The Topeka state journal., 1900-12-26
NEWS AND NEWSPAPERS
Discussed by Their Leading
Publisher in England.

New York, Dec 26.-Alfred Harms
worth, editor and proprietor of the Lon
don Daily Mail who is a passenger on
the Teutonic, due in New York today,
has contributed to the January number
Of the North American Review an ar
ticIe on what he calls THE Simultan-
eous Newspapers Of the Twentieth Gem
tury."
Mr. Harmsworth expresses the opin-
ion that in spite of all the progress that
has been made in the development OF
! the newspapers hitherto, we are stln
merely at the fringe of Journalistic De-
velopment. OF newspaper Illustration
he says;
IAN occasional newspaper illustration,
If it can be properly produced, is no
doubt a good thing, and is appreciated
as helpful by the reader; but many OF
the present day illustrations are quite
unnecessary and are merely given as a
matter of habit, or because rival jour
nais use them, or even for the less
urgent reasons that there is a certain
amount of space to be decorated ana
artists or photographers to be kept oc-
cupied No daily journal which relies
principally upon its illustrations has
been, in any real sense an overwhein-
ing success"
Mr. Harmsworth takes exception to
the hopelessly clumsy shape OF the or
dinary newspaper. With the newspa-
perS OF the whole civilized world before
me-" he says, each week I look in vain
for any great and impressive stroke of
originality or daring. We still cling to
the clumsy and awkward shape IN
which our newspapers are issued and
the man who has attempted to manlp-
ulate one of them a windy day will
best appreciate the force of my re-
marks. BY the use Of improved ma
chinery it would be possible to issue the
newspaper of the future in what is
obviously its proper form-a small,
portable and neatly indexed publication.
1e1 111T III
my opinion, now making progress set
ting aside the entire lack Of commercial
morality, are some of the French jour
nails. They have always been noted for
their high literary excellence. The an
onyTnous editorial has never been a par
ticularly strong feature of the French
newspaper. On the other hand, pure lit
erature. in the shape of fiction or critic
ism, has been one of its chief character
istfes."
The power of the press is not what it
used to be, is Mr.. Harmsworth's opinion.
This, he says, is especially true of Eng
land, where the editorial or leader, which
was formerly read and quoted by all
men of intelligence, is now scarcely
glanced at. The great cry is for news
But, even in connection with the assem-
ination of news. the press, in Mr.. Harms
worth's judgment, has lost reputation.
He says:
Lately, there has begun a kind of in
ternecine warfare between the various
organs of the press by which they very
largely injure their own positions and
that ct their opponents An item of
news published in one paper is irnmedi-
ately discredfted in another, and the pub
lie, naturally enthusiastic, has come to
the opinion that the newspapers are US
ually inaccurate and too often dismiss
a perfectly correct statement as mere
newspaper talk
Mr.. Harmsworth pays a high tribute
to the press of the United States as be-
ing. in one respect, far in advance of the
press of his own country. THE question"
he says, what to put before the public,
and in what manner to place it before
them is one that calls for the keenest
acumen and best judgment on the part
of the newspaper director. Here, un-
doubtedly, the press of the United States
is in advance of that of Great Britain.
Such newspaper leaders as Pulitzer.
Dana, Bennett, Hearst,Raymon Jones,
Chflds, MedflI, Lawson, Russell Cum
mings, Taylor. Halstead, Patterson, De
Young, Singerly, Godkin, Greeley Nc
kelway, Watterson and Wilbur Storey
have had but few counterparts with us
The instinct that tells what news is and
how the public will best take it is not
given TO every writer. There is a greater
art IN feeling the pulse of the people,
Predicting what journals of the twen-
tleth century will be, he says: Il feel
certain that the newspaper of the tWen-
tieth century will be drawn into the vor-
tex of combination and Capitalization.
In fact, given the man. the capital the
organization and the occasion, there
newspapers may not presently dominate
great sections of the United States, or
almost the whole of Great Britain In
other words, where there are now a
multitude OF papers-good, bad and in
different-there will then be one or two
great journals. The method by which
such journals would be established
would be precisely those employed by
the formation of any ordinary trust
Possessing it's own cables, wires boats
and special trains, the simultaneous
newspaper concern would soon have it's
own paper mills, printing ink factories,
machinery shops and the like
The simultaneous newspaper would
represent a standard of excellence
which has never before been attained;
and with its vast resources it would
ed scale enterprises outside of the strict
newspaper field.
Mr.. Pulitzer's wonderful stroke of
journalistic genius in connection with
the bond issue; Mr.. Hearst's successful
appeal to the people on the war issue
between the United States and Spain
and the work of British newspapers on
what can be done in the direction Of in
fuencing the public opinion even under
existing circumstances. Imagine then |
the influence which would be exerted
if an overwhelming majority of the
newspapers in the United States spoke |
with the same voice, supported the
same principles, and followed the same
policy.
.'Such a state of things would be a |
terror to the evildoer and - the sup |
porters of anything inimical to the /
commonwealth"
Mr. Harmsworth is strongly of the |
opinion that the newspaper should not |