The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-04-28
NEWSPAPER ENTERPRISE In AMERICA.
Its Origin, Its Pioneer and LeasIer--Ja me,
Gordon Bennett and tho New York Prcs..

[From the New York Leader, April 23l
Did you efer look the collection OF the Historical
Society Among its many curiosiles there is nothin
curious than its collection of old thos
brief abstracts and chronicles Of the tunes as Hamlet call
the poor stage players Let the historian discourse
gravey as he may OF the intelligence OF given speech
modern hAtory-let him paint as vlgilly ne may th
manners the morals the tone Of thought, OF politics,
business Of all that concerns The prosperity OF tho time
allow us TO rummsge among the newspapers of the peros
he describes, and We straa htforward put the
She fidelity OF his views, and the accuracy OF his
What sort Of people must grandfsihers nay even
cur fathers have been, to have been conten,ed fol
their daily allowance Of current Information with
such small and III moTscs as were doled out q
them IN the journals Of their days? Sarey 1t n0
for US 70 impugn the intelligence OF ancestors
We constantly pointing to their wisdom and pridencs
models for imistion, and ianenting the do
parrre Of those good old timss when people we're 80
much wiser, and If wisdom be akin TO goodness muct
better, hin IN our degenerate days. Bat puzzles
vastly VIXEN comparing newspaper OF the present time
with one q no earlier period than thry years ago,
and intelligence, and so LILLE TO satisfy IT, in the
nicatioHs OF The daily prees
Dear good old Johnny Lang sagest Of paragraphists
solemn COULTER the of the weather-se I'd
philosophical Merriam then TO turn the thermometey
into bsory-wba miracle OF baroness presented
in the pages OF the Gazette. albeit crammed with aiver
taomenis each 10 its proper place according the strict
old faahiOned notions OF propriety.
Seldom venturng editorial OF moro than square
because it did not look like business aud when ell 70
exTatate in article Of the fourth OF q column with
what soennty were those representations given to
world True shoee phy paragraphs" while they had
the soul of wit far brevty concerned could hare
y beast OF that soul In any other respect, and not
always ineligible, except 10 the initiated who by dnt OF
daily study had become accustomed 10 thei- osophica
ntrcaces OF expression. Whether OF the ting staff on tn.
Battery where Peter BAysrd in his juveny musta
TO The merchant princes who from that point OF observa
ton ooE telescope view OF vessels arriving aud Depart
ngot in the late hours of the evening meeting your com
mercia patrons in your Office in Hanover square, and
graveiy scoursng the state OF the markets and
a,e arIiyAf-here was yon the paeidsy
OF duness, the same equanmity Of doubt gilded bust
OF Franklin adorned the entrance OF your
IN the day when Haeck 7st esayed TO please the
town with his playful Croakers," and The wicked wag
wrete OF you
Tase Franklin's bust from of tn, door,
and place tslne IVA head there
thereby irtatng that buet of Franklin carved
from block of wood the substitution of your own ID It's
place would not be inappropriate In tie OF years
Doctor William Turner, Of your partner and gen.
teman Of education, into your nce an editorial
assistant The ambitious young Doctor mad aspiration
common 70 young editors, OF arug his vocabulary in your
and at greater length than bad characterized your owu
important iucubratons But the poor Doctors ambition
nipped in the bud. "Pthy Paragraphs Doctor said
the venerable Lang bey look like business and edjtor
ais crowd out advertsements and the aspiring Doctor
was compelled TO circumscrbe his articles the dmen-
sions OF square or two. The same rule afterwards
prescribed " Robert Lang the Of the editor
and he though man OF some disposition to sprghtness
equally tanned the brevity Of dulness which
had become the memorable rule OF the Ga-.te
Honest John lAngl 1t was the great fire that pros
aed him. as he feared that it had pros.raled the
merca prosperity Of his dearly beloved city; and the
"pi,hy psrsg faphs ali Of his vsntloa, knew
no more the cunning hand that had ndited them. He
activity Of progress keep up with which his SLOW nea-
sured steps unequal his senses already begin.
hing to get gddy with the wnr he passed away, model
Of honesty and simplicity gentleman OF the old school
go "conten 70 dwell in secreses forever that auything
the pale Of conseoratsd dulness an
mpropriety.
