The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-02-20
LETTERS ON JoURNALIsM.
The European and Americas Prees Conn
pnred-JournaIism as Trade and Jour
naIism rs Profession The News Depnrt-
ment and the Intellectual Department.

once PRODUCED history OF us ndttOHn pTcSss
Quite recently we had the book Of the late
Frederic Hudson on the American prcss. Mr.
James Grant gave us his not very satisfactory
work on the origin and progress Of the news
paper press in England. and NJ Eugene TIatin
produce his eight volumes on the political and
literary historv of the French press But
don't know OF any attempt having ever been
made at q comparative study Of the press OF
various counties. Should THE SUN be OF the
opinion that many years Of journalistic ex
perience, both in the Old and In the New World,
can entitle n man to undertake study Of this
kind, It will, perhaps, IND room for few let
tiers on this subject.
To begin with what IL the press7 II It n
trade or a professions The answer would be
that 1t is a trade In England, profession on tae
Continent Of Europe, and partly trade, partly
n profession, In this country. The proof Of this
Is easily shown. Notwithstanding the colossal
development OF tho press OF Great Britain, the
Journalists do not form there a separate body,
like, for ns Ancc, the medical men, the military,
the clergy, or the LAWYERS. Most OF the con-
tributors to the English press, and certainly the
most valuable OF them, are before everything
else, baIfisters, captains, curates, professors,
and the ike. They take u newspaper writing
either for pleasure or for the purpose OF Keep
ing tho pot boiling, as long as they are young
and their actual profession does not pay them
sufficiently well. Even the English reporters
cannot he considered as belonging to the news
paper profession, for their real business Is
shorthand writing. And the short hand writer,
who can get a situation as private secretary to
n member OF Parliament. a banker, or a railway
director, always prsfers It to reporting Parlia-
mentary debates, judicial proceedings, or trans
actions OF scientific societies. The shorthand
vi 20 N a
sake " practice, and only in cases where they
cannot get any other permanent employment.
In this WY journalism as a profession Ia re-
duced In England to very small number OF
men, consisting of the editors and sub-editors OF
| the papers, most OF whom are purely busi-
ness men. trained from an early age to tho
general management and material makeup OF
| the paper. Thew very seldom contribute to the
journal they edit and the large mai ority Of them
ere utterly unit TO write.
| On the Continent OF Europe II Ia Just the re-
verse. A journalist there Is only a journalist.
and can seldom be anything else. II he belongs
| to any other profession. he must give II up be-
fore becoming journalist, for neither would his
clients trust him, nor would the press accept him
II he tried to follow two cailines at one and the
same time. Persons holding on g under the
crown are also not allowed To write for the press ;
| and n civil service clerk or even a professor Of
! an imperial or royal university, who should at
tempt to employ his leisure hours In Journal
ism, would soon receive an intimation that lie
had better mind his regular business. Occa
sonal exceptions are made only In favor Of mill
tary and naval officers writing on military and
naval subjects.
| The American system stands, so TO saw, half
| way between the English and the Continental
| systems. journalism Ia profession here at
| lea, 10 the sense that most OF the contributors
to the papers remain connected with the press
all their life long, and seldom pursue any
other calling at the same time, unless they
| embrace that essentially American one OF
| politicians. There is mucn less esprit dc corps
| In the journalistic profession In this country
than In Continental Europe; but this is the re-
suit Of the peculiar conditions Of American life,
and Of the fact that journalists here are chiefly
news men-not literary men. They have, &C.
cordinely, no intellectual interests to bind them
| together: while, on the other hand, not being
| exposed to persecution by the Government,
they ara not driven into solidarity by n common
feeling OF danger and the instinct OF sell-pres-
| ervation.
| Another point OF similarity between the
American and the Continental Euro jean press
Is that nearly all the best American papers show
a desire not only to inform the public OF the cur
rent news, but also TO instruct and occasionally
to amuse the reader. The JeutletOn SO popular
In Europe, both for the purpose Of introduclnl
fiction as well AZ scientific articles, has been II
substance, though not In form, introduced In al
the leading American papers. At all events, II
their weekly editions they We several columns
devoted TO applied science, as well as to storie
and even to poetry. These elements are ex
cluded from almost all English papers, except
the weekly publications and one or two OF th,
evening journals.
| In all other respects the American newspape
closely approaches the English The importanc,
attached TO news Of every kind, the praciic
nature Of the information, the enterprise dis
played IN collecting the news, and above all th
exertions OF the managers to build up the news
paper into large advertising medium, arc essen
tial characteristics Of the American as well a
OF the English press. On tho Continent OF Eu
rope paper starts on principles entirely differ
ent from those which bring into the world al
English or an American newspaper. A party 0
men OF certain political, philosophical, or ar
tistic Views come together and launch the pa
per for the purpose OF promoting their chose
cause. They strive to create u circle OF reader
for their organ; they are almost Invariably a Sc
Of propaGandists OF something or other; liter
AIRY, intellectual and political interests are TO
them far above any practical considerations
The question as to whether the paper Is likely {
pay or not Is usually the last one inquired into
as to advertising considerations,.they scarcel
ever enter the heads Of the founders OF the
Journals.
In England and America quito the reverse
the case. new newspaper is started onl
when It il believed TINT there will be II ready de
mand for II, and a likelihood Of a profitable ad
> yertslng business. An American or Englls
, newspaper editor would very rarely dream @
trying to create circle OF readers Of engaGin
, in the propagation OF any peculiar doctrin,
r what he Is ordinarily anxious about is to FIN
out the taste Of his public ana to satisfy IT tn
best he can, knowing, as he does, that this
! the easiest way Of making his pursuit remunera
| tive,
The brilliant success which the English news
paper system has obtained makes all criticism
Of II look rather presumptuous; nevertheless
! any person capable OF true Insight into soci,
phenomena easily notices he weak points Of th
system, and their influence upon the develoG
ment OF certain sad pecullaritles Of English IN
There can be no doubt that the English newspl
per system eliminates great deal OF profession
| al iealOusy and that IL QiVes more char 90 f.