New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-07-29
THE MODERN NEWSPAPER.
MR. DANA TO THE WISCONSIN EDITORS.
THE EDITOR OF THE NETWORK sun DESCRIBES

lanu press, ana ~ tOOk TWO men 10 run tns pTcSS
one to pull the press and make the Impressions
and another to furnish the ink and take OF the paper
Then It was printed and Of that paper. with great
Industry and care. We were able 70 print In o day.
and one side at time. 500 copies. and that was about
whole 500, we thought doing frst-class
business. When we contrast that press with the
great printing machines which modern ingenuity and
gcnius-eenius not exceeded in branch Of human
ehort-have put at the service of the newspaper pro
iesslon, we may well be astonished at the change :
mlle minutethat is the actual speed a. which these
machines rvovc and pursue their beautiful, indus
rious and ncverfang toll and they print from
twenty to sixty thousand great sheets, printing at
each operation both sides of tho paper.
The Intellectual outfit OF a modern newspaper pre-
sents inst "a great contrast to that which was
known forty or fifty years ago as the mechanical out
instance. an The New-York Tribune. and you Will
And there small Of intellectual laborers, each
appointed to his particular task each pursuing MS
peculiar duty, and all combining 10 produce every
the modern newspaper Former times knew moth
Ing OF H. II IS thing entirely beyond the concep-
ton OF the people OF forty fifty wears ego There
IS in such an establishment. in the first place
trained stan OF reporters, accomplished men. men
familiar with every branch Of study that Intellectual
young mon ordinarily devote themselves TO. men who
have prepared themselves either by college studies
by practical life In their departments for tho pc
culiar duty that they have undertaken and they are
men OF extraordinary talent knowing the world WELL
able to see through deception and sometimes able
OF correspondents in other places and in other
tries. Why, II VIII happen 10 the editor Of New
York paper for instance 60 down 10 his Office in the
morning and send from London to 81. Petersburg
in order TO report something that is going 10 happen
four or five days later The modern newspaper 1T
orally has its fingers reaching out toward every
quarter OF the globe. and every finger sensitive and
every brings back tho treasures of intellectual
wealth that stored up there and a photograph
OF the occurrences Of lie that are there taking place
And then there IS separate CORPS Of writer's. edi
torial wters, each man having his own special line
Of subjects literary religious. scientific artistic his
torical, political; and each peculiarly qualified by
special knowledge and training for that particular
department Of the great work.
The pecunary expenditure OF such newspaper
IS somehing enormous; II will not be excessive If
put down the expenditure Of such paper Tho
average Of from 900 to $4,000 a week. And it
IS the concentration Of all that talent and all these
sources directed by tralIed intellect watching all the
Of the world. I'm order TO bring them
gcher and present them to the public every day, that
produces the phenomenon that we call the modern
newspaper.
THE SIGN OF ADVANCED CIVILIZATION.
OF course, such a fact with this immense expendi-
ture and this great concentration of varied intellect
ua faculties is only possible r very populous coun-
try where civilization is far advanced, and where the
people everywhere demand that kind of intellectual
product, that great work of human which call
a modern newspaper. In country thinly settled,
in a poor country, the thing could NOT be pro-
durcd paid for. neither could We IND that amount
OF nfclll gence and Intellectual cultivation which are
then tho country which furnishes tho power TO the
cdItnr and nrouretor OF a ney-Daper To- perform this
great intellectual work. and II j. great mark Of high
Intellectual development that any country Is able 10
provide such thing and to support IT, and not merely
10 support ono or fwO papers. such n Tho Tribune
and The Herald which have mentioned, but many
others in various large cities oil similarly worthy to
be held up % your admiration a. specimens OF the high
est form II human intellectual production that We are
yet acquainted with.
espotm either politically Or socially IS not suited 10
the growth OF newspapers. That is one reason why
there many tcm In THIS country and OF such
great excellence II Is the Freedom # Is the ability
TO grow which belongs TO American things and docs
not belong in the sense so far am aware, to
things In other countries.
