The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-06-20
PEOPLE READ NEWSPAPERS.
Every Year They Become More Numerous
Fair Recruits to the Army of Readers.

|
Fair Recruits to the Army of Readers.
The combined circulation of the
morning and evening newspapers pub
lished in New York, Brooklyn and New
Jersey. is 1,5O0, 600 copies day.
Twenty-Five years ago the circulation
of the morning and evening newspapers
published in the three cities named was
100000. During the same period the
population of the three cities has
doubled. and the proportion of news
paper readers to the population is fifty
per cent greater than it was twenty
five years ago. Education is not more
generally diffused. The newspapers.
in New York as elsewhere in the United
States, have vastly improved. They
are larger. contain more information.
and the Atlantic cable successfully laid
in 1867, has made recent European news
a possibility, which it was not before
that. Telegraphic communication with
all points of news supply Is far better
IN 1893 than was the case IN 1858. Tolls
are cheaper. the service is improved,
| and the method of collating is systemat-
lied. The improvements in printing IN
newspaper illustrating, IN stereotyping
are everywhere manifest, and a single
morning issue OF the sun contains more
informa ton than was crowded into a
weeks issue twenty five years ago.
One result of these progressive i'm
provements and of the thoroughness
and Completeness which they have
made possible is that the ordinary
newspaper reader can get all the in
formation he desires or requires from
one newspa per instead of having to buy
several The natural effect of all this
would be to restrict the number of pa
pers and to keep their increase in cir
culation within the same limits as the
! growth of population. That it has not
done.
The reason for this, difficult at first
to find, is simple enough when it is
considered that, corresponding with
| the increase of newspapers, there has
| been an enlargement in the circle of
newspaper readers The chief rein
| forcement is from the ranks of women
| They have become and are becoming
| great newspaper readers. During the
| past twenty-five years scores Of new
| employments have been opened to
| women, and more independent and
self-reliant spirit has been created
| thereby Years ago the wife or
daughter of the family was accustomed
to read a newspaper at home in the
morning, or perhaps in the evening,
and did not think it necessary, as is the
case now, to buy copy for her exclu-
ic;x do,
in New York elevated railroad and
street cars are crowded with young
women and girls who, in stores, offices,
workrooms, or factories, find profita BILE
daily employment. The requirements
of their position and the wish to be
well informed about what is happening
leads them to get the desired informa
ton by the purchase of one daily paper
in the morning and usually one in the
evening 1t is subject about which
accurate figures are not easily supplied,
but conservative estimate would put
at one hundred thousand the number
of women and girls, who, in the three
cities of New York, Brooklyn. and Jer-
sey City, buy one or more newspapers
for their own use every work day.
The observation of any one who travels
regularly in public conveyance will cor
roborate this explanation. showing why
it isthat the circle of newspaper read
ers has been enlarged SO much of late
years. But if any further proof of it
were to be required it could be found
in the fact that every important New
York or Brooklyn newspaper has on
some day during the week, and some
of them every day during the week,
special woman's department containing
information of particular interest and
concern to that portion of the popula-
ton which has monopolized most of
the goodness. sweetness and beauty of
humanity. Special writer's. in divert
ing way, furnish the information con-
tanned in such departments, which may
be said to date their origin from the
time when newspaper reading by
women on their own account first be-
gan to be as general as it is to-day.
But, although the chief reinforce.
ment to the number of newspaper pur-
chasers within the past two or three de-
cades have been women, they do not
constitute tiic oiiiN dtiuitioh W tht ever
expanding army. The foreign-born
population of New York city and vicin-
ity was no greater twenty-five years
ago than it is to-day. but the number
of adult persons who were able to read
and were unable to read understand
ingly the English language was nearly
twice as great as it is now. Those per-
sons derived their scanty supply of
newspaper information from some
journal usually a weekly printed in
the language thew understood.
Their descendants read English pa
pers. and are, indeed, most in
telligent class of newspaper read |
ers Again. the proportion of young
men and boys who find daily news |
paper to be necessity of contented ex-
istence is greater than it used to be |
All New York boys are, as BELTS youth |
full residents of the great metropolis. |
interested in outdoor sports Base ball |
is a craze with many, horse racing is |
the delight with some. athletics, yacht |
ing. football, bicycling, and boat racing |
are admired by the others. TO keep |
abreast with what is going on in these |
several fields of sport. familiarity with |
the morning newspaper record i neces-
sary. This has added much TO the mum
Der OF readers.
The highest possibilities of journal |
ism can only be attained for the benefit |
OF readers by papers which have cir