The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-01-01
OUR NEW YORK LETTER.
SOkE REMARKS CONCERNING THE
METROPOLfTAy DAILIES.
Changes In Newspaper Method. - How
Journals hid for Popularity Gossip
About the Herald The Success of the
World Probable Demise Of the Star.
Special Correspondence

ous characteristic Of the average Ameri-
can newspaper reader, that he il fond OF
any gossip concerning the great public
Journals. And just now there is an
abundance of food for il. Indeed. | can
not remember A time when there have
been such rivalry, Jealousy, back biting,
back-lalk and personal abuse -
exists to-day. The change in The
method of conducting newspapers
is equally observable, and some
among them have been likewise forced to
change their p%hysiognomy in order to be
in keeping with the fancies Of the hour.
The siaid old EDsring Pest for instance,
which for 10, these many years. has spread
its wisdom on a blanket sheet, is row
shaped like the Times. Sun, and Tribune.
The equally ancient Commercial Adoer.
tier ONE to YOU on a Saturday in the
form Of q quarto. and an extra sheet con
tains super-excellent literary selections.
The Mol Erpre@, Ereping and Morning
Sun nearly every day print a tiy-leaf that
is pasted in by machinery, and treat their
readers TO q vast fund Of interesting mis-
cellaneous reading matter. In fact, it is
a popularity Of most OF the leading
journals, except the Herad, that tLey give
you \ sniff of the literary worksnop-the
magazine atmospheric satisfying in
the home circle, and thus cater 10
family influence and patronage.
In measure this is due to the perfect
system Of news gathering which exists,
and which, but for the introduction Of
other attractions would make every
journal much like its neiehbor. As il j.,
take away the editorial page with its
solid intellectual dishes and spicy salma-
gundi. the specials written by the bralny
rep0rters-and the woods are foil OF the
latter-(God bless the yagrant Bohcmi-
ans, and omit the clippings that mark
the good or bad taste OF the exchange
editor, and 20 far as mere news IL con.
ceraed, one paper Is as good as another.
The Herald, as of old, makes d feature
Of it, foreign specials and ship news de-
psrtment, and its locals are red hot with
adjectiyes and sensational headlines, but
since the advent Of the World and the in
PRODUCTION of the breezy methods Of
Pulitzer and Cockrell, it appears to have
lost its grip and if you fnd n man in
ten reading the Herald in the street cars,
who is reading At all, it is a pretty fair
exhibit OF the decline in a circulation
that mad no dangerous home rival but the
Sun. In many other respects the paper
is not what 1t used Ia be even ten years
ago, when Mr. Bennett was frequently in
New York and exercised more Of an
oversight than he does now from his Lon
don or Paris offices. The members Of the
old staif-who had been bred by the elder
Bennett, gave tone 10 the establishment
and made every employee feel proud II he
was only a cog on some wheel In the vast
machine-havc been superseded by young
men, bright and deserving, and 0rna-
ments to their profession, ii Is true, but
spiritless in their work because inspired
by = constant fear of some sudden within
OF the young man., that will produce a
% shake-up" as it il called. and relegate
them 10 the street Some year, ago the
Herold took the lead in reducing its
price from four 10 three and then 10 two
cents. Recently, It has gone back % the
three cent figure. a significant sign that
it must be swimming up stream.
The career OF the W0rH is something
remarkable IN the history Of American
journalism. From a paper that found
cred in the slough Of dcspond, it went al
most at a bound TO the pinnacle. Ii was
enterprising and bold, with editors
trained in Western ways as well AS New
York methods, and a corps Of reporters
equal TO any demand on their energy or
spirit of romance. II has furnished a
good many sensations and spent q cord
OF money TO get 10 the winning post first,
but has not been without some objection
able features. IS an accepted Demo
cratic organ the World made q fatal mis-
take in running counter to tire will Of the
local majority in bitterly antagonizing
Colonel Fellows, the acently' elected
District Attorney, and is occasional
filings at the President IS weakening the
hold il had upon many OF its most de-
voted friends. With all Of its eccentrici-
ties, however. il manages to breast the
tide and TO come up smiling after every
round it may have with the other lighters
ia the field.
Among the latter, Mr.. Dana, of the
Sun, is probably the most belligerent.
When Dana has agrudge il stays by him
He sits up nights with it. And when he
goes for Pulitzer it Is with bare knuckles
and real knock.downs. There are no
stuffed gloves or sparring for wind in his
style but genuine straight from.the-
shoalder-blows that mean business. Now
and then therefore, the Sun is a CORY
looking sheet. The paper, however, is a
general farorite. uniquely edited, fun Of
news, aud what a good newspaper should
always be, a map of busy life Like a
locomotive it has a little tender behind,
known as the EBenMg Sun, as bright
and CHEEKY A baby "a ever came INTO the