Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1879-08-08
NUMBER 6.
The Daily Newspaper.

anu II IS Il close commentary upon Thai text.
MIR. Reid, who is a master of his craft, gives
interesting details of the comparative expense
in the publication Of papers, and very just
estimate of the duties of the Press toward the
public and toward itself. No one but an
editor Of experience can talk useiully Of his
calling 10 fellow editors, and for no one is it
so difficult 10 speak frankly, because, as Mr..
Reid fully recognized, he will he instantly
tried by his own standard.
The cheapest thing sold in America,
to-day, in proportion TO the cost Of its manu-
facture, says HorpeJ's Wtel{y-which is not
daily paper nor are It's editors and pub
fishers interested in any daily paper-is the
daily newspaper: and Mr.. Reid truly says
that the public will not get it for dHte-Gtii'm
prices until the public consents to return to
the dnte-btllHAa paper. lie docs not think
that the variety of news will be larger here
after. because it is ~ various rs possible
already. The range will not be- greater, but
the quality can be higher. y newspaper is
not a book or maglznr; it is summary
of the news Of the day. which should be
within such compass that the general reader
may master it without interference with his
regular employment.
The great change which the address aniic-
ipates in the newspaper is the improved
treatment of the news. If the paper sends
Stanley to Africa, it will send also Il Macau-
lay to write his report. 1t will use colossal
capital to accumulate news and retain Il staff
of Froudes to tell it. Thicrs called the news
paper the history of day. Mr.. Reid would
have it written with all the charm of the his
toryof yesterday. He laughs at the kind
OF independence in newspaper which
means want Of conviction or of party SYM
pathy, and consists in abusing all sides alike.
Neutrality is not independence, and the.
citizen in n republic so destitute of conyic-
ton that all political parties aud tendencies
are equally Indifferent to him, is kind of
citizen whose advice is worth nothing
In regard to the value of circulation to
advertisers, Mr. Reid truly says:
The value of circulation is often conf
parative any way; one paper with a list of
but 10, 900 may he worth as much as another
which prints 100, 900. The public is finding
out the humbug about big circulaiions, and
sooner or later it goes where it gets its
moneys worth Tie Nation announces
that it prints only 800 copies, all told, yet
it gets Is cents line for its advertising, has
plenty of it, and gives the moneys worth
every time. The public has been so demo-
raliZed by the grotesque ideas of numbers,
not merely as to newspapers, but in Il hun
dred other matters. with which every EDITOR
is familiar, that ordinary figures have largely
lost their significance. You all know how Il
meeting which completely packs hall with
seats for 800 is always spoken of as a
gathering of thousands; how man who is
known to have a few thousand dollars i'll
each of two or three ventures presently be-
comes. in the current talk, worth hun
dred thousand. while from that to being
amilliOnaire who swindles the tax collector
in his returns is the shortest sort of Il step.
Not until the administrator comes to look up
the assets is the deuSion discovered, and
then the dear public goes through the same
old amaZement over and over again. Just
such mistakes exist perpetuallY in the popu-
lar fancy in regard TO the circulatiOnS of fa-
voritc newspapers until there is scarcely one
in the country which can frankly state exact
" what it prints, handsome Us the shown.
might he, without disappointing some of its
champions. who having lost the meaning of
figures, would think it certainly entitled to
double as much. But the policy of prepOs-
ferrous brag on circulation has ceased to pay.
From the closing passages of the address,
which is wholesome reading for all ncwspa-
per men. and not without interest and value
to the great newspaper reading public, We
take the following extracts:
Well, we have faults enough. And yet
the elder times were not better than these.
There was never L time when the Press re-
sisted greater temptations, or more rcsOlutc-
ly maintained 4 level above its surroundings.
The thing always forgotten by the closest
critic of the newspaper IS that they must
he measurahly what their audiences make
them-what their constituencies call for and
sustain The newspapers cannot uniformly
resist the popular sentiment any more than 4
stream can flow above its fountain. To say
that the people are getting Worse is 10 say
that the newspapers are getting worse. That
doctrine Our sup;rlinc mnraliSls have cruakru
ever since We had an cNiStcnec "a, Il p,oplr e;
but whenever the crisis came We have always
found that. hcnrah the surface frnth. the
currents of National life llowcd pure and
strong as ever. The evil tendencies uf the
Press in Our day are 10 be- seen plainly
enoush they have hccn sgrn m all days.
since the first newspaper WIS nudc. II even
works more evil now than IT ever wrought
before, brcauSe lis influence l. m"rr wid.--
spread but it also works more "u,i. and
its hahitlal attitude i one Of clInr, toward
the hest its audience will tolerate
There is not a newspaper to-day in
New York, faulty as they all
are. that is moi better than its audience
There is not an editor in New York who
does not know the fortune that awaits the
man there who is willing To make Il daily
paper as disrrputahlc and vile rs huu'lrcd
and fifty thousand reader; would h. willing
to buy. 1t is the newspaper opportunity eli
the times tho only great opportunity that
has come since the conservation of capital
and mechanical facilities gave the monopoly |
of the present field To the existing Journals. |
Several of these might take it the editor of |
every one of them knows lac Is making a bet |
ter paper than his constituency would like. |
and that lie might add a half Ia his circula- |
tion by making it worse; every one of them |
knows that Il less scrupulOus rival may come |
to do what he refuses. il is with an i'll grace /
that theoretical TcformrTS rcpruach these |
men for lowering the newspaper standard, |
and making journalism a curse instead of
blessing.
1t is not true that the ability OF the Press
is declining. The papers of the country are
better written now than they ever were be
fore. They are better edited. Their average |
courtesy is greater their average morality /
is purer; their average tendency higher.
They better hit the wants of great mscel-
laneous communities, and 50 they have more
readers in proportion 10 population. Their
power may he more difluSe but il is un-
mstakably greater. There has been no more
remarkable phenomenon in the history Of the
profession than the rapid growth of the
country press. and its increase in ability, in
resources in self respect and in influence.
No, The power of the newspaper is not
declining Never before was it So great
Never before did it olrrr such career. But
ii is power accompanied by the usual condi-
lions, greatest when most sclf-respccting
and least Sci-seeking.
In the bosom of the viscount the pas
sion for gaming has driven out or over
powered every other sentiment. The
other evening, as the play at his club was
Mt its height, Il telegram was brought to
him announcing the sudden death of the