New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-06-20

not the impeachment Of Andrew johnson. Tor
instance, have been Us well told for Us as the I'M.
parchment of Warren Hastings A ttousand
want 10 know the story OF yesterday, where
one cares for that Of hundred yelrs
ago. Shall this one command the labor, the
scholarship, the germs OF the world, Whine the
thousands must toll for Themselves among The
confused heaps, and winnOw bushel ior
every grain they get
| do not mean that the news Of to-day must
be dwarfed INTO the space it would receive N
the histories of hundred years hence. II
must, of course, be treated with the fulncss
which the present, or, ii you will, the dcetmg
interest 10 il demands. But the eclectic prin-
ciple is precisely the same. The reader Of TO-
day is entitled to have the story Of the day
told for him as skilfuly rs if it were the story
OF a hundred years ago ; as attractlyely, IN
proportion TO his interest III 1t as briefly, with
as little waste and as r,gid an exclusion of
everything that does not add to the vlyldness
and fidelity of the picture.
The Saturday ReUieD called Macaulay the
father OF picturesque reporters. IL Is III get
ting such reporters that the ultimate success
OF the wisest and most muniiicent newspaper
enterprise must display itself III the next de-
cade. Nor do l mean That IL Is only reporting
on grand scale that Is to be thus enn0bled-
reporting a great battle, revolution, q
pageant that fixes the eye of the world. The
genus that enriched the dramatic story OF the
aeath of Charles the second, OF the Peace Of
RysWlck, never showed Itself to greater adyan.
tage than in that famous third chapter, wherelr
by "A thousand subtle touches and the use Of
a myriad trtllDg incidents, like those that
now lie under every reporters eye, there was
reproduced picture OF past age more
minute, more comprehensive, more vivid and
we may even say, more interesting, than any
newspaper has gwen us OF our own.
Ii VIII be the highest achievement of the
most enterprisng journalism to make, day by
day, Tor the morning reader such a picture Of
his own cIy, OF his own conntry-such plc-
ture for HIM OF the world, indeed, OF the day
before.
The elements of the picture will be ar.
ranged, too, precisely IN the order
have named. In the foreground will
be his own city; the middle distance will be
filled by bis country; beyond that, IN the
smaller proportion to which Its relative IN
pOrtance III his eye and Tor his purposes, en-.
titles 1t, viii be the rest OF tie world. Bat
II the foreground Is TO be the city, that viii
require the greatest care, the most elaborate
work, aud certainly not the lowest order OF
ablnty. The City Department may then cease
perhaps to DC the place where the raw be-
glnners wreak their will, and become the
point at which the journalistic graduates Will
be expected 10 display their best pOWeTs and
most thorough training.
IBis then / conceive to be the next
great revolution IN journalism. We shall
not have cheaper newspapers. They are
the cheapest thing sold now, considering the
cost OF making them. We snail not have con-
OF advertising. Individual wants VIII seek
mediums more suitable Only general wants
VIII seek the WIder publicity OF great Jour-
nails and these viii be kept, by the lncTeas-
ing cost, within manageable compass. We
shall not have more news. lac world j. ran
sacked Tor Il now. Earth, sea and ar carry
II 10 us from every capital, nom every people,
from every continent and from every island.
We shall not have bigger newspapers;
they are bigger now thap busy
people can reau. We shall have better news
papers the story better told; better brains
employed IN The telling Orleier papers; papers
dealing with the more important oil current
matters IN such style ana Vith sucn fascination
that they Will command the widest interest.
There viii be more care ana ability IN selecting
out of the myriad OF things you might tell, inc
thln~s that the better people want To be l0ld,
or ought 10 be t0l0. There VIII be greater
skill IN putting these things before them ID me
most convenient and attractive shape Judg-
ment in selecting the news; genius IN telling
It--that Is the goal Tor the highest JOURNALISTIC
effort of the future. In making Il newspaper
the heaviest Item of expense used 10 Oe the
white paper. Now 1t IS the news. BY and by
let us nope, it viii be the brains.
RELATION or THE COMING JOURNAL TO
PAKIlE5
What shall be the relations of this new
journal of the future toward parties | may
claim to have been one Oh the apostles OF III
dependent journalism, but the zeal OF the new
converts has quite left me among the old
fogies. 1t never occurred to me that in re-
fuslng to obey bludiy every behest of party
it was necessary TO keep entilely alooI from
partv-to shut off ones self from the sole
agency through which, among Il free people,
lasting political result, can be attained. a GOy-
eminent like ours without parties Is InposslDIe:
Substantial reforms can only be reached
through the action oI parties. Inc true states
man ana the really lnnuCntial cuitOf are
those who are able 70 control ana guide pdiiles
not those who waste their Strength III
merely thIusung aside ana breaking up
the only tools with winch their WOih can DO
DONE There Is an Old question rs I'd whether
u newspaper controls puUnc opinion OF puOho
opinion controls Tie newspaper. TINS al least
Is true: that editor best succeeuS VINO
best interprets the preyaiilnS and the Oea3
tendencies OF pubic opinion, ANA VINO, "Ia1-
ever his personal views concerning II, does
not get himself too far out OF relations TO II. ne
Will understand that party Is nOt an END, OUT
u means Will use 1t, al IL leau 10 Ills emu
Will use some other II that serve better, buI
Will never commit the folly OF attempting "
reach the end without the means. lie may
not bindly follow party III undertaking ~
lead IL he may get ahead of IL, or even against
il; but he VIII never make The mistake Oi
undertaking. party, or attempting 10 grtVh
permanently ana produce lasting ICauIls NI.A-
out one. Far less VIII he conceive that ms
journalistic integrity can only be maintained
by refusing TO believe good OF his own parry
save upon administrative evidence; Wllie Tor
the sake OF +" falIness,' he refuses TO believe
evil OF ms opponents, save on evidence oi the
same sort. WHAT his precise relation 10
parry is to be, must be determined by ms own
character, the character OK tue party, ANA tho
circumstances affecting both; but some leia-
tlOn Is inevitable, unless he would DE lmpO-
tent. Of ali the puerIle tolies that have mas.
uueraded before High Heaven IN the sulSe 0t
reform, the most childish has been the idea
tnaC the editor could yndlcate his lndepend-
ence Ony by sitting Oh the fence anu thrOWi
ing stones with impartial ylSOr alike AZ lilehd
and foe.
A MIDE Field WHERE AL CAN WORK