The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1873-11-14
THE LONDON TINES.
It's Power and Circulation Undininished
-EmersOn's Estimate True Teddy
Vast Influence Of the Great English
Joarnal-Its Editor and His Thirty
Years Administration.
Correspondence Of the n. Y. Tribune
I oNDoN ncfOhar

LONDON, October !.
When Mr.. Emerson published
an analysis of England, under the
too modest title of English
Traits" he divided it into chap
tiers, each treating of a certain
element or representative fact go
ing to make up the whole. There
are chapters on race, manners,
wealth, aristocracy, religion.
There is another on the Times.
This most penetrating observer
who has ever written about this
country perceived its leading jour
nal to be not merely a power, but
an essential constituent necessary
to be described in accounting for
the actual England. This chapter
was written more than twenty
years ago, hut it remains substan-
italy true to-day, and instructive.
True, that is, with respect to the
power and influence of the Times;
not true, as have already ex-
planned, with respect to its supe-
riority as q newspaper, which it
has allowed to pass away from it.
But if Mr.. Emerson were to re-
write his book, he would find more
to alter in other chapters than in
this. It is worth while to compare
his judgment with Mr.. Watterson's
opinion, on which l took the lib
erty to comment in a recent letter.
The comparison is, admit, unjust
to Mr.. Watterson, for Mr.. Emer-
sons is a deliberately formed con-
yiction published years after it
was formed, while Mr.. Watterson
sends off his swift impression by
an early post to the Louisville
Courier-Journal. He has, how
ever, the advantage to modify it
aBy morning he likes.
Z ''NO power in England" wrote
Mr.. Emerson, els more felt, more
feared, or more obeyed. What
you read in the morning in that
Journal you shall hear in the
evening in all society. <
The influence of this journal is q
recognized power in Europe, and,
of course, none are more con-
scious of it than its conductors.
The tone of it's articles has often
been the occasion of comment
from the official organs of the con
tinental courts, and sometimes the
ground of diplomatic complaint.
What would the Times say? is q
terror in Paris, in Berlin, in Wen
ma, in Copenhagen, and in Nepaul."
Mr.. Watterson will probably
answer that Mr.. Emerson's opin-
ion does not contradict his, be-
cause Mr.. Emerson is describing
the Times of twenty years ago.
Then, if it is An accurate descrip-
ton of the Times twenty years
ago, Mr.. Watterson must show US
what has happened since to impair
its accuracy. He believes that it
is closing, slowly but surely, it's
influence with its circulation" /
may as we'll confess that / once
thought as he does; but the longer
l live here, the more clearly see
my mistake and his. To begin
with, it is not losing it's circula-
ton. All the evidence ! know of
points the other way. Formerly,
while the stamp system existed,
the circulation of an English pa
per could be reckoned pretty GER
tainly. Now that stamps have
been abolished, you cannot get
official Information, but you can
get information which is nearly as
good. l cannot imagine who told
Mr.. Watterson the Times was los
ing in circulation, but 1 could have
sent him to plenty of well-inform-
ed people who would have told
him the contrary. The Times is
the one paper which every Eng
lishman who has much share in
what is going on in the world
whether politics, trade, commerce,
manufactures, literature, no mat
ter what-must see. And the
number of such people is increas-
ing every year. Some of them
dislike the Times, but they read
it, and the pretense of not reading
it, which some of them make, is
mostly an atfectatiOn. 1t was be-
lieved the penny press would eat
into the circulation of the Times
or force it to reduce its price. No
such result has followed.
AS means of publicity, it has
no rival. Englishmen with a
grievance turn to it instinctively,
and it takes pleasure in giving to
the world letters on every conceiv-
able subject. The tourist who has
lost his luggage on an Italian rail
way or been plundered at a hotel
will get scant attention from the
local authorities, but the Times
opens it's hospitable columns to
his complaint, and presently the
railway disgorges and the hotel
keeper finds his custom leaving
him. 1t is the one central author
ity in England which the railways,
who laugh at the Board of Secre-
tary, fear. They even sometimes
obey it. 1t risks actions for libel
without number. Not many are
brought, for simple reason-it
always fights, and every attorney
in England knows it, and a client
must have a long purse and a
stubborn temper to stand any
chance of verdict. If its CORES
pondents fly at high game, that
makes little difference. A letter
may contain an attack on an arch
bishop, and it will publish that, or
q lament about some trifling eX-
tortion by the post Office or tele-
graph authorities, and that, too,
will receive ready admission. The
capacity of the English for taking
trouble about siXpences is very
great. In what is called the dull
season, after Parliament has adj
journed, and there is room, the
paper is enlivened with these let.
tiers in great variety. They haye
ten-fold weight from appearing
there, they haye attention anl
consideration, and as for the mere
number OF readers, they are prob
ably greater, as / have said before
/ than those of 4 paper printing
thrice the number of copies.
: A general inquiry into the in
: fiuence and position of the Times
A and their causes would carry m
5 too far. All L wish TO do is t,
I touch on one or two points sug
s gested by Mr.. Watterson's crit
s cism. He gives no reasons
c least have seen nonc-for his be
: lief that it is losing its influence
: but he contents himself with as
sorting as q fact what is at mos
: an opinion. Suppose we look a
e one Othe persons opinions, declaI
s ed in the. strongest possible way