The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-12-17
Mr.. Astor and His Critic.

Mr.. WILLIAM WALDORF Aston OF New
York Is now the owner OF the Pail Mall
Gazette. London evening newspaper. I'm
der his management that journal has
greatly increased in interest. 30 that 1t Is
truly described by the London Spectator as
perhaps the best Of our evening papers.
aud certainly most wonderful penn orth
OF readable matter"
This improvement Mr.. AsToR has effected
by making the Pail Mall Gazette news
paper which is more nearly after the Ameri-
can plan than any other In London. That
Is. he has tried to make 1t interesting. even
at the sacrifice Of the English newspaper
conventions that preserve ponderous or
humdrum literary style and an unattractive
Typographical form. His notion OF a news
paper. apparently. is that. as it's power and
prosperity depend on its obtaining great
multitude of readers. 1t should. first OF all.
be made readable. 1t should give the
people what they want In the form agreeable
to them. 1t is not volume to be put away
ON a shelf for laborious consultation. but
a history OF each day. for immediate read
ing as pleasurable exercise.
Hence Mr.. AsToR. very rightly. requires
that the writer's for tho Pal Mall Gazette
shall be skilful enough In the literary art
and sufficiently clear In their thinking and
their knowledge, to set down whatever they
have TO say in u simple. lucid. and attractive
form. so that the paper may be read with
out painful expenditure Of effort to find
ont what it Is driving at. The more per-
feet the capacity to do this. the higher is the
literary art. At Its highest it is the genius
which Is illustrated In the imperishable lit
erature OF every language. The ability TO
address all mankind. to communicate to
them aud bring to their comprehension the
profoundest aud the subtlest thoughts.
and TO give a dramatic interest TO sto-
ries OF human emotions and Incidents.
Is the attribute OF consummate genius
only. The nearer newspaper gets to 1t.
the nearer 1t approaches possible per-
fiction. Like SHAKEsPEARE and CERyASTEs.
1t must be for every class and every condi-
ton OF humanity. and the better it satisfies
all. the better 1t is for every one, no matter
how high In the social or intellectual scale.
1t must be OF the very democracy of letters.
1t must appeal to the interest Of all society.
The Spectator writes feeble essay ON
Mr.. AsToR's attempt To attain this ideal
In the Pail Mall Gazette. Tho world
In reality" 1t says. sis very humdrum
place. the immense majority OF the human
race doing their business to-day as they
did yesterday and will tomorrow. in
style which. II Ii were described by
ordinary penmen. no man would spend
his penny in order to read about and
hence. 1t concludes. the interesting news
paper is forced TO accumulate strange and
horrible incidents by hunting through the
history OF the daV I'm all DaTts OF the
world. As an example, it instances one
particular number OF the Pull Mall Gazette
taken up casually, in which there appeared
on its middle pages some thirty separate
announcements of new tidings, and OF those
seventeen were announcements OF death.
crime. disaster, O =. ,si-rtune."
1t seems then. mat the world Is not so
humdrum, after all. Really it is only hum
drum to tho humdrum. The movement OF
human life is always proceeding. and It Is
never humdrum to tho observer who Is
capable OF seeing It as it is. The story of
the day deserving Of publication is not the
story OF its humdrum happenings, but OF
its significant events. whether they be
tragic or comic. serious or cheerful II
must present a picture Of all sn-
| cIety; and at this time. happily for
the progress Of society every occur
renee OF great and special human interest
throughout the world Is brought to the
knowledge OF the people daily by the news
paper. The supply Of painful matter
thus obtained, the Spectator thinks. Is so
large that il tends 10 "dsteTiorate the gen
sral conception Of the worlds history" and
70 Increase the seRss Of the psrPleXity