The newspaper must be founded upon human nature
II mast correspond to the wants OF the people IL
furnish that sort OF information which the people
demand. or else II never can be successful The first
thing which editor must look for IS ncws II the
newspaper has not the news. It may have everything
else yet It viii be comparatively unsuccessful and by
news mean everything that occurs, everything which
is Of human interest, and which IS Of sufficient I'M
portance to arrest and absorb the attention Of the pub
lic or 81 any considerable part Of IT, There IS great
dis position In quarters 10 say that the newspapers
ought 10 limit the amount Of news that they print;
that certain kinds OF ncws ought not 10 be published
] do not know how that is am not prepared to
maintain any abstract proposition in that line but
permitted to occur was not too proud to report.
A JOURNALISTS EDUCATION.
great deal has been said OF late years about the
sort Of education that the journalist should be fur
nished with. and Of the colleges have even es-
tabllshed professorshps Of Journalism. Ny friend
Mr.. Branard Smith. most ACCOMPLISHED. amiable and
competent gentleman, has boon made professor Of
journalism In tho great Cornell University in the State
OF NewYor and there he proposes to teach the Young
men how mako newspapers. on the other hand,
heard vcr- ablc and successful journalist the other
day who said that special studies in university would
bc OF whatever. that the only post graduate
school for journalist was newspaper Office. That is
q question worth looking at
Tho intellectual professions, according to the old
nomenclature, ncudc clcrsymcn. lawyers and doctors.
newspaper man tho Journalist IS new . ne IS
occupation. made, and the learned wcrc divided
of info crrcymcn doctors and LAWYERS there was no
Tr, no occasion for Intellectual men to thnE OF such
a Tins nni now there must be newspapers and men
and how shall that be done There IS ono rcmarkablG
thing about the education that a newspaper men re-
nanv things and the better he knows them the better
an snorsmus in that trade Npplausel We have all
heard OF the family where the smartcst boy was
anything they made minlster dLalehtcrl In my
Judgment very mist AIKEN application Of the third
ought to command the highest talents OF man. It Is that
occu patton which teaches how 10 1.-Two in this life
pa per man must be qualified to discuss the questions
which the clergyman has 70 discuss. lie must be
qualified fudge OF the science OF the ply sican. and
he must even b. able TO rise to those subim. intel
ioctual complications which make a great lawyer
Journalist mus: be all around man. lie mus know
hcthor the theology Of the parson sound whether
the physilogy Of N. doctor IS genuine and whether
tho law Of The lawyer Is good Law o. not. Ills odu-
cation accordingly should bc exceedingly extensive
II possible he should be sent 10 cecgc. He should
learn everything that the college Las 20 teach MIN but
what is su moro important. he should be sent 10 the
school Of practical life and OF active and actual bus
ness
rs teacher and adviser 10 The puoic must know, II
b. IL to teach wisely and successfully what are tho in
tcress what arc the purpOcs what the ideas and
what are the needs OF the people that h. IS 10 address
and instruct. College education Is Of high value tho
llcht Of the family whatever cuivates hc affections,
Is Of higher value but the actual contact o. business
the understanding the rule Of business and tho means
methods OF business, hnk ar quite as necessary
10 tho nrwsparer that after hc has got through
nth coilccc after he has had IN, best school educa
ton that his father and his friends can give him now
there 1ny rhancc for special inst ciiOn In journal
ism 30 30 added TO HE ro.lcge couiBei How that
roinr - do him any great good How Is professor
v h0 terhcs journalism, and Who SIS M N MS chrlr
and delivers ccaerali'icS The srhcc', going 20 help
foru ard ne ambitious young man who Is ANXIOUS 10
la hold OF the great piresfOr there arr great
prfzes-thai to be drawn in This intellectual o.-
ieryf 40 not see how a college Instruction IN Jour
naiIsm can &c ~ any adequate practical use.
The school which takes the young minister
oh n tlcOiOIy.