The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-09-07
A JOURNALISTS VIEW
HOW THE NEWSPAPER OF THE
FUTURE WILL BE CONDUCTED.

AOSPAo anu 1nSn90lV 9S-And a Or
culation of Half Million Copies
Daily is by No Means Impracticable.
NEW YORK, Sept SIT is difficult to see
how the daily journal OF news can go much
farther into the magazine field and still be
true to its own peculiar mission. In its
literary features alone, which are super
added to the news features that belong more
properly to the daily newspapers. the Sun
day journal is already superior each week
in variety and general interest of contents
to many monthly magazines The illustra-
tions that will commend themselves, it
seems to me, to the conductor OF the news
paper OF the future will be essentially those
which help the letter press to describe news
events of current interest. OF many such
events of current ephemeral value the
artists pen or pencil is quite as useful
in presenting an accurate. vivid
impression as is the pencil of the writer In
this respect, as in many others, the prov
ince of the magazine lies beyond, though
notnecessarily above, that of the journal of
the news. One attempts to do at length
for the month, the season, or the year, what
the other does briefly for the day. 1t is not
probable 1t seems to me, that there will be
any notable change in the price Of newspa-
pers in the near future. The size of the
newspaper has been said 30 be susceptible of
increase with profit alike to its publishers
and to the reading public just 10 SO far as
It's advertising area increases by natural
means in proportion to its reading matter
area. But that increase In the variety and
value of Its contents which is warranted
exactly in so far as the number of adver-
Using pages keeps pace with the growth of
the news and feature pages must not be an
increment of quantity. The editor Is en-
couraged to give to the public In proportion
as the public gives to his newspap per; and
the conscientious editor who realizes that
the duties of great newspaper are as
many as its privileges and are greater even
than its opportunities, since opportunities
may be made when they do not appear
spontaneously, will give the public far more.
But ne must not weary the public while 80
doing. THE news in nutshelr must be
his motto.
THE PRICE OF THE DAILY JOURNAL
will probably not be greater, and may be
less. One cent is the average to which re-
ductions must be made. There is no i'm
mediate prospect, 1t seems, of the cost of
paper being less, but the introduction of
type-setting machines will reduce the cost
of composition. it is estimated by 25 per
cent. Amy corresponding reduction in the
cost of other departments would of course,
SO reduce the cost of producing the whole as
to enable the publisher to reduce the cost of
the newspaper to the public. Its by no
| means tnconceivable that the paper on
which daily journal could be printed may
yet be made out of hay, for example, Any
decided cheapening Of the price of paper
would afford the publisher the readiest
opportunity to reduce the cost of his Jour-
nal.
The great mission of the daily newspaper
will continue to be, believe, to gather and
print in brief the news Of the day. When
that news discloses lawlessness, the editorial
influence Of the journal should naturally be
directed toward aiding the proper officers
II the law to suppress that lawlesuess.
When the condensed diary Of the day re-
veals an outrage Oh the helpless, the op-
preston Of tie weak, the evasion Of a pub
lie duty, the existence of a private crime,
iE at once becomes the duty OF the newspa-
per to hold this wrong-doing and crime up
to public scorn and reprobation, and 10
throw its influence into the scales or public
Judgment on the side Of truth and justice.
The news and editorial features and in
tiueace must continue coordinate.
In view OF the continuous increase in the
number of pages in the daily issue of the
blanket sheet newspapers, It would seem
natural that any change in the size Of these
pages would be toward decrease than in
crease. The area Of the page OF the daily
journal will scarcely be reduced so as TO
approximate to that of q page of weekly
publication or magazine, for the increase in
the number Of pages necessarily implies an |
increase Of cost which would not be proper
tionately diminished by decrease in size.
The ultimate form Of the daily newspaper
will undoubtedly he what the pubic de-
mands, since the public good is, and should
be, the whole object of its existence. This
would seem to be the four-pege epitome OF
the news of the night, ably edited and sold
for penny.
THE DAILY CIRCULATION
Of more than 300, 900 which had been at
tanned in this country some tine ago war
rants the belief that O daily circulation OF
half million is by no means impractcable
Tor an American newspaper, with an in
crease in the number Of fast mail trains and
with the possib le introduction of pneumatic
service tubes in which merchandise, aud
incidentally daily newspapers IN bulk,
could be dispatched from center like
New York go as TO reaeh a constituency a
thousand miles away in time for the
breakfast table. Such an achievement
would be quite as wonderful under our
conditions as is the circulation of the
Petit Journal in Paris, which is said TO
reach eight hundred aud odd thousand
readers Certainly such a result does not
now seem more un9ttainable than the pres
ent circulation of the World did ten years
ago. An increase in the next quarter OF a
century in mechanical facilities for the in
PRODUCTION aud distribution of the daily
journal anything like corresponding 10 the
same increase in the last quarter would
render a circulation of q million copies
daily entirely practicable.
TITS DIFFICULT TO SUPPOSE
that tho relations of a daily journal 70 the
men who make IL will ever be paternal
Individual Independence Of action and
thought are necessary 10 tho production Of
a harmonious whole The idea was con-
ceived some years ago of builSing blocks of
houses in Brooklyn IN which the compost
tors were to havesthe privilege of residing
on payment Of yearly rental equivalent to
q low rate of interest on the actual capital
Of the Investment, with the privilege Of
purchasing at cost. Not long after this
project was seriously considered there was a
strike in the composing room and the typo
graphical union raised prices l believe
this project was then abandoned, which was
the only one remainder to have heard OF
looking toward ! aternalism. The kind OF
matter the successful journal will continue
its readers show the most appreciation. The
comes nearer 70 establishing a standard of
than docs any arbitrary rule OF the judg-
which Is the truest to the trust which the
public reposes in it and TO which the public
can the most invariably and promptly
l...,f~ tha fFr,s. ~