Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1882-07-01
A GREAT NEWSPAPER.

i A GREAT NEWSPAPER.
New York Cor. St. Louis Post Dispatch ! r.
aApropos Of Mr.. James Gordon Ben
netts return to America and all the talk
ABOUT MS every act, It occurs to me how
little the public understand the man and
his true relation to the New York Her.
aid. There is an impression that Mr..
bennett, because he plays polo, gives
0alls At Eau, spends half of his time in
Europe. and builds fine yachts, allows
the Herald to run itself. Tho facts are,
that never was great property so
thoroughly and minutely controlled by
the spirit. and, yes. even the work OF
one man though the work may not
mean regular confinement to an Office
desk Tor 80 many hours day per weekly
as the Herald is by Mr.. Bennett. When
MIR. Bennett is in Europe he directs the
paper as absolutely as he does here. He
cables as freely as he would talk. Or
the United States he is INSTANTLY inform
ed, and when il opens II subject on
which the paper must commit itself to q
definite policy he will often dictate. Off
hand. an editorial, which is forthwith
| cabled over to the home Office. The
readers next d,y, IN perusimg the Her
ald's editorial views. has little idea that
they we're cabled from Pans, Egypt or
Aigiers. as the case m y be. for they
appear in the usual place allotted to
such articles. But close is Mr.. Ben
nett's attention TO details that he will
often use the cable in this manner even
when topic or point OF minor import.
ance il in question. Nnlhing in the
psPer is too small Or triti,g to escape
bis attention. lie receives q copy OF
the Herald every day OH which every
article, paragraph Or item is plainly
marked in big pencil letters with the
name OF The writer, and very often some
little city paragraph, obscurely hidden
away ut the bottom of u column. will
come back with note OF correction and
reprimand in MIR. Bsnnett's own hand
writing. il there is an error or puff
disclosed to. his searching eye. A
typographical error OF the smallest kind,
or misplaced or badly "set up" ad-
vertisement. will Call forth similar re-
buke. which may come allthe way from
Trouville or St. Petersburg-wherever
Mr.. Bennett may be, the chances are ten
to one that he will sse 1t. Everybody in
the Office who is familiar with its inner
ways knows this. and the cons, quence
is that every one Of bis representa- ives
is infused with his own vlgor, watch.
fulnessi and attention to detail. There
is not dollar spent in year on that
great paper that Mr.. Bennett
does not know about. Once or
twice . year he egularly goe. over the
salary fist, inquiring as to the merits Of
empleye with reference to promotion or
increase. 1t anything irregular in any
branch Of the business occurs he is at
once notified. His capacity for work
Is marvellous. '"He can lay ont more
work in an hour" SAID one Of his Oldest
employees once to me, ''than you or 1
can in week." 1t is really sight. to
look vt his writing desk In bis beautiful
Paris residence, covered with Heralds,
strewn with cab;egrams. dispatches.
letters, articias, rte. In the Herald
Office, when he ia In New York, he will
see and 'sdespatch" about fifty persons
10 q couple Of hours. The moment it is
known that Mr.. Bennett has returned
to New York the Office is thronged with
Tor all sorts OF favors, and the
lrapidity with which he sees them all
and gets rid OF the great seige is some
thing aston shing. =.
: Nobody In the Office can tell when
Mr.. Bennett may not .'bob up serenely."
There are number of d, tierent entfan-
cys to his sanclum. Nobody ever knows |
by what eoor he has entered. and often |
when the editor in charge Of his busl-
ness representatlyes.a are watching to see |
him. pass into thu building his electric |
bell sharnly sounds and summons him |
to Mr.. Benefits presence. Sometimes |
when he has besm supposed to be tar |
away from the city. he has turned up ut |
midnight and work ed all night snper.
intending matters 10 the composing and |
press roo,ii. overhauling every little ar
rangement in the building, and going |
hume at 6 O'clock IN ths morning.. This
elightful uncertainty as to his move |
ments keeps every body on the alert-no
matter il he has not chosen to come
down to the Office Tor days there is no
telling at what ungodly hour he may
rise up, like ghost, before the amazed
vision OF the city or night editor. or OF
the foreman of the composing, the
stsreotypfng or press room.
When old Mr.. Bennett died the de-
cline OF the Herald was predicted by
some OF the newspapers. The facts are
that the average circulation, which u,,-
der his father never exceeded so, 900
copies, except during exciting periods
Ut the war. now averages sl25, ,OU0 per
day, and the advertising, has been quad
rupled. No doubt Mr.. Benefits father
gave the paper grand start. but still
he left it tn his son with reputation
and circulation largely 10. sl. The great
European. deed, wOrld-w ide prestige
oi the Het aid of TO day the paper owes [
solely to the sou. There is not a corner
Of The universe In which the Herald may {
not be found. Mr.. Benefits liberality
that decided streak OF generosity
which he is said to have inher tied from
his mother-has been u tar sighted poll {
~ :or the success OF the paper. The I
Jeanmette expedition, which has cost
him $500 600; the Stanley expedition I
or Livingstone. which came to 1850. -. I
)uD the 100000 spent On the relief OF
lrc and-and All those other vast expen- {
ttures which he decided upon with I
hat quick impulse of mingled liberality (
Ind shrewd policy which is u k;nd' OF /
instinct and inspiration with him-have /,
,een, amply repaid in the extended {
,ciat and renown which they have won ,
'or the Herald. Il
That is enough, for Mr.. Bennett, for,
4 it were not sacrilegious. It might be
'aid with perfect accuracy that the Her.
I'D is his creed, his shriue OF worship,
,is god. Ten millions in cash were
offered him Tor the Herald long ago, but
do not believe that Vanderbilt and '
iould together have money enough to u
'uy it. What. the profits OF The paper
lre may be- easily inferred from the fact a
hat Mr.. Bennett has made the 'circula. .
Ion pay tor all the expenses. and | ave
profit besides. and that the advertising
mounts to over q million dollars per
'nnum. Last Sunda,' Herald was The Q
most profitable ever issued in its histo- '
y. " ith its circulation Of l30. 900, aud u
IA columns OF advertising am uniting G
o about $l5 QUO. A great deal OF bosh q
las been said about The servant oIrls
making the Herald pay. counted up \
be servant girl advertisene nts is last a
sundays Herald, and found precisely 9
90. which. at IL cents apiece, would
ave Just S23 % AS the servant giils'
to MIR. Bennett's treasury
ut OF $l5, 900. Thers WAS u time when
10Th circulation and advertising we're G
benefited by this class of u
advertisements. but now they are SIM
'ly "a drop in the bucket" Occasion. II
lily ding is made at the 'tpersonals II
he people who read these attacks du