The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1867-08-17
COLUMBIA.
Saturday Morning, August q. 1857.
The Neyyspaper.

Inere are many readers, lntelllgent
enough on other subjects, who ap-
pear not to understand 6he true Cha
racter or mission of the newspaper.
We will glance at q few Of the popu-
lar errors prevalent in relation to
journalism, its duties and ,responsi-
bilities, and endeavor, so far as many
gears experience has taught Us, to
enlighten our readers. It may be
beneficial to them in various ways,
and help to give them more correct
leas on the subject. @
In the first place, it should be dis
sstinctly understood by all, that there
is not an item of material, not a
piece of work, nor anything which
enters into the printing or publishing
business, which does not cost ready
money. Presses. type, paper and
labor, from the foreman down to the
well-known imp attached to the
printing Offices, have all to be paid
for in cash. Even in former times,
the credit of newspaper publisher,
no matter what his circumstances
We're, was extremely limited. Now,
especially in relation to the publish
ers in the South. no such thing is
thought of as credit; it is not asked
Tor, because it is well known that, on
account of the impoverished condi-
tion of the country and the unprece-
dented scarcity of money, it would
not be given. Let every reader, and
every one having business dealings
with newspaper Office, remember
then, that everything employed in
tnrning out work there costs the
proprietor ready money. ,s e !
The next fact to be remembered
and it is one that is more generally
recognized than any other connected
with the business-is that the main
source Of the revenue of newspa-
per is its advertising columns, and in
Southern Offices generally, the small
profits arising from job work. AS
for the support of the journal itself,
its existence chiefly depends upon
the amount of advertising in its CO.
lumns. Mere subscriptions, or the
small amount realized from the sale
of papers. more especially at the
South, would barely pay for the
white paper upon which it is printed.
1t is, therefore, sine qua non that
that all advertising should be paid
for and paid promptly, to enable the
publisher to furnish M efficient and
we'll conducted journal. Without
this revenue coming promptly in,
editors and reporters, printers and
mailers and telegraphic correspond
ence, cannot be paid for weekly; and
yet all these must be paid, or else the
paper must drag out feeble exist
ence, if not utterly fail.
And in connection with this feature
of newspaper publishing, it is proper
to advert to another popular error,
indulged i'll even by shrewd and in
telligcnt business men, and that is, to
expect publisher to do considera-
BILE amount of gratuitous advertising
in tho shape of notices of this or that
article of merchandise, or of some
useful invention, forgetting that,
while any benefit derived is realized
by them, every line set up costs the
publisher money; yet, often, re-
fusal or declination to encourage this
practice, gives offence. Better leave
all this style Of advertising to the
conductors of the paper, feeling we'll
assured that any notice which will be
of benefit 10 the public will be pro-
perly attended to by them. There is
no publisher of newspaper who
does not annually contribute largely
in this way to almost every charitable
enterprise; but in this line, also,
there must be some limit, if he in.
tends to make living from his bust