Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1881-09-21

A Few Points ON an Interesting
Snbject.

A Few Points ON an Interesting
Subject.
Charles Dudley Warmers Recent Address
Mr.. Warmers address opens with
the declaration that "the newspaper
IS a private enterprise" and he con,
tinued By saying hat expectation OF
nroft is the motive of its being and
that this motive is notlower than that
which leads people into any other &C.
cupation or profession. If the excel:
lence Of q newspaper is not measured
by its pro6tableness, it is generally
true that if it does not pay its owner
IL is valueless to the public, and as q
rule the successful journal ~pecuniari-
" is the best journal. The recogni-
ton Of the fact that the newspaper is
a purely business enterprise will help
to define the mutual relations OF the
editor and the public. His claim
upon the public is exactly that of any
manufacturer or dealer. On the other
hand the public has no rights In the
newspaper except what it pays for;
even the "old subscriber" has none
except to drop the paperif it ceases to
please him. Whether communlca-
lions shall be printed or not rests with
the discretion of the editor, having
reference to his own private interest
and the apprehension Of the public
good. The advertiser acquires no
more rights in the newspaper than the
subscriber. He is entitled to the
space for which he pays, by the inser-
ton of such material as is approved by
the editor, But gains no interest many
other part Of the paper. The news
paper being a strictly business enter.
prise, depends for success upon a quid
pro quo between all parties connected.
with it, and upon integrity in its man
agement.
TIT, newspaper, which is the prop
erty Of a private person, as much as a
drug shop is, is expected to perform
tor nothing services which would be
asked Of no other private person.
There is scarcely a charitable enter
prise to which it is not asked to con-
tribute Of its space, which is money,
ten times more than any other per-
sons in the community who are ten
times as able as the owner Of the
newspaper, contribute. The journal
is considered mean" If it will not
surrender its columns freelyto notices
and announcements Of this sort. II a
manager has a new hen-cOop or a new
singer he wishes to introduce to the
public, he comes to the newspaper,
expecting to have his enterprise ex-
tolled for nothing, and probably never
thinks that it would be just as proper
for him to 20 to one Of the regular
advertisers in the paper and ask him
to give up his space. Anything from
a church pic mic to a brass band con.
cert for the benefit OF the widow O
the triangles, asks the newspaper tC
contribute. The party in politics,
whose principles the editor advocates
has no doubt of its rightful claim
upon him, not only upon the editoria.
columns, but upon the whole news,
paper. 1t asks without hesitation
that the newspaper should take uD it:
valuable space by printing hundreds
and often thousands of dollars worth
!, of political announcements in the
course of a ~protracted campaign
when itnever would think of getting
its halls, its speakers, and its brass
bands free Of expense. Churches, as
well as parties expect this sort Of
charity, | have known rich churches
to whose members it was a convent.
ence to have its Sunday and Other
services announced, withdraw the
announcement when the edi tor de
clined any longer to contribute q
weekly fifty cents worth of space.
No private person contributes so much
to charity, In proportion to ability, as
the newspaper. Perhaps it will get
credit for this in the next world; il
certainly never does in this.
The chief function of the newspaper
is to collect and print the news; the
second is to elucidiate the news anC
comment on it and show its relations
and the third is to furnish reading
matter to the general public. Thai
news must be given which the people
will be most interested 10, and The
success Of the news printed depend,
upon a preapprehension ofthose topics
which the world will be talking about
when the paper appears. Some paper,
which nevertheless print all the news,
are always a day behind, do not APP
preciate the popular DRIFT till it has
gone to something else. and err as
much by clingipg to a subject after il
is dead as by not taking it up before il
was born. The public Graves eagerly
for only one thing at a time, and soeI
wearies Of that; and it is to the news.
papers profit to seize the exact point
Of a debate, the thrilling moment oil
an accident, the pith Of an important
discourse, to throw itself into it as i
life depended upon it, and for the
hour to food the popular curiosity
with it, as az engine deluges a fire
and the news must be presented in an
arrangement which will be at once
attractive TO the eye.
Our newspapers are overwhelmed
with material that is of no importance
The obvious remedy for this would be
more intelligent direction in the col.
lection of news, and more carefiI
sitting and supervision Of it when
gathered. 1t becomes every day more
apparent to every manager that such
discrimination is more necessary.
There is no limit to the variou.
intelligence aud gossip that our com.
plex life offers; no paper is big enough
to contain it, no reader has time
enough 10 read it. And the journal
must cease to be a sort ofwaste basket
at the end Of a telegraph wire, into
which any reporter, telegraph opera,
tor or gossip monger can dump what.
ever he %pleases. We must get rid Of
the superstition that value is given tC
as u%nimportant "itemn nv senain1 u a