herald and equal circulation, the New York
Courier us great arrogance, the New York
Tribune and New York Post rs much un
scrupulousncss and rccklessncss of consisten-
cy, but the five combined did not Indicate
and could not control the public sentiment
of their own city in the last Presidential
election. The five combined have not
1.-THE of the power, or the purse of the great
Jupiter Tonans Of ncwspapcrdom. The
paper and Typography of the Times arc
things unapproached in this country, to say
nothing of the statemanship, brains and
knowledge that, from that intellectual
throne, give law to the public sentiment of
Great britain. Indeed, rs an exponent of
public sentiment and national character, it
is impossible that, in our largest cities, we
should have journal resembling the Times.
The press of Boston reflects different at
mospherc from that Of New York, and
could scarcely be expected to embody pub
lie sentiment in the Southern States. Nor
could the journals of Charleston exert much
influence in Boston.
We took up our pen, however, to speak
OF unsuccessful, not successful newspapers.
About five hundred thousand dollars. il is
said, have been sunk in the London "DaiIv
News" which though connected with the
great name of Dickens, is only beginning,
after many years, to have prospect OF for
tune. Investment after Investment has been
!. II The london "Morning Chronicle"
Murray, celebrated publisher in Lon
"'h' Sltcd daily paper viii. Tho aid of all
ihe sc"sss;9f ,ho day, loa; $50 Iiau,iroI and
''.[ t''Isa"ot tollars in few months and
t""" V died. re London Critic, to wh;c!,
W 'r'ebtcd bs,tsese "a. says tio.c
is scarcc1 ::ewspaPss's .s,.loa in Which
three or four fortune have ndf -beo,a sunk
and by which as many persons lli... vccn
ruined. The Critic itself was eight years
in being established, and upwards of twcn-
ty-fvo thousand dollars were sunk in it be-
fore it paid its expenses. "Tlo usual his
tory of n journal" says the Clipper, "is this {:
A, thinking to make fortune, starts q
journal; lie spends thousand pounds upon
it and finds it still exhibiting loss. Mo-
ney goes very fast in a newspaper, for the
drain is steady one, week by week, with
out pause a process that will soon empty
tho wcalthest pocket. Having spent SO
much, la. docs not like to sion there Lie