New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-02-02
XFTSPAPER HISTORY.

NEWSPAPER HISTORY.
The art of indering tends to make one OF Lord
Macnulay's sayings very impressive. The only
rue history of q country is 10 be found IN ts news
n,persr Here is Mr. Wcihheimers Index OF the
daily files of I'm TRIBUNE for loS2 containing 10
closely printed pages with an average OF l3o
references to the page and an aggregate OF over
I : 600 for 800 issues This is a formidable array
of marginal lines and topical heads for " The only
true history" of a single year as iouhd III inc
columns If one newspaper; and there NAV DC tnou'
sands of newspapers IN single country ana 'n'io
oro few countries on this terrestrial baH "heie
NEWSPAPERS are not printed. Who, then can nope
10 keep abreast with the contemporaneous nis'ory
of the wOrldf
As ono turns the pages OF the mdeA lie
ia painfully impressed with the yicisstuues
90 br,non rcnutation. As the contents of the
3G5 issues are analysed IN these orderly pages IN
s,gpihcant figures acquire a fantastic prominence
vhile tbose who tower above them in genius and
ontboriy remain IN obscurty. Perry Belmont Is
,romoted 70 the fictitious dignity OF twentv-one
dis,tnct topical references, while Gambetta Is
sIlowed nineteen and Bis narck only four. Oscar
Wilde with TWENTY-FIVE entries Is a formidable
competi'or I'm the race for fame with LongIelo"
and Emer on George {. Min ls mentioned uNo
times. where Leo XIII. and Archbishop Iait are
named once The Malley brothers appear in thirty
six issues, whereas Darwin Is dismissed with eght
references. and Herbert Spencer. Notwithstanding
tho nains he has taken TO make the acquaintance OF
the American people with four. In some Instances
the honors are distributed mpartialy. Governor
Cleveland has 90 lines Governor Butler, %; Secre-
tarv Folger. "a; aud 1hurlow Weed, 20 The
Prcddent of tho United states T. credited with %
c,tr,.s and the British Premier with 40 President
Garfield. though dead has 20 lines, keeping c'ose
behind his most intimate political associate Mr.
Blai &C. who has 81 Yet the sense of disproportlon
becomes most startling the head oil the column Is
reached Who il IL that has been mentioned most
freoucntly I'm the columns of TIE mBUSE during
the las year Of gracef Not Pres dent CART ld nor
Mr. Blaine nor President Arthur, nor Governor Cor
nell. nor John Kelly. Not Mr.. Gladstone. nor Prince
Bismarck nor NJ Gambetta. nor Dir. Parnell' nor
General Wolse,ey, nor Arab Bey. The Index
accords 02 distinct reference lines TO Charles
i Gniteau. the high, st number given to
any individual name. Even in death the most
craven and despicablo of assassins has the full
measure of notoriety which his small soul craycd
during his deprayed and hidcous life. Vulgar
cheat though he was, he cannot be denied the space
which his name occupies in III" records OF the year
4 closer scrutiny OF the Index reveals aspects OF
journalism less homogeneous than that which we
have been considering. Tho propo tons OF the
xar,ons classes of information with which the coll
urnn, of a newspaper are crammed in the course of
year arc clearly disccrnod in these pages.
There are G3O references to Congressional
proceedings 2OG to the newborn Legis-
iotnro "a 10 politcal conventions. and $50 to
general political topics. lhis survey SHOWS tha'
politics remain the main staple of newspaper pro-
dpct,op Al the same hmo business interests as
snmo formidable proportions. Here are 80 refer
o,cos IN railroads aloue 1872 failures recorded !;
11o financial topos are considered; 300 iire' in
volving serious losses TO insurance companies are
,n.ntioued : and entries are made under numerous
other headings such agriculture, banks bust
ness commerce, insurance MINING tarh telo-
Uraph aud trade. In court practice 400 cases have
been reported during the year. exclusive Of civil
and criminal notes of minor importance. Int IL
ence from foreign countries is found in the
Index to bear tho rdfatye proper
tons which American readers would
naturally expect. Great Britain heads
the list with 15l entries; Ireland and Egypt are
close together with 40 and 139; and France comes
next with lOG. Under the head of literary are
classed 529 references to new publications whrch
have been reviewed In detail and NOT dismissed
with brief paragraph. In other departments of
criticism, music, drama and fine arts, and in educa-
tlona matters and special branche Of science, sim
liar exhibits arc made The obituary list with 81
namea and all classes of local and misoe laneous
news. Qlyo evidences of the completeness and com
prehensiyeness OF the modern newspaper Take,
for Instance, q special field OF inquiry like
forestry: il Is curious 20 find as many as twenty
references TO the files OF the year, arranged to
be intelligible to a specialist at single glance.
Yea: and the women ore not passed overin silence.
They have their special column. with 90 entries,
beginning with " bearded" al beauty rules" blue
Anchor Society" and " Boston," and slanting down
through "saleSladies" and suffrage" to the solid
ground of work and wages" without single in
yidious cross-referenoe to fashions" OF WED.
dings"
The Index for 1882 contains. as preface to the
body of the general alphabet OF reference lines the
annual summary of events, published In The TRlD-
uNE on the last day Of the year. Being n
Wow Of tho principal events In tho political
history OF the leading nations. II properly precedes
the analytical work of the Index itself This
volume IL compiled primarily for the convenience
of The TRIBUNE staff who are spared in this way
the drudgery Of ransacking the files. II Is key,
however which will work in many other locks than
the one which IL matches precisely, and il can DO
safely recommended to journalists authors, libra
rians, lawyers, politicians and businessmen a. =