The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-03-16

IutriusicaIly considered, the people most
charitshly disposed toward the Rev. Mr..
sheldon's Topeka Capital experiment
viii be compelled to admit that the cieri-
cal editor is making it ridiculous. Start
lug out with the proposition that he would
show degraded humanity how Christ
would run a daily newspaper he has so
FAR merely succeeded in demonstrating how
q sensational preacher would conduct one.
The spectacle while not particularly pleas
ant ls not without its value as an object
lesson in practical journalism.
It illustrates in most forcible way the
sdsge that every man thinks he can edit
a newspaper better than the individual
who happens to occupy the tripod. When
the unit OF the social multitude thinks In
this way il only means that he has fad
&c which were he in control Of a publiCa
ton. he would subordinate every other con-
rideration He would consult his own taste
and bis own prejudices 70 the exclusion Of
any thought that the smallest concession
was due TO the contribut0ry reading and
advertising public for whom he pretended
10 cater The modern daily newspaper rs
an evolution. and rot an institution es;ab-
lshed on the strength OF a priori reason
ing. II exists under conditions and limita-
tons which. while not exact and not with
out some elasticity. still in general way
are reasonably defined in the experience
OF muttudiBous failures and a moderate
number Of successes greatly varying In
value and degree.
The faddists are mostly ignorant Of this
history or Of the philosophy which explains
it, Yet it is not Necessary 10 impugu their
motives or good faith in thinking that did
they but enjoy the opportunities SO wick
elly wasted by the average editor, they
would be able in short order 10 elevate
society and suppress vice and crime. The
crank and the fanatic may be conscious Of
Only the most noble and v'rtuoCs purposes
The old gentleman over in St Elizabeth's
who IS quite certain that he is Julius
Caesar. and that all other claimants 90 the
honor are base imitators. is as honest in
his ideas and convictions as MI sheldon
could be.
But when the American citizen buys a
newspaper he wants the news Of the day.
and he wants il presented in fun variety
and with accuracy. He does not want 10
b. made the victim OF editorial vhim big
otry. or rartisarship. as Tar as the days
history Of the country and OF the world is
concerned. lie would resent the reyolu-
tionary action Of the manager who. know
ing and caring nothing for happenings out
side Of Wall Street should devote his whole
first page 70 stock quotations and disqui-
stious on the condition and movements OF
the speculative market Equally. he would
buy some other paper If he found his IA
yorite one suddenly devoted TO baseball
aud pigeon shooting, while matters OF gen
,ral human interest were crowded out.
As we have said. what the American peo-
pie want and will have is the news As
rule. they are more or less religious in
their tendencies. but because some VI them
begin the day with family prayer it does
not follow that they want nothing but
family prayer or its equivalent for the en-
suing twenty -four hours. This is exem-
pliGed in the undeniable fact that every At
tempt in this country to give a denomina-
sional bias 70 daily publications. ostensibly
designed. otherwise. to subserve the OBJ
5ects OF newspapers. has quickly ended IN
financial disaster.
In the present case OF the Topeka Capt.
tai the old readers Of that journal are
being compelled to purchase other papers
in order TO learn what is going on. Mr..
Sheldon made the famine in India the
piece de resistance OF HIS first edition. II
was not news. but ancient history. The
South African war. the passage OF the Gold
Standard bill, the effort in Congress TO op-