The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-04-04
A HOST OF NEWSPAPERS
NEARLY $4,000 NOW REGULARLY
PUBLISHED IN THE n
Two Are Born and Two Die Every
Russia, Persia, Turkey and China.
Brooklyn Eagle.

There are few people out Of the millions
OF newspaper readers who have any idea
OF the number of newspapers that are pub
lished daily throughout the world, and few
er still rave any knowledge of the large VA
riety of languages employed in their pro-
duction. A census of the worlds newspa-
pers has been found to be almost an impos-
sibility on account of the extraordinary
rate at which they come and &c. The ups
and downs in the history of journalism are
interesting and instructive, but exceedingly
mystifying 10 any one who strives after
even approximate figures. To-day they
are, and tomorrow their place on the
newsstand knows them no more. As an
illustration of this, the fact may be stated
that on an average two new papers come
out every week in London and that almost
an equal number disappear from the scene.
According to the most recent and carefully
collected statistics, there are now no fewer
than $40 regularly published daily newspa-
pers. of which 2.11O. or nearly two-fifths of
the whole number, are issued in the United
States.
The humble and variety of languages en-
ployed in the entire list of the worlds
newspapers are astonishing. Not all the
daily papers are confined to one language.
Some are printed in two and some in three
different languages each issue. In all there
are eighty-one separate languages en-
ployed. They are as follows: Arabic, Ar
menian, Albanian, Assamese, Basque, Ben
gall. Bohemian. Bulgarian. Burmese. Cam
arese. Cherokee. Creek, Croatian, Chinese,
Czechish, Danish. Dutch or Hollandish,
English, Estnish. French, Flemish, Tristan,
Fiji, Finnish, Grusinian, Georgian, Ger
man. Gaelic. Gujarati. Guarani, ancient and
modern. Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hindustani,
Hawaiian, Hungarian. ~Icelandic, Italian.
Japanese, Javanese, Kafr or Rosa, Kali
muk. Korean, Latin. Lapp, Lettish or Lii
vonian. Magyar. Malay, Malagazi, Maori,
Maltese, Marathi, Norwegian, Persian,
Portuguese, PrOvencal, Polish, Rouman,
Romanese. Russian. Ruthenian, Sandman,
Slavonic, Servian, Siamese. Swedish, Span
ish, Slovak, Sinalhese, Slovenian. Sioux.
Syrias. Tartar, Tamil. Telugu, Turkish,
Tschwvaschian, Urdu, Nloapuk and Welsh.
The total number of newspapers of all
kinds that are published throughout the
world is now estimated at 1880, the annual
aggregate circulation of which is calculated
to be twelve thousand million copies
Il, 600, 900. 600. These AZ, 500 papers are distrib-
uted about as follows: United States. $3.50;
Great Britain. $3.50; Germany, $3.50; France,
1000; Italy, 1,40O: Austria-Hungary. LOO;
Russia, SIS; Canada, $50; Japan, 40; Greece,
$50; Spain; $50; Belgium; $oOi HOLLAND; SS SS
China, 40; Persia, s; Australasia, $50.
AN UNSETTLED QUESTION.
The question as TO which country fur
nished the first newspaper publication has
never been satisfactorily settled. Germany,
France, Belgium and England each claim
the honor. The difficulty of arriving at a
proper solution of the question seems to
turn upon what is to be considered a news
paper, and a general agreement upon that
question has not as yet been effected.
There are in the British Museum copies of
many early English papers, the oldest being
what was known as the Weekly News. pub
lished in London in 1922. This paper con-
tinued until Jan. 9, 1910, when IL was sue
ceeded by the Mercury. The earliest of the
papers published in Germany, according to
the most veraciOuS account, was Die Frank
furter OberpOStamuS Zeitung, 1918. The fol-
lowing year a paper published at irregular
intervals appeared in In 1913 the
first Swedish paper was started in Stock
holm. During the latter part of the seven
teenth and the beginning of the eighteenth
centuries a number of newspapers made
their appearance in England and in va
rious parts of the continent. These papers
seldom consisted of more than two small
pages of leaflets of text, and in this limited
space was comprised all the foreign intelli-
gence covering a period of several days,
while a considerable portion of the second
page was devoted to advertisements. The
first Russian newspaper MoScovskia WYE
domosti) was published under the personal
supervision of Peter the Great, Jan. 2. 1903,
and In the imperial library at st. Peters
burg there are now treasured up some proof
sheets with corrections made by Peter the
Great himself.
On the North American continent the
publication of newspapers began with the
Boston News Letter, April "a. 1704. A sheet
known as Public Occurrences, Foreign and
Domestic, was issued in Boston in 1890, but
it cannot be said that it was really a news
paper. In 1719 the Boston Gazette was
started as a rival to the News Letter. Then
the New England Courant appeared, 1721,
and in 1872 the Rhode Island Gazette. On
Oct. IS, 1725, the first newspaper in New
York city, the Gazette; was started. and In
1870 the Weekly Journal came out. OF the
New York papers at the present time the
oldest is the Commercial Advertiser, which
was started in 1877. The Evening Post
comes next. dating from 1901. The first Ca
madam paper was the Halifax Gazette, i'm
1853.
At the beginning of the present century
there were ninety-one newspapers published
in the United States, as against II. 700 at
the beginning of 1897.
In 1894 the Morning Advertiser of London
celebrated its centenary and this brought
10 light the fact that there were at thai
time In the United Kingdom no fewer than
which had passed the century.
NEWSPAPERS IN FRANCE.
France is extremely well supplied with
newspapers. There are seventy-eight dailies
published in Paris. which is more than in
any other city in the world and almost as
many as London, New York ard Philadel-
phia put together. La Gazette de France
is one of the oldest French papers. having
been founded under Louis XIII in 1852. Two
other newspapers. La Moniteur Universal
and La Journal des Debats, are centenar-
ians. dating from 1883. lie Petit Journal,
the ~well-known five-centime journal. enjoys
the honor and distinction of having the
largest circulation of any newspaper in the
world. This circulation averages about one
million copies per day. and on days when
news of special interest is expected the
issue runs up to from 100. 900 to 200. 600.
The paper with the smallest circulation is
the Imperial Review. published for the sole
benefit of the Emperor of Austria. 1t is
made up from translations of all the prin-
cipal items in the prominent European pa
pers. and three copies only are made each
day.
The newspapers of Austria comprise a va
riety of languages. among them being Croa-
tian. CZechish. English. French. German,
Greek. Hungarian, Hebrew, Italian, Latin,
Roumanian. R~uthenian, Slovenian, Slovak,
Servian and Polish.
The newspaper industry in the Orient has
had a remarkable development. We have
been so accustomed TO look to the East for
light on the great problems of history, that
IL Is difficult 10 associate the now so entirely
modern affair as the newspaper with the
venerable and historic peoples of the ORR
ent. Nevertheless, some of the most re-
markable and intellectual newspapers are
| published in Greece and Syria and India.
Constantinople is amply supplied with the
means OF disseminating news. Even in that