But look again upon the columns Of the Go-et. What
change where we had looked upon change impos
sbily. Editorials half column-ney come of them ex.
tendipg 10 column in length, sparkling with le
pointed with anthesis, saucy and often witt
though the effort at wi, tre too appsren and The
] Anla all his in ina
stupid old Gdsefe One would have thought that the very
types would nave rebelled at their jux,npositiou
The thought Of the Garste becoming sprightly paper
was startling the idea OF Watts psalms Interviewed
with Nooes melodies the church organ bursting forth
in Yankee Doodle as merry Andrew in The pulpit, as
jest at funeral IL was Daniels, formerly of the
Courier and Enquirer who entertained with this daily
Dish Of " smartness" But It could not last ALI this
sort OF ing was very well in ts place. bat the sentiment
was equally pervadng that the old Gdrete not the
place for it, 1t entertained old subscribers, for
not ia their line Of thought IL gained ones, for
by this time spirit had begun 10 animate the presz
to compete with which the newly awakened vgor OF the
GazGte but as chd's play. Il had 10 die whether
Of Daniels. And so ii died and psssed away, such
garb Of soemnty as it you'd have under the mlus
tratcn Of the elder Lang, but it passed away in motley
its graVes subsdng into iladapted jess, and its ests
UNDECIDED
We have selected the Gazette as type of many papers
Of the Same school, the marvel of which is, that in
intelligent community they could have lived 80 long
The old Mercantile Advertiser under the direction Of the
Aessrs Butler, journal OF somewhat the de-
scrpton. In its latter days, under the management OF
stpendary editors, II gave occasional fuckers of
and stronger light But there apparent in ts columns
the struggle between dull respectablty capri
cious cleverness When forced to employ talent
employed talent of very ordinary grade, and before it
compelled 10 engage editorial assistance aching
the taste and demands Of the public, probably
poor 70 give adequate compensation to all writers. Ia
truth, its proprietor could have had appreciation Of
such talent it had been obtained They had stood
still too long while the world moving them,
and Their ., ea Nor as they wefent' bring up
engaged, while far its downward course, man,
if We recoIect Alright, by the name OF Tyson, to
do It's editorial jobs but he made laundering
piece Of work, and whether he dismissed before
the paper became defunct, whether they became do
been exchanged for extreme fooshness and between
chronic atment and its new malady 1t died and made
sign.
editor (Dwieb) handled pen of power, and It's
working manager Townsend) did u deal Of business
IN the way t hnancering dragged along at the pace of
its OLD school rvals, until II slipped out OF being de-
cned like the others have mentioned simply because
was 700 inert 70 employ the proper resoratves 70 pro-
be applied, which we believe 1t not, it came too
late
The Courier and Enquirer was boas,ipp about those
days and not without reason great enterprise
and a large expenditure Passing over everything that s
personal aoou. inc paper II y but Just 70 say shat mingled
more enterprise than any Of s rivals that pens ur
nished its editorials and as boldly claimed ts position a
journal of the first rank maintained that position
With is own echoonera mighty enterprise in ,hose
daysand With other loudly Wanted s lofty
were least
pes OF influence and circulation we're, TO considerable
extent, we'll founded Let have all the credit which
entitled OF being as far ahead OF its contemporaries 10
enterprise then az 1t 10 behind them Its reporters
foreign letter writer's and other aduncs
Improvement the slow and easy system OF ts elders in
the field, and there many points Of enterprise
nected with 1t not unworthy place in ihe history Of Jour-
nnsm.
Our brief and imperfect sketch brings notice. In
The order OF time the estabishn Of press which
than other In the history OF American ncwspapers
nas quickened Journalism into greater activity, enlisted
competition OF talent OF the highest grade, kept
pace with the hurried OF the age and given
direction TO ls aims and impulses 1t Ia true that the Sun
newspaper was the frat in the field OF the penny press
and NOT ess true that in It's day and bciove competition
came hrongng IN Of grea, aud undeserved influence
bnt IN e general scope and tenor comparatively
loca and crcunscribed, and point TO which the
eyes o. 90 many in this bank note world turnedhe
suoect OF finance and the money markets. meagre and
unsaactory as any Of its brethren the dull old school
II was 10 tne HERALD little cent paper that there
st appeared daily series OF articles on the subject Of
tne money Market go filled with details arranged 90
clear IN n views, 20 searching In It's inquiries that tho
eyes OF busness unen were Immediately turned 10 them
~ containing Tar greater amount Of information than