Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1898-07-14

'iiS ISSUE VI lESSS w III aIHOut 4U,UUU,-
900 copies. OF these only 1l69 are said
! to issue more than 5000 copies regular
| ~. while there are about 5000 publi-
| cations whose regular editions are not
supposed TO equal as many as 500 cop
les.
From this it will appear that a
newspaper which has a circulation of
500 copies is beyond the average. This
| is certainly acknowledging statement
| to our countrySpaperS. very few of
lwhom in Virginia presume do not con-
siderably exceed this. I is a notable
| Tact. however. that the pecuniary value
| of q newspaper and certainly its in
fiuence. is not to be measured by its
! circulation. That achetype of rabid
| sensationalism. Hhe New York Journal
has today CIRCULATION which 1t claims
to be Il millionSand a quarter. This in
cludes. howeveE all of its various edi-
tons. morninsssi1oon and night. all Of
| which are solSE in New York at one
cent u copy. Yet it is doubtful II today
the Journal is;Haying expenses or ever
| has at any ting since it started | re-
| member hearing automatically that at
one time the Joilrnal owed the concern
of r. Hoe & CO about 100000 for
| presses alone.
| on the other Hand the New York I.v-
ening Post which has II circulation Of
| only about 25000. is regarded as one of
| the most valuable pieces of newspaper
property in NelNs York. and has main
| tanned without: abatement its price at
| three cents per copy.
| The London Times, too. which. with
out doubt. is the most valuable piece
of property in the world. not even eN-
| cepting the New York Herald, has Il
| circulation today of only about 10000
and has steadfastly maintained its
price at three pence or six cents n
Icopy.
! I L..
ed the AmericanStyle of striking head
| lines and have raised their circulation
| to enormous figures. ana have realized
| great sums FOR their cntcrprising pro-
| motors who follow the lead of Anlcri-
can journalism. These bald invaders
upon English icehservatisn put down
| their price as they Increased the size
of headlines. The Daily Mail ran up its
circulation To about 100000. while tine
| Daily Telegraph reached 100000 1t has
been Well said, however, that With a
circulation of only little over $4,000
| tbs. London Times remains at the head
| of the list. How this was done has al
ways been and always will ever be a
mystery. Nothing is ever done in this
! great establishment on the impulse of
| the moment. Information, be it ever
SO important, is never given to the
| world until ii has been pondcred to the
last line, ard then it is printed as
| lii'ossil II w ctC isi1ltcl VI liic iilcltSl
! common place. Il know says this
writer in the New York sun. that the
| Times has held back news for II week
AT a time" Thats$is the all peryading
| spirit of the establishment. 1t takes
! years of waiting and worlds of intu-
ence to get an appointment on Its staff.
| a friend of minesapplied for a place
| several years ago. He called at the Of
| flee and was allowed to enter the au-
gust presence Oft acting manager
/ MIR Moberly Beli.s6ss.. Baksheesh'' Bell
who dates back tosthe old days of the
late Khedive of Egypt and his father,
4 when. Cairo owaSSNit tn milk and hon
ley. and things Went Wen With the
I newspaper correspondent who could
handle an accommodating pen. Well.
| the great Bell frowncd at my friend
and roared at his audacity in presum-
| ing to apply for u position on the
! Times. But that young man was per-
| sistent and besides he bore Il letter
| from the late Archbishop OF Canler-
| bury which letter Slno tthed the rutIled
| brow OF the great man. Finally he was
| told to leave his name and address
Two months later he received i; print
Ell form from the Times. which read as
| follows:
| Stat Your
| Name.
| Age, ...-
| Where educated,
| Language spoken
| There was not word about expert
| enue or qualifications. Since then my
| friend has not heard from the. Times
| hut he is encouraged with The fact that
| he has been an applicant only two
years, While there are men III London
| who are old and decrepit who sent in
their names when they We're young and
| ambitious.
| And yet" says this writer ''the
|
of them all, and when it comes To real
news this paper spares nothing to OBJ
| tain it. 1t mary be presented in an old
| fashioned and crude manner, but
| it is there all Il same. 1t has no To-
! cal news worth mentioning, but that
| is Il fault which can he alleged against
| alLeother London dailieS except the
Mail. The work OF the police courts is
1 done solely by n couple of prehistoric
/ news agencies, hut the work of the
Ispecials is really meritorious. The
| Times still sells for three pence or sin
cents. 1t makes its own paper and its
own type. It's machinery is mostly con-
| structed on the premises in Printing
| House Square. and nearly all of the
employees are recruited from the ten
ant farmers sons at Bearwood. the es-
tate of the Walter family. The late
John Walter left two sons in the busl-
| ness. One is called Mr." Walter and
| the other '.Mr." Godfrey" The Times
| has given a great many peera ges and
othSr titles to people whom ii favors.
but the Walter family, like Mr.. Glad
stone. prefers the simple prefix Mr."
In fact the late Mr., Walter was very
fond sof saving thar there was no title
in England half SO grand as that Of
! Proprietor OF the Times
Such is the power of the character
and courage in a newspaper. Paerages
| have bpan lisda med hv inlpppnIant
| members of The London Times, and
statesmen have with anxiety waited to
| see what it's uttcrances would be.
! In the London Spectator of July I'd.
which reached Richmond on Monday.
there is a special article upon the evil
dence which MIR. Moberly Bell gave in
the last week of June before the Lords
Committee on Copyright Bills. Mr..
| Bell complained that a piece of news
published by the Times on a certain
Tuesday, announcing a revolution in
| Argentina had cost that newspaper H.