The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-12-28

This one-time indisputable fact Is now d
falacy, nowhere 20 dismally recognized,
though nowhere so faithfully cherished,
as IN the ancient confines OF the Times
Office itself. About all that remains of
the pristine glory Of this venerable and
eminently staid journal is that quality of
stubborn conservatism which keeps 1t the
organ of that resOlute toryism that has al
most reached the vanishing point in poll
tico-social England. A modern impetus
that the Times could not comprehend and
would not obey has borne other publica-
tons 50 much beyond the influence of the
paper which formerly directed the course
of the nation that the vast majority OF
the English world Is not conscious of the
existence of the Times. II has declined
from its supreme position to one of COM
parative subordination. and n stupid ad-
herence to a policy whici was author-
tative when men took all their opinions
unreasonngly from the morning leader
renders 1t incapable of competing with the
progressive press. of which the Telegraph
is the most excellent example Everyone
knows of course. that the Grass blunder
into which the Times was betrayed
throug it's eagerness to destroy Parnell
was the rock upon which its fortune split.
and 1t has enjoyed nOrday OF prosperity
since. Its subscriptions fell away at a
prodigious rate, and not Gil Its oracular
utterances anG, selemn repentance has
succeeded In rei.ves.ing u with grace of
public favor Had gits EDITORS and pro-
prietors possessed ihes c5nius of adpta-
ton. to say nothing OF the talent OF IN
vcntiOn. the paper might. In new dlrec-
tionS have recovered prestige, FOR the
very tradition of the Institution would
have been it's redemption II properly adj
justed to modern demands. Never ar
canum guarded more sacredly Its mystery
than the Times seeks to hide the secret or
Its circulation. but the mischevous sprise
of rumor that hath no respect for pene-
tralia declares its circulation to be no
more than 25OGC, and adds the perhaps not
remarkable information that no dividend
has beein paid In several years.
ii
When matters We're going at a retro
grcssive pace alarming to shareholders
and managers ways and means confer
ence was summoned, and, as most eX-
pedi,ious plan to the recovery of lost
ground, 1t was suggested that reduction
in the price of the paper from three pence
W cen:S) to Il penny e cents be made. IL
was thought advisable to have the Opin-
ions of Others Henri Labouchcre being one
of them. When he was told of the con-
tempiated reduction he promptly said,
with a dubious elevation of brows: l'ut
Irrelevant required explanation, and Lab
by told them the story of a very learned,
very profound, but heavy witted Ger
man writer. Some friends who called
upon him one morning heard great
hurry -burly in the adjoining room and.
looking in apprehensively, they saw the
professor gallopng about vaulting chairs
and leaping sofas, to the imminent peril
of his neck. Asked to explain his eX-
traordnary conduct he responded. well,
YOU all accuse me of being a heavy writ
cr, 30 I'm trying 10 cultivate light0eSa
OF Style The inference rom The WORDS
~ tiie editor Of TIuth was plain enough,
, even to the Times people. who ronc'nH-
ed that d reduction of prize before they
had learned 10 be deit ana n!inbie aad
yvacious in some measure would be Il
mere waste of revenues. Holding to its
accustomed co,lrse-contnuing to be un-
conlpromisingly sober and unrelievedly
ponderous for the qualification of obfus-
| Gated tories. clergymen afflicted with ca
| coethes scribendi, and that small but en-.
vious body Of people who imagine that
| the Times flung negligently upon the ta
bile confers a literary distinction on the
household-this relic of old London has
made one very emphatic bid for rejuvenes-
| cence. When it engaged Mr. Smalley to
| furnish American news for the benefit
of the thousands of Americans resident
in London 1t made a coup that promised
TO be most advantageous. But, alas! for
this reluctant excursion into modern
fields the Telegraph at once increased It's
cable supply from the States, entering
into such competition that the only SUI
perior benefit to the Times is in Mr.
Smalley's greater ability as correspond
ent. Oriental affairs are well cared for
a u q pf a Al n rrs
of parliament are verbatim mot always n
! virtue), its records of royal doings are
solemnly obsequous and 1t Is the chosen
repository of those austere letter writer's
who. have so excellent n knowledge of
| Gods motives. intentions ana desires, and
who think 1t incumbent upon them to re-
veal to the editor their emotions over the
first violet of the spring or rediscovercd
epitaph in country churchyard. So
gangs the Times its gait ordained.
For worldly purposes the Telegraph is
par excellence the newspaper of London
and probably has the largest circulation of
| any paper in the world 1t Is quite as
| scholarly, quite as wise in its matter as
the Times. Is infinitely more diversified
and in most cases delivers its opinions
with finer precision and greater lucidity
1t knows the value of humorand makes
| liberal use of ii, and understands to a
demonstra ton that n truth is none the
less effective for being ushered In with a
Jest. Though of tory eanings. the Teie-
graph Is Independent in Its editorial en-
| preston, its titled editor rescrving to
himself the right to criticise or applaud
the conduc. Of either parliamentary party
Still adhering to the archaic notion that
n Header" must occupy not less than a
column, the Telegraph takes pains that
its articles shall be agreeable reading, and
| 1t seldom happens that an editorial is not
entertaining enough In style and clever
ness to hold your pleased attention from
| the first line to last. The TELEGRAPH
moreover, differs from the Times in ad-
mitting the value of names The signed
article is distinctive and popular feature
of this ablest of London newspapers. In
deed. the freedom of the Telegraph from
narrowing prejudces has given it that
peculiar position 1t enjoys wherein 1t holds
the respect Of all classes of readers with
out seeming to be the special representa-
tive of any one OF them. The Times was,
tn Telegraph Is. the great paper of Lon
dom The decline Of the one and the rise
of the other testify to the excellence of
one policy over the other. The Times has
circulation of less than 10000: that OF
the Telegraph Is more than 5OO,O ,OOO There
tsp ho for