The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-01-16
CHI A RI ES T ON.
WEDNESDAY MORNING, JANUARY 1e, 1856
NEWSPAPERS AND ADVERTISING.

NEWSPAPERS AND ADVERTISING.
The ..art prcyervative of all arts" unques-
tionaby has had larger agency IN bringing
about the sum total Of modern civilization
thnn I'll other influences combined. Science,
the fino and useful arts, philosophy, literature,
politics religion, all owe their giant strides to
the quickcning power of printers ink. Too
much cannot be said in credit of on institution
that extends its useful, humanizing ramihca-
tons into every, even the humblest, sphere Of
life. That this blessing has sometimes been
abused, argues nothing against it. Innocent
COZ n the very staff Of life,-wc all know, when
brought under tho U. S. Internal Revenue
cuagcr's rod (called Bourbon then) lis held
responsible for the most heirous crimes on the
pocnal catalogue. The same term in Greek is
used to represent the healing medicine and
tho deadly poison. and d in and ITO curse
It need surprise no one, therefore, that the
Press, like speech and other good gifts of
God, has often been, and still daily is, used for
very wrong and unworthy purposes.
A newspaper article does not afford scope to
touch on one or two ofshoots from the great
and mighty tree. The daily newspaper, to the
wisest man even, affords the best school of hu-
man nature. The journal is map of busy
lfc,-all unconscious though, even the editor
himself may be Of this department Of his paper,
from the very nature of the case, it must and
will be faithful reflex of the life Of those
whom it reckons among its readers and sub
scribers. This is the case in the news columns,
in the editorial, the literary OF the misccllane-
Gus department. but more emphatically so in
respect to its advertisements. We often hear
complaints in regard to the number of these
and the great space they occupy in the paper.
Tue dissatisfied should bear in mind that the
advertisements are more read than any other
part of the paper; such complaints, therefore,
betoken an unbccoming selfshness. The news
paper, like most Of the institutions of modern
civilized society, in certain measure, is a
joint stock enterprise, in which every member
of the community is shareholder to the e1-
tent of his subscription or advertising patron
age. To this extent (the amount Of his invest
ment) he has right to voice in its manage
ment. But it is understood that, in all such
undertakings, the stockholder is the "obliged
party;' for by the arrangement he obtains ad-
vantages ou: Of all proportion superior to the
consideration he gives in return. It is, there
fore, expected that he should surrender also q
part Of his rights. or at least Of his prcudiccs,
for the accomplishment of the greatest good to
the greatest number. The old fable of Jupiter
and the countryman, in regard to the weather,
illustrates our point.
But to return. We remarked that the adver-
tisements Of o newspaper are the best mirror
Of contemporary life. A single copy Of the
Pompeii Morning Herald, of the Oath of August,
would be Of more service to the modern archae-
day life Of the people of Southern Italy in the
first century, than half the excavations and
three-quarters of all the many huge and
learned tones that have been written in their
elucidation.
Yet the world was slow to appreciate the
value Of this universal ssfnishing school,,
Printing was invented in or about 144O, and
the trst newspaper in London was not estab-
ished until 1922; and even then it took thirty
years additional before even dawn of the ad-
vertising idea broke upon the publishers mind
II 1907, 1t IS said, the announcement Of book
was the first advertisement published in Eng
land. Once the ice broken, however, progress
was rapid; and it would amuse our readers.
were we to reproduce some Of the advertise
ments Of the last century, to see that there
was nearly as much ingenuity displayed then
as now in the effort Of venders to bring their
wares to the attention Of purchasers. a"War-
ren's Backing" and the ''Rejected Addresses
are among the best known Of the polite adver-
tisements of that period "We keeps our own
poet" was proudly said by the little shoe
black over hundred years ago.
Certainly as time rolls on, and an insatiate
public still Graves something new, advertisers
ind it more and more difficult to devise new
''dodges." A literary man or 50 poet'' is now
in the employ Of every large advertising mer-
chant. DRAKE, the Plantation Bitters man, it
is said, enjoys the services of enc Of the first
literary men Of New York to write his adyer-
tiscments, manufacture parodies, write pretty
stories, etc, ETC., oil winding up with the in
svitable s. T.-18GO-X.
That this advertising costs great deal Of
money, all see and believe. But how it paws.
that is the qnestion,-one Of the most curious
problems certainly in ttsocial SCIENCE We
have seen advertisements, published in a large
metropolitan daily, costing $1,000 for single
insertion. Few investments require larger
faith, yet few yield larger returns We know
Of manufacturers and dealers in proprietary
medicines in this country who spend over
$Soo,OOo per annnm in advertising. AS this
style Of business has now been conducted for
shreWd men, 1t Is fair to lnfsff that ,hev min,
Hno advertising to their interest, and that they
are satlshed they could not d. tho same amount
Of business without it.
70 know many of our readers will exclaim
who reads quack medicine advertisements o.,
ne answer has already been given. Quite re-
Gently We heard of little incident ad hor 7. /
IS well known that almanacs have been e;rcu-
ateo oy the million for number Of years by
III the great manufacturers Of patent moa;
ines. They send large supplies Of these Is
very apothecary in the land. The latter rsn.
'lly send them out to their customers. or d;a.
raoute them as they find opportunity. ladv
ame' not long since, to one Of these establish.
nents: "Have you Blanks Encephaloid ~.
enges y Tor some equally notent arao;e.,