The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1897-01-31

main unknown each 10 the other ana III
i which we ourselves unknowinS anu uh-
l known. take part. How could the si"-
rous days OF Friedrichsruh ever have De-
come a festival in which the whole Ger
man nation simultaneously shared hdu l.
not been FOR the vigorous Work OF ahohs
nous newspaper writer. who hl1 Oul
| one ambition, so that il seemed as II
| every German saw and heard Bismarck.
| This IS the way In which the present age
] lives her own history. " IL. arc Orce'c
| and Rome TO this. to-day? To Doe sure
VIC are stiil wont to turn over the vast
| heaps OF grain ncqucathcd 10 Us by an
| tCuity. and since We can make no more
bread from them, We think the supply Is
rLing out, We must search with great
| or cagernCss. dig up and range in mu-
scums what the earth consents TO yield.
But fai,h in the magic power OF those
collections has persisted, and the time
Will soon come when we shall ask more
earnestly. 10 what end 50 much gold Us
lavishod I'm dishing up these fragments.
We demand something new. Tie news
papers are first TO tel Us the news. they
spread glory and honor abroad. They
march iu the forefront Of our literary
movement. and the same paper which
We accuse Of falsoho0d to-day, moves us
TO gratitude and assent tomorrow.
In the same line Of thought. the New
York Churchman. has recently said:
NO sir" said Dr. Johnson, when
man is tired OF London, De is tired OF
life, for there is in London al that lie
can afford" If Johnson had lived in
this year Of grace Dee would have sald
when q man ceases 10 be interested ia
the newspapers. Doc has lost all his inter-
ct In life For the most interesting
thing 10 the living is life and the nv
INK. Whatever may De the measure Ji
success reached hy others the novelist
who has The largest audience and holds
its attention closest is not the man VINO
draws knights iu armor, or swdshbucN-
ling cavaliers or lords and ladies OF high
degree bat the man who paints the men
and women YOU know, or would like TO
know, or would decline TO know, the peo.
plo whom Doe meets on tue streets aud
in the lraius the people who live on the
ncAt block. or up on The avenue. or down
in the alley. Novels partakc Of tho
nature OF news That is the reason why
they fam one Of date 80 rapidly As 'nc
period of which a. novel treats passes
away down the perspective Of time. The
details Of its life grow less real and con-
scQucntly less interesting. and 10 comes
to pass that Only those which survive
solely OBJ their literary merit survive ~
is concerned
"It is this intense interest OF uginc men
in tho nvos Of other living men. tlat gives
tine press fits enormous power. For 70
is the press that supplies the food upon
which that interest feeds. All 30 ],
food that must be seryed hot Mr..
Charles Dudley Warner ln one or the
charming backlog Studios' tells or has
sitting by his fire. one cold winter day
absorbed in the newspaper until be read
that Patrick Donohue. Of The city cf
Ncw York had died Of sur.tfche The
day before Then Doc looked at The tor
OF the paper. and saw that il was 80
months old. and. behold al the Things
which interested him interested him 30
more Mr. Warner COnfefias hiinaef
unable to see why the items slX months
old should have been amy Jess interesting
solely ON that account. Eut 'he fact
was IFS own reason. The statmo 70 Lad
ceased 10 Doe news and had become o.s-
tory
"Of an the great triumphs which m,Cn-
tive genius and scientific experiment nave
achieved during the century winch -
drawing to a close. the most important.
and the most far-rcaching in their benz
eft 10 the human race have beel those
which have facilitated the transmission
of news For news. the knowledge q
what is going on iu the world H vast
koous the whole complex machine ~ mod
ern life moving The world ueed 40 ie a
military world. il has become tr1o-
lne world. and IL is news that keeps Vie
vast web Of modern commerce .iom lee
coming hopolessiy entangled II Is upon
the rapid one may say Instantaneous
transmission Of news that tho world Use
cal affairs are based There is positive
D. Of