The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-11-12

city alone, after a quick computation,
figured it at S250, 900, although sometimes
the gross sum he thought would reach
as high a figure as 100000. That means
that in the comparatively small department
of magazine literature issuing from New
York city presses there is an expenditure
yearly Of s., 000, 0Q0, not including the in
terest on the plant or any other expense
than that entailed by collecting, printing
and delivering the literary articles and the
illustrations of them.
From this estimate other publishers took
up the computing pencil and at II rough
guess reported that the expense entailcd
by publishing literary matter both in the
magazines, in the weekly newspapers and
in some of the other forms of publication
outside the daily newspaper field was prob
ably not far from 100000 a month. So
that these publishers estimate that the
business of publishing literature in New
York city alone, not including books and
daily newspapers, entails an expense OF
from Sc, 000, 600 to $1,000, 600 a year.
This, then, is the modern endowment Of
literature which New York city alone fur
snishes, and while there are no very reliable
data as to the expenses of publication of
similar forms OF literature in other parts of
the country yet the publishers who make
these computations were convinced that it
is safe to stimat that periodical literature
of all forms in the United States entails an
output every year of not far from $l5, OOo,-
600. This is an extraordinary development,
most of which has appeared, according to
these publishers, within the last 20 years.
This endowment means that a new in
dustry has been created or a new profession.
1t has made a certain market rate for liter
azure which before that time was dealt in
at haphazard prices. 1t has made it pos
sible for men willingly to turn their backs
upon law, medicine and the schools and de-
vote themselves ito literary work, feeling
just as sure of their market as does the farm
er or the iron producer. 1t has created a
splendid race OF writers whom Mr.. Dan
cheerfully regards as professional men. 1t
has made it possible for those who are in the
first class to count on earnings which are
greater than the majority of lawyers in the
country are able to make, and almost COM
pare with the princely incomes OF the lead
ers of the bar. 1t has enabled writers who
are of the second class, so to speak, TO earn
with certainty incomes of from s., 00OtoS10,-
600 a year. and it furnishes employment to
thousands who make fully as much money
by such pursuit as they could hope to doin
any other profession. This is the modern
endowment of literature.
Members Of the TypothetB society Of
New York who saw these estimates were
able to furnish in the rough some addition
al ones which will give some idea Of the
colossal expenditures of money each year
which the publication of all forms Of liter
AZURE and its twin sister news reports,
which are more and more being written in
the form of literature, entail. These experts
figure that the publication, including illus
f~rations of reading matter in all forms *
capting books, in the United States in
wolves an expenditure every year of not fal
from 500, 100000, and each year the SUN
thus expended is larger than that reported
for the previous year.
There is no other expenditure of the
American people outside of the actual ne
cessaries of life which compares with this
enormous sum, and as this expenditure for
the most part representa- profit it is fait
to infer that the American people spend
now more than $500, $50 COO t. year for read.
ing matter, and that this sum is to bc con
stantly increased as tue years pass.
1t looks large in the aggregate, and yet
when the population of the country is con,
sidcred it is a comparatively trifing OK,
penditure for each person. II is ouly SO 4
year or a little more for each family, or - d
person. When the population of the coun,
Try reaches 100, 0OO, 600, it is probable that the
annua American expenditure for reading
matter, exclusive of books, will reach the
O sun of s5O0,O 900, 600.
r.. j. EDWARDS.