The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-08-03
The Art of Journalism.

as expressed ny congress-
The Art of Journalism.
From The Independent
Mr.. Gladstone, the parliamentary orator,
recently presided at the annual dinner of the
Newspaper Press Fund, in London; and in
proposing the toast of the occasion he made
some highly complimentary remarks on the
functions of the journalist and the Importance
of the newspaper press to society. As party
leader and a cabinet minister, Mr. Gladstone
must have often been the subject of sharp
criticisms; but he frankly acknowledged that
he had been greatly benefited by the critical
comments of the press upon his own conduct,
and that none are so profoundly sensible of the
services rendered by the journalist for the
good of society as men who occupy public sta
tions, who are by such means reconciled to
the masses whose welfare they strive to
promote, and are taught invaluable lessons
which otherwise they could have no opportu-
nifty of learning. All this is undoubtedly true
as relates to the British press; and it will apply
with much greater force to the press of this
country, which is the very breath of their nos
trils to many of our public men. The press of
the United States is the actual ruler of the
country, and members of Congress are but the
"
the people, which first finds utterance through
the press. But the press is not only the ruler
OF the people, watching with untiring zeal
over their interests, and sounding the alarm
in thunder tones whenever their rights or
privileges are interfered with; but it is also the
educator of the people, furnishing instruc-
ton for them daily in all the relations of
life, with degree of fullness and accuracy
which no other social agency has even been
able to supply. The advantages and import
ance of the press to the people are so vast that
they cannot be overrated; and yet they are so
common and so cheap, so accessible to all, that
they are necessarily underestimated by those
who derive the greatest benefits from them.
Popular liberty would be impossible without a
popular press, and therefore we find that IN
all countries the freedom of the people is in
exact proportion to the freedom of the press.
If the press, then, is of such vast importance
to the people, it is of vast Importance to them
that it shall be in proper hands, and be pro-
perly conducted. 1t may be said "like people
like press" show me your newspaper, and l
viii tell you what you are. The people must
be their own censors; this is power which
cannot safely be delegated to any other power.
The newspaper must exist by virtue of its own
merits; the people for whom it is furnished
are the only competent judges of its fitness: if
it meets their wishes, it will prosper if not, it
will die.
The press, therefore, will faithfully reflect
the morality of the people by whom it is sup
ported, with just a trifing greater elevation of
tone, and just trifiing higher order of intelli-
gence. Accordingly, there cannot be any such
thing as one great leading journal, but great
many leading journals, in a free country.
Each class of society will desire for itself the
journal best adapted to its own necessities;
and whoever attempts, by any extraneous
means, by extraordinary attractions, by cheap
ness, or by any other means, to induce people
to take journal which does not appeal to
their sympathes, will make dismal failure of
it. The experiment has often been tried of
forcing journal into circulation by gratuitous
distribution, but never with success. People
and they will buy what they want,
without regard to price. The great art
of the Journalist, then, is to adapt
his journal to the needs. or the tastes of the
greatest number of people. Some men pos
sess the instinct of journalism in a remark
able degree, while in other respects they are
of very inferior ability, and succeed in their
business, to the establishment of all who
know them. There are journals of great
ability published in this country and in
England, whose opinions are held in great
respect by scholars and statesmen, which
have never been able to gain a popular
circulation, and have kept their proprietors
and editors in poverty while there are
others of absolutely worthless character,
which circulate far and wide, and enrich
their publishers. When Sir Cornwall
Lewis, who had been editor of the Edinburgh
ReUlelo, and must have had pretty thorough
acquaintance with the periodical literature Of
his day, was Chancellor of the Exchequer, he
stated, on the occasion of debate on the sub
ject of the paper duty, that he had that day
seen, for the first time, copy of the London
Journal, of whose existence he was before
wholly ignorant, which had circulation OF
half a million copies and he had been priding
himself on the editorship of a journal which
circulates TO the extent of only two or three
thousand copies Most men, however, would
much rather be editor of the Edinburgh Regie'o
than Of the London Journal. Ill1 t.I g. ~
In this country, whore the newspaper plays
SO important part, and the journalist Is