The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-07-13

We are obliged to our evening con-
temporary for calling attention, al
though in the most misguided way. to
the difference between the field and
value of the morning and the evening
newspaper. We are obliged, because
it furnishes us an opportunity to CIR
rect its statement and certain popular
errors which might otherwise pass IN
challenged. Whether the opinion is held
by one or by many that the afternoon
paper can possibly compete in value
with the morning paper, either as a
purVeyor of news or a medium for ad-
Vertising, it is, both in theory and in
fact as absurd a fallacy as ever took
possession of any human mind. In
neither department can the evening
paper ever hope to rival it's morning
contemporary. 1t occurs from time TO
time, in one city or another, that a
number of people adopt this curious
fad, and that for a little while the
public regards the evening paper with
city after city in this country, as they
grew in population and business wis
dom, the afternoon paper has taken
its proper and wholly secondary place.
The afternoon paper has its legitimate
place and function in journalism, but
1t Is in every respect secondary; and
as compared with the morning journal.
unimportant.
Let any dispassionate reader consid-
er simply the facts. The period during
which the news is collected for the af-
ternoon paper is the least important
of the whole day. 1t covers only the
few first hours of the worlds
activity The mechanical work of
the world is done mainly at
the beginning of the day, and the
happenings which are of interest do
not come until later. The afternoon
paper has to go to press about 3
o'clock. 1t is impossible for it ever to
obtain, unless by some happy accident
the news that is of most interest to
the public. No legislative body, as a.
rule, has adjourned, many of them have
barely assembled, when the last COPY
for the afternoon edition has cot into
type. Conventions and other meetings
That occur in the day time are Just I'M
der way, all the great events that oc-
cur in the evening, when people have
leisure to associate together for anluse-
ment or instruction, and when Some Of
the most important addresses and
papers are heard, have no place II the
afternoon paper. Fully three-fourths
of the news Of the days doings comes
to light or is available only after +ba
first edition Of the afternoon paper is
cried about the streets
To this is to be added The inavi,
table rush in PREPARATION which pre-
vents, even in the best ordered Offices
q proper classification and presentation
of the days news. The time is so short
there are only those few hours before
the telegraph begins to send IN its
messages and the time when the q ST
-- 80 -''"oL ~ ColCu III, THAT every
thing has to be dumped as it comes.
The afternoon paper, from the news
point of view, becomes a mere recvp-
tacle for such heterogeneous odds and
ends Of relatively unimportant news as
the scurrying about of energetic re-
porters and news gatherers can turn
in by the time that most people go to
lunch, together with copious re-
prints from the morning contem-
porary AS far as full and accurate de-
scription of events is concerned. the
field Of the morning newspaper stretch
es from noon of each day until 2
o'clock the next morning; and its COL
umns at any time bear witness to the
fact that this covers practically all
that is of value for news purposes.
The evening paper, to be exact, fills for
the public the same function that is
performed by the big bulletin boards
to be found outside of newspaper Of
fees. 1t gives a schedule of the doings
Of such events as have happened dur
ing a few, Of the least important hours