Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-06-01
sTARTING NEWsPAPERs.

" delAil etou NdltolLAl Dcpuoll0al
The firm conviction Of twO-thirds Of ey-
cry American community, be il large or
small, that each individual member thereof
is capable Of editing and Publishing a news
paper Of extraordinary acceptsbility, is one
Of the chronic deceptiOns Of popular be-
lief The fact that newspapers are the
product or human thought snd human labor
renders it impossible that they should be
so perfect in every regard as to meet the re-
quirements Of human criticism. Ambitious
youngsters, theOrizing aged men, devoted
women and sOlicitOus people of all cOndi-
tious earnestly believe that they are able
not only to serve themselves in the news
paper business by making money, but ad-
vance the interests Of their fellow men BY
the advocacy of especial doctrines. The
repeated failures Of such enterprises do not
shake their faith or selfcOnfdence. They
must know that success is the exception,
and, If they stop to reason, that skill, the
result of careful training IN every branch
Of the business, including the most minute
details, is the absolute prerequisite 20 that
success. Friends who may promise to
Weld helping hand to enterprises of this
kind are invariably "unable to accOmmO-
date" when the pinch comes, and the eX-
perience Of the civilized world shows that
only those journals are established on a
permanent basis which are controlled by
adroit business managers and edited BY IN
dependent spirits, who strive TO please
rather than command, and who yield per
sonal prejudice to the evident bent Of the
public mind. To do all this and maintain
a reputation for consistency is at once a
difficult and dangerous task.
Papers started with capital nearly always
fail. Year after year We see papers stared
with tens, and twen,ies, aud tfties Of
thousands Of dollars 90 down in
few short months. The Republic, in
New York, which sunk It's 100000
in seven months; The Paper, in PitisbUrg,
which in fourteen months lost $4,000,
and then died; the Patriot, in Washington,
which perished in ten months with a debt
Of $4,000. These are some examples Of
what papers that started cut with capital
have done. TIE papers that succeed at
lass are your tough and spirited fellows
who start without a dollar and edge
their way in by hard work and careful
MANAGEMENT. The Nel5 York Herald
started without a dollar, and found no
friends until it didn't need them. Mr..
EItElEN eLALLc4 Lllc 4tttll-r " AAG4 A-N haAo
as poor as a church rat. Prudence, care
and system are needed. Add to these bril-
liancy and judgment, and success is
certain. And while it is true that cap
ital alone cannot establish a newspape-,
neither can it establish any other legiti-
mate industrial pursuit requiring business
skill. The same energy, toll, perseverance
and ability that gave success TO Bennett,
Greeley and Raymond, in the publication
of a newspaper, would have secured them
prominence in any other calling. Stewart,
Clafin and other merchants who have
risen to the head Of their busi-
ness enterprises, owe their success neither
to capital nor its absence, but to those per-
sOnal qualities Of energy and ability
which secure prosperity everywhere;
and there is no royal road TO
fame or success in the Publication Of
newspaper that does not apply equally to
every other profession. Itrequires the same
careful management, prudent economy un-
tiring industry and fair ability which Is re-
quIred in commerce or in the learned pro-
fessiOns; so that those who embark IN these
enterprises, lured on by some hopeful con-
fidence in political or religious enthusiasm,
must always meet with disaster.