The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-01-01

Weekly journalism In New York.
We made some allusiou the other day to the
state and prospects of weekly journalism in
New York The subject is susceptible of very
considerable elaboration.
There are, properly speaking, three classes of
weekly journals in this city; the illustrated
papers, the pious papers, and the impious or
Sunday papers, For some years the three have
been contending for the supremacy. The reli-
gious papers started first in the race and attained
some position in the absence Of competition;
the Sunday papers have only arisen within the
past fifteen or twenty years; last of all, the
illustrated papers, which combine the work Of
the artist with that of the writer, appeared in
the field and strove for the palm.
1t is very easy to see how the chances lie, as
things are shaped at present The Sunday pa
pers, finding themselves the object of periodical
denunciation by the clergy, and likewise per-
ceiving that, in respect of innocent attractions,
they were outstripped by their illustrated CO.
temporaries, have betaken themselves to scan
DIAL, scurrility and smut as their best claim to
public favor. OF course there are exceptions
to the general rule. Some of the Sunday papers
are conducted, for couple of weeks at time,
with commendabie decency and propriety;
but the general average Of these sheets
makes one blush for the city where such
periodicals appear and circulate freely.
Stories of which the point is whether
the young woman who has been found alone
in her night dress by the ruthless seducer can
possibly escape without injury; or stories which
purport to describe the internal wiles and arts
by which the Muscovitc Count prevailed over
the virtuous sewing girl of the Five Points;
jokes of which it would be weak to say they
were broad; and abusive paragraphs of any and
every one who is not N advertiser: this c0nsti-
tutes the ordinary bill offarc of q Sunday news
paper.
The pious papers are q different variety Once
or twice we have seen and read pious paper
which eo.t-;aeu nvither n,aanness nor maligni-
ty, nor scurrility, nor false calumny. NE va
Their think on reflection, that the phenomenon
has occurred thrice. II doubtless injured the
reputation of the paper for, latterly, il has not
been repeated. A dead level of sectarian bigot-
ry and low mean prejudice is the uniform cha
grees of eminence, Of course. For instance, the
two extremes-the Puritan and the Papist-
the Freenan's Journal aud the Mdcpenden- fine
instances of the different forms of craziness into
which religious enthusiasm beguiles the human
mind. II the Freemans Journal had its way.
Protestants would be daily roasted before the
City Hall: il the Independent we're listened to-
our clergymen would carry pistols to the pull
pit, and possess a veto over the legislation of
Congress. Other varieties again are the Observer
and the C,urchm1a, the one tie organ of the
snufiers among the Presbyterians, the other
that of the Puseyites. If there be anything
grander than the Pecksninian air with which
the Cimchmaa denies the popular rumor that
there are other Protestant sccts besides the
High Church Episcopalians, it Is the pathetic
groan with which the canting Obsrve denounces
q fresh symptom of inGdelity. The one is the
peacock and the other the owl Of newspapers.
Pinch in his hoppiest moments never wrote
anything more amusing than the articles in
which the CEurclnon remarks that "a sect of dis.
sentcrs. Who we believe, are called Methodists,
have q new chapel, &C., &C., or the articles in
which the OJSerra "feels bound by solemn sense
of duty to warn its readers against the PERM
cious works of a new and probably young play
writer, named William Shak7perc who. in two
places, makes his hero exclaim Sc Gods thus
obviously, by implication, denying The unity Of
the Godhead."
Il is natural that these sheets should be gra-
dually making way for others better suited to
the perusal of an intelligent people. Bonncr's
Ledqer for instance which has risen into note
within the past year or two, is a marvellous in
stance of what advertising will do. II contains
nothing but stories and brief moral essays yet
il is probably the most successful paper in the
world. Frank Lcsiie's Paper was started a
couple of years ago, just after Barnum's
broke down. on the model of the London
-Hus,roted News: il has published a large
collection of pictures Of various merit, aud APP
pearcd at one time to have secured the field to
itself. Hrgpes' Weoaly, which is The youngest
Of the three weckles, has underworld to combine
the features Of an illustrated newspaper with
the best light reading matter that could be pro-
cured, and has accordingly obtained large
patronage; but the price at which these weeklics
are sold must require an enormous sale to remu-
nerate the publishers. The Home Journal, also,
though not illustrated, is an excellent paper,
we'll worthy OF the favor il obtains at
the public hands All these papers are
conducted with good sense and regard for
decency. They are real acquisitions for litera-
ture, and will do good to the public which reads
them.
II will be well Tor the rising generation when
these papers superseds altogether the immoral
Sunday sheets and The still more injurious sec.
tartan papers published under the auspices of
the churches.
NAsoyic Fz1fvnT7s.-Si. Johns nay, 9Th, va cele
brsted tho evening Of the 2sth by humber of the
L. III.