Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1876-05-13
HOW the London Times is Edited.

The organ of the city of London ispo-
litically speaking, probably the most in
consistent paper in the world, yet it is
the most prosperous and the most inau-
entail. Its staff is composed of men Of
all political %colors; but none of them
would ever think of expressing his per
sonal view. They have to write in the
tone prescribed by DR.. Delane and DR..
Delane gets his keynote from the mass
of letters which daily reach him from
every part of England. An Englishman
| would think himself quite wanting in
This duty as a patriot if he had not writ
ten at least four or FIVE times a year a
letter to the editor Of the Times on some
subject he might be interested in or fa-
miliar with. Hundreds of these letters
daily reach the office in Printing Square
without being printed, but all OF them
are read and serve Mr.. Delane as basis
for his opinion of public sentiment. He
has frequently said that he did not know
Of a better political or social Indicator
than that which forms itself from the
conflicting views expressed by unknown
persons of all stations of life and of all
parts of the country.
1t would seem that the main work OF
DR.. Delane consists in reading these let
tiers, in distributing the themes to the
contributors, and in watching the symp-
toms of forthcoming events as far as they
can be discerned in the diplomatic, gov
ernmental and high-life drawingrooms.
OF writing he scarcely does any himself,
and most Of the work Of editing, too, lies
on the shoulders of Mr.. Dacent, the
younger, who has been always spoken OF
as the probable successor to Mr.. Delane,
and who, by thistime, may have, for all
/ know, taken possession Of the post, as
Mr.. Delane has felt tired for some years
past, and his eyesight has been constant
ly declining.
Personally DR.. Delane is much less
known to the general public than a man
Of his influence and position would have
been anywhere else. With the excep.
ton of the contributors to his paper. ard
of the members of the diplomatical, Par.
~iamentary and Governmental circles Of
London-all Of whom greatly court him
he is known to scarcely anybody. The
Russian and German Embassies enjoy
the particular confidence Of DR.. Delane
so much so that the Tines was frequent
" accused of being in the pay of one o.
these Governments. This was undouDt
eddy a false accusation; but there car
be no doubt that the cunning Baror
Brunnow, late Russian Minister at III,
Court of st james, managed to great
influence the foreign politics of tn,
Times, through supplying it with infor
nation which could not be obtained
elsewhere. Ii is only from the time o
the rupture Of the Black Sea treaty tina
the tone of the Times with reference t
Russia has changed, and its leniency to
ward the great Northern Empire beef
abandoned.
Personally, DR.. Delane is very cour
teous and pleasant gentleman, ofmiddll
size and corpulence, with mutton. chol
whiskers, and a face which has nothing
striking about it, except the expression
Of the self.content of a middle elias
Englishman enjoying an income 0
$4,000 a year. When you see DR.. De
lane coming from a dinner or an even
ing party about midnight TO the Office 0
the Times, to look at the proofs OF tn.
editorials destined for the next morning
paper, you would never think that yol
see the all poserful master Of the mos
influential papev in the world. With hi
white neck-tie, bis swallow-tailed Goa,
his rose in the button-hole and his II
reproachably olean-shaven chin an,
smoothly-combed black hair, he coull
be much more taken for a lawyer,
banker, or a calico manufacturer the
for what he is in reality.