Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1860-07-06
rho Anmeut or the New York Press.


Tho AIiment Of the New York Press.
The Japanese have gone, and the Great
Eastern arrived just in time to save the New
York papers from falling into that barren
ness which always intervenes when local ex-
eitements and wonders fail. II is rare that
20 just a appreciation sscen in the world
as is shown by the great dailies in that city
in placing not the least reliance on their in
tellectual resources, but devoting their whole
energies to expanding local incidents and
casualties into nine days wonders. A muir
der win absorb the greater part of the space
Of one of these papers for weeks and some
times months the death of some of the park
swans is made leading topic for days, and
such events as the visit of the Japanese or OF
the Great EasteTn--a thing as essentially
played OUT as the Atlantic Cable-exhaust
their space and genius. When these things
fail, they are reduced to the same slang
wbanging political articles that characterize
the most provincial of the provincial press.
with no views beyond the success of some
candidate, who has peeled for the race by cut
ting loose from every positive declaration of
principle or policy. t....rF .g .
The materials of which these papers are
made, contrast most ludicrously with their
project to take possession Of the newspaper
circulation of the country by their newspaper
fast trains. Since the frog undertook to
swell himself to the size of the OK, there has
been no such ridiculous attempt at expan-
sion. Imagine a fast newspaper train, peril
ling life and limb, and making the most
thrilling hair breadth escapes to deliver the
New York papers on the Ohio River in
twenty-four hours, with perhaps a report of
a Coroners inquest on drowned woman,
twenty columns long, or history of the
rise and progress Of the Great Eastern
onnitting her failures, or an account of huge
drunk Of the Alderman and other rowdies at
the expense of the city in honor OF the
Japanese Embassy, as il the New York
rowdies would not get drunk at the city's
expense in honor of the Emperor Solouque,
or Of the most sooty Congoan.
Tho Great Eastern contrived very brill
liantly 10 show her unmanageableness in
making landing, and to smash one of her
wheels since, and she seems to have been in so
shabby a condition that large force has been
employed up to this time in trying to make
her presentable. The price Of admission to
see the vessel has been fixed at one dollar, at
which rate it is just to characterize the con-
cern as a humbug, and unless the American
people have less than their usual sense
the exhibition viii be failure. Mere
size in mechanical structure has very
little in it to crafty the eye. The largest
structure is puny compared with nat
ural objects. All the achievements of me-
chanical skill are exhibited just as much by Il
steamer Of twenty-five hundred tuns as by
one of twenty-five thousand, especially when
the lesser one is successful in its operation and
perfect. In beauty Of outline the smaller
vessel is greatly superior, because the greater
hight of the larger vessel is only so much
additional dead, fat side, having nothing in it
more pleasing to the eye than any other dead,
black wall. Near by this is the impression
the Great Eastern makes. At distance she
looks like other ocean steamers; and so un-
certain a judge of size is the eye, without
present objects for comparison, that at even
a moderate distance it could hardly tell
whether it was the Great Eastern or any
other steamer, except by peculiarities in
the detail. Yet size is all there is in
the Great Eastern to attract attention,
and it is impaired by her failure so far
10 show any superior qualities, and by
positive imperfection in her build and outfit.
To make pilgrimage East to see this sight
would be much like one who is accustomed
to the sight of kegs, making journey to see
r barrel. .NE'.t