The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-05-02

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people for whom they are published, are
the newest and best criterions for judging and
comparing important cities. If we take, for
instance, quintuple sheet of the HERALD
and OF the London Times equal each of them
to i've ordinary folio journals and contrast
them In their most marked features we shall
see in them reflex of the condition of the
cities in degree as marked and distinctive as
the two papers. When we remember that
single copy of either journal is as large as an
ordinary sized book we can appreciate not
only the formidable task Of undertaking to
compare and contrast them, but the reasons
why they should be such excellent criterions
for comparing and contrasting the cities where
they are published More than this, the
HERALD reflects from day to day not only the
condition of the people of New York and the
United States, but even their wants and
tastes, and the Times performs similar ser
vice for the people of London and Great
Britain All this gives to the comparison we
are about to make the greatest significance
and importance.
On Sunday, the 10th of April, the HERALD
appeared in quintuple size-that is to say, with
100 columns of matter, 80 columns of which
were advertising. A few days afterwards we
received . copy of the London Times
of the previous Monday, containing the
same quantity of matter, but with
only 70 columns Of advertising A cor
rect idea of the difference in detail
in the business of the two establishments
may be gained from the facts that on those
days the number of the HERALD's advertise
ments reached the immense aggregate of 1901,
while the Times had only 1,846 advertisements.
In many respects the business Of the two
papers is strikingly similar, as in the mar
riages and deaths, which number 20 on that
day in the HERALD, while in the Times, with
the announcement of births, which are not
customary in this country, added, they reach
SO. Again, in other points there is an equally
striking dissimilarity. An instance of this is
in the theatrical advertising of the two papers.
Each journal has 20 places of amusement in
its guide to the theatres, but the HERALD has
columns of theatrical advertisements to
barely columns in the Times. What is even
more marked is the quality of the advertise
all the interest and value of newspaper,
while in the Times they are as dull and in
sipid as it is possible to make them
| A point which indicates radical difference
in the ideas Of commercial etiquette in the
two cities is found in the dry goods and auc-
ton advertisements. A London merchant
would no sooner think of advertising his
stock in the Times than would highbred
lawyer in the United States stoop to what he
considers the professional degradation of
soliciting clients. Nor would an English
gentleman patronize an advertising merchant.
Consequently, while the HERALD has seven
columns of dry goods advertising, there is not
On the other hand, while Americans are poor
hands at attending auctions and buying the
| old clothes and second hand wares Of other
people, the English seem to have great taste
for this kind of thing. Here, too, the two
papers show the dissimilarity Of the two coun-
tries. While we have barely four columns of
auction advertisements, and these only of sales
of rare books and works Of art and articles of
virtu and rich furniture, the Times surpasses
us by nearly two full pages. But New York
shows the nomadic habits or necessities of o
large part of its population in the fact that the
HERALD has seven columns of advertising for
board and boarders while this business
in the Times is insignificant. Again,
while the English journals say that in
America every kitchen girl calls herself a lady,
we have column after column of advertising
in which plain, unvarnished cooks, chamber
maids, dressmakers and seamstresses, house.
keepers, laundresses and nurses announce
their willingness to ''assist," while the Times
has less than two columns Of this unaffected
business, but in its stead liberal quantity Of
the generous desires of "a French LADY, with
all kinds of diplomas, or Of "a clergyman's
daughter or s'an experienced and accom-
plished lady" as governess where s'she would
be considered as one of the family" We read
in the Times of more than one young lady who
is "desirous Of obtaining situation in res
taurant" though there are young girls in
England who announce that they are willing
to serve as barmaids. In another respect we
differ from the Tines for while that journal
has many advertisements Of advowsons and
livings offered for sale, our clergy confne
themselves in the HERALD to special notices of
religious services and of works Of charity and
religion. These things show some very inter-
esting phases Of the similarity and dissimi-
larity Of the two journals and the two cities,
and it is to be remarked that even the
personal column" in the HERALD, so much
misunderstood by prurient minded people,
has its counterpart in the Times, and that in
both papers it serves the same useful purpose
Of communicating with long absent friends
and other persons whom there is no other
method of reaching. The aggregate result of
the comparison shows that New York COM