The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-04-16
LETTERS ON JOURNALIsM.
EGect Of Teleeraphic News on tho Profession
Tho Various telegraph Agencies.

No branch of human activity has been
so thoroughly revOlutionized by Morse's inven-
tion Of the electric telegraph as journalism
The old, slow WAYS Of conveying news naturally
left large amount Of the space II newspaper
Tor discursive writing and literary work in gen
cral. Hundreds OF small local, mercantile and
industrial interests were ignored or neglected by
tue newspaper but the cause Of general culture.
~ "sweetncss and light" as Matthew Arnold
calls II, was gamer by 1t. Take any good Eu-
ropean newspaper OF forty OF nftv years ago, and,
antiquatod "a NAV apoearits look an the topics
discussed 10 II, you will not fail TO mud that tho
quality Of the writing, the esrnestness Of the
convictions, the ioftiness of the aspirations,
all higher then than they are now. Lamar
tine, with that Rne sense Of anticipating events
watch was so characteristic Of hiul more than
forty years ago predicted what the press Of to-
day would be, when he declined to become n
contributor to the European RericD. lie was
courteous and complimentary In his answer. bat
no clearly expressed his convictions that the
time Of the literary aud artistic glory OF journal
m was passing away.
Stenography and teegraphy, In their com
bned efforts to serve journalism, have dragged
II from the lofty regions OF literature aud art to
the commonplace sphere OF the market, the
counting room, ana the police court. The utii-
tartan age we live In will never erumble at this
change, and, taking 1t all In all. there Is perhaps
no reason to grunble at It, Photography has
degraded and insulted portrait painting; yet 1t
was great discovery In its way, aud the day II
fast approaching when a combin it!on OF photo
graphy aud painting Will produce the most per-
feet and artistic copies from life. Aud docs
not the ideal Of journalism after all consist In a
gigantic copy OF the globes daily life retoucned
by few frst-class artsts2
That do not exaggerate the weak sides OF the
influence Of the telegraph on the press Is clear
from the fact that more then half Of the des-
patches daily received Ia every newspaper once
are thrown into tho waste-paper basket; aud OF
the other half used by the papers probably not
more than one-tenth L. read with real interest
by the mass Of the puolic. Every practical inuo-
vation hos the tendency to give preference to
quantity over quality. Overtelegraphing has
become as much OF a weak point OF CON
Temporary journalism, az over-producng and
over-,radine are the weak points Of contempo-
r.ty commerce and industry
But nobody IS to blame for It. II Is a chlr4c-
tcrstic of al new inventions to Imply operations
On a urge. wholesale scale. The moment the telc-
graph was discovered 1t became evident that
the newspapers would have to supply. besides
news Of general int rest, other news which was
of an interest entirely private TO the various
branches OF trade and commerce. The expense
OF obtaining and transmitting this news was be-
Yond the means Of any one newspaper. and as
sociations had To be formed. Machinery had
to be organized, and machine work TO be suhsti-
tuted for individual work In this ctse AS In all
others, and with precisely the same result
The largest OF these news Supplying ma
chimes is Reuters Agency, though 1t /. not the
oldest There were IN this country several pri-
yate newspaper associations for collecting ship.
/ ,,ir f,- ,.. md ,f
similar comhin ttions sprang no in England with
! the birth Of the penny u tper-" The ne ,essity
they we're placed under to reduce expenditures.
| and the sharp competition they entered upon
with the high-prlced. ola established organs
compelled them to combine among themselves
for the collection and Transmission Of news.
| Out of these little associations grew by and
bv the Now York Associated Press and the
| London Press Association. two vast institutions
With ramincations ana sub-asencie. everywhere.
some yesr- before the electric telegraph was
introduced in Eir1pc. a Germ IN jew Of the
name Of julius Rslter was busy Transmitting
commercial news between Bernn. Paris Brus-
sells, aud Frankfort. When the first Telegraph
line between the capital oi Prussia ana AK la
! Chapelle was opened, In 1919 he removed to the
latter city, and began to extend his operations
! On England being brought into telegraDhic com
muncation with the continent OF Europe, in
ISL. he established his headquarters in Ionic
and tried for several years to get access 70 the
newspaper oGices. His offers were, however. in
variably rejected, until At last lie proposed, in
1888, hy way Of trial, to supply for half iyear DO
htical news from tue continent Tree Of charge &c
several Of the London PAPERS. THIS being the time
| when French politics attracted great interest
| Renter succeeded ia fulfilling the requirement.
| II the papers ana IN concluding contracts with
them. The itlllan war gave him another good
chance to bring his kilograms into prominence,
while the seizure 81 the Trent, Of which he re.
cciyed Information before the English Govern
mcnt had Il, made OF bis agency a kind
OF branch institution OF the English press
Every one Of the papers, most OF watch form sry
rel C. ed his offers, Cradu lily agreed To nay him
one pound sterling a day for the supply Of al
the news he received. At the same time, his
agency becvm MINI better known. a l4rsc number
Of so X and trade exchanges. swell is banker
and merchants became MS sub 'crl9ers fof com
me'eial news. All this enatled him to extend
his communications bevoni the oolnda1es O
Europe; ana az the Present moment there IS no
on tho whole face OF the gloos pla OF an
commercial or political importance Ia which