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

said" "Well," continued the puzzled negro,
scratching his head moro vigorously, MasSa
Yorse's a berry good man. If be sag he glt
eight bales a day, he git EN-; bat dis know 10
shO': he haul 'em all IL at one load, on one TO-
mule wagon" The case was disposed of and
the similar brag Of the newspaper publisher
who issues 10000 copies day and prints
them on one fOur-cylinder press between
haf-past 4 and in the morning, admits OF
as ready and complete calculation.
A NEWSPAPER SHOULD MIND ITS OWN BUSINESS
4. Sell your own wares don't fool away
time trying to run down your neighbours.
What difference does it make what his cIrcu-
lation Isl Probably you don't know much
about it anyway; but you do know about
your own. Put fair price on space in that,
and give your whole mind to selling 1t. Ii
your space Is worth the pnce you ask, you
can get all the advertising you want, wnen-
ever business Is prosperous enough 10 war
rant II, or advertisers are wise enough to know
how to make business. Arnold 81 Constable
sell their goods by Offering at fair price
what the public Want, and forcing the puDhc
TO know IL mot by standing around CRITICS.
ing the offers of A. 4. Stewart ~ Co. and
Lord a. Taylor. An old rule (trench, /
think, III Its Origln,( used to fix the yaiue OF
the ordinary advertising III daily lie fspa-
per going among the better classes'- lhe
classes likely to buy and with taste enough
TO want good thlnEs-aJ cent per Hne peI
thousand copies Of actual cIrculaIOh' III Vas
a fair rule. There are plenty OF papers thdt
charge more and earn IL. But on the whole
it Will be a good thing for the daily papers
having their largest circulation among the DesJ
people when they are able to enforce thaC
rate. The essential thing Is to have some rate,
fixed with reference 10 the actual Na4ue Oh
the circulation, and to adhere honestly 10 IL
with all alike.
KEEP ADVERTISEMENTS WHERE THEY BELONG
5. Keep the advertising III the advertising
columns. l realize that this is not the golden
age, and that we cannot expect lmposs-
bilities. ! do not know of five c0nsidera-
bic newspapers i'll the United States ng1diy
adhering to-day to this rule | doubt 1t there
is one that has never. under any temptation,
departed from it. But we can all see
that honest dealing with our readers
and honest dealing with our advertisers
alike tend II this direction. 1t may be sud,
plauslbly enough, that there Is a VIDE class
of subjects in which TIE public has certain
interest, while private parties have greater
interest that there is, therefore, certain
legitimate excuse for publishing matter about
them as news, and also Il certain legitimate
excuse for taking pay for 1t as auYertlslns'
But this opens TOO many doubtful questions,
and gives the Cash-draWeT too great lever
age on the editors judgment, as to the real
degree OF public interest III the news. The sale
way, the true way, the way TO which we are
ultimately coming, not soon, perhaps, put
surely, Is TO put whatever Is TO be pald LOT
suuarely and honesty into columns that are
recognized as paid for; to select what Is 10 be
printed as news solely with reference 10 the
largest interest of the widest number; ana
then, if such selection happens to further prl-
vate interest as well, 10 take the pay Tor thaJ
in the high esteem with which those inter
ested will come TO regard newspaper SO Ju-
dlciOUs IL It's selections.
TYPE AND CUTE
g. Have we not nearly reached the limit o.
public patience in the matter of type2 May
we not fairly insist soon on reform winch
shall make all type readable, none of 1t so
small as to be trying to ordinary eyes; and
none of it so large and grotesque dis to be
offensive TO ordinary taste
Z. Shall We not soon recognize the tact
that the fast pTlntlng-preSses, demanded Dy
the needs of the great newspapers,
engTavmgsY Can we not persuade adver-
Users to abandon the effort TO make these
presses DO what they were never intended TO
dOi Ii double prices for cuts will not per-
suade them out OF IL, If blOtches where they
look for pictures will not, then VIII 1t not
soon be time to Try stones instead of grass,
and to drive the cuts out OF your advertls-
ing orchards at any cOstf
A CONSTANT GAIN IN THE CHARACTER OF THE
PRESS.
But these are mere business reforms. There
are those who insist that the thing really
needed is what the old Scotch divines used
TO call "root and branch work that the
whole man is sick, the whole heart faint.
The elder times, they say, were better than
these: the whole character OF the Press Is
steadily deteTOraung.
We'll. we have faults enough. And yet the
elder times were not better than these.
There was never a time when the Press re-
sisted greater temptations or more reSoiuttiy
maintained a level above It's surroundings.
The thing always forgotten by the closet
critic of the newspapers is that they must be
measurably what their audiences make
them-what their constituencies call for
and sustain. The newspaper cannot uniformly
resist the popular sentiment any more tIdn
the stream can flow ABOVE Its fountain. To
say that the newspapers are getting worse Is
to say that the people are getting worse lhat
doctrine our superhne mOrallsts have cr0aked
ever since we had an existence a.
a peODle; but whenever the crisis came
we have always found that, beneath the sur
face froth, the currents of National life
flowed pure and strong as ever. Inc EVIL
tendencies of the Press III our day are To he
seen plainly enough; they nave been seen IN
all days, since the first newspaper was MADE.
IN even works more evil now than II ever
wrought before, because its influence is
more widespread ; but 1t also works more
good, and It's habitual attitude Is one of
effort toward the best its audience will toll
crate. There Is not newspaper to-day In
New-York. faulty as they all are IRE that Is not
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 daily paper as dis
reputable and vile a. a hundred and fifty
thousand readers would be willing 10 BUY. 1t
Is the newspaper opportunity Oh the time
the only great opportunity that has
come since the concentration OF capital and
mechanical facilities gave the monopoly
OF the present field to the existing journals.
every one of them knows be is making bet
ter paper than his constituency would like,
and that he might add half to his circulation
bv making 1t worse every one OF them