The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1876-10-05
From the London Times, July rs, 1851
American Journalism.
From Our Special Correspondent

Ihave frequently had occasion to
notice the big way in which the Amer
leans do things, and do not know that
il would be easy to find an apter Illus
tration of this than that furnished by
the centennial Newspaper Building"
i'm the Exhibition grounds. Here you
may see any one, or, If you like, all of
the "S, l20 newspapers published regu-
larly i'm the United States" In England
man thinks it cheap If he Is given his
choice of few score of newspapers for
u penny; and rs our penny Is here prac-
tically represented, Us q rule, by five
cent or even a ten cent piece (the small
est shOeblack, for instance, expects ten
cents (5dD for shining your boots),
man could scarcely grumble If asked,
say Il quarter ola dollar, or one shilling,
for the run of the 5000 papers. Need
it be said that in the Centennial Build
ing he can see them one and all for
nothing? He is not only permitted as
favor to see them, but he is invited,
nay pressed, to confer the favor of en-
tering the building and calling for what
paper he likes. AS he passes the en-
trance his eye is caught by some such
kindly and courteous invitation as
"Come in and see paper from your
home" "Write your name in the reg
lister, give your card to the superinten-
dent, and make yourself ut home"
The home into which he Is thus COR
daily welcomed Is, moreover, very
pleasant one. Without any preten-
lions to imposing architectural effect,
it is simple, elegant, and neat. Its
length is 81 feet; its width 46 feet; its
height 33 feet. 1t is admirably lighted
and ventilated by long rows of windows
and large lantern roof. Open on all
sides, it catches every breath of air that
ventures i'm this weather to stir out, and
on one side the air Is cooled by passing
over the lake, OH the border of which
the building is pleasantly situated. 1t
is, in fact, altogether about as cool and
agreeable place-quite apart from its
literary attractiOns-as a visitor to the
Exhibition could wish to be offered q
chair in. He may at first wonder how
among 5000 papers, among them such
mighty sheets us the New York Herald,
he Is to get at the small, loved print of
his home, thousands of miles away, it
may be, over the Rocky Mountains.
But the management Is SO simple that
by consulting the catalogue any one can
ut once find any paper he wants. They
are pigeOn-holed on shelves I'm the al
phabetical order of their States or Ter
ritOries and their towns, the names of
which are clearly labeled on the shelves.
Thus the newspapers Of Abbeville, I'm
Alabama, would be found OH the first
shelf, and those of Laramie City, in
Wyoming, on the last; but anybody i'm
difficulties has only to apply to one of
the eight superintendent, who, sail
pineapples of politeness," are ready to
execute his orders as If they bodily be-
longed to him. Ifhe would like to take
notes or write, he has, i'm two galleries
which run round the upper part of the
building, his choice of some thirty desks
with pen, ink, and paper, all provided,
of course, gratis; or If he has ladies with
him, or friends with whom he wants
to have a perfectly private chat, there
are ut his disposal two or three private
rooms comfortably fitted up.
But the prOprietOrs of the Centennial
Newspaper Building are avowedly add
vertising agents-the largest, believe,
g. Co., of New York. Their enterprise
will cost altogether about 10000, or
$4,000, including the building and the
expenses of"running" 1t for six months.
How much comes out of their pockets
l cannot say, as they have been largely
subsidized by some of the leading Amer
lean papers. But they have the man.
agement of the enterprise, and will nat
urally get the lions share of the glory.
1t will certainly make their names
known all over America, In corners
which it may never have reached be-
fore. For the Americans arc newspa-
per readers tn a man-almOst to child;
nor indeed does one need to he an Amer
lean to appreciate the opportunity OF
resting i'm comfortable room, in order
to read the latest news from ones home
The 5000 and old American newspa.
pers are declared by the 81 me authority
to exceed "the combined issues of all
the other nations of the earth.o One
Is somewhat surprised to find that OF
this number no less than 9 1895, or more
than thrce-fourths, are weekly. Some
of them belong to classes to which IN
England the word newspaper" would
scarcely be applied, and to which even
Wcbster's definition of u newspaper us
"shect of paper printed and distrib.
uted mt short Intervals for conveying
intelligence Of passing events" would
not permit 1t to be applied. Such are
the semi-monthly publications Q05),
the monthly (747), and even the quar-
terly (67). ''The State of New York
naturally supplies the largest number,
1918; I'm the city alone there are consid-
erubly over 4OO. Next comes Pennsyl-
vania with 1873, Philadelphia contribut-
ing over 100. Then come Ohio, Iowa,
Missouri, and Indiana, all outstripping,
one is surprised to find, that model State
and centre of enlightenment, Massa-
chusetts, though she issues nearly 800
1t is worthy Of remark that the West,
young and raw "a 1t II, seems more go
ahead and enterprising I'm journalism
than the refined and venerable East.
California already ranks fourth In the
number of Its dailies. For five years
six new Journals, on an average, have