Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1900-12-29
PRESS OF TODAY.
We Are Merely at the Fringe
OF journalistic Development.
Interesting Paper by the Editor OF the
London Daily Mail-Complains Of
the Lack Of Originality and Daring
in the Newspaper Of Today-it Is
Also as Clumsy as of Yore--Praise
for tn: French Journals--Decad.
ence OF the Power Of the Press-Pre.
diets Newspaper Trust.

New York, Dee. 2i--rhc january
contains an article by Alfred Harms.
worth. editor ana proprietor Of the Lon
don Daily Mail, on what he calls The
Simultaneous Newspapers Of tho
Twcniirth Crhtu,r"
Mr.. Iiarmswo,ih expresses the opin.
ion that, III spite OF al the progress
that has Mcll ma,ic in the development
of the newspaper hitherto. we are SJil,
merely ut the fringe of journalistic de-
vrlopmcnl.
He takes exception TO th" hop"lessly
clumsy shape Of The ordinary news.
paper. with the newspapers OF the
whole civilized worll before me-" he
says, ''cacl week look in vain for any
great ana Impressive stroke Of orIgi
nallty or daring. We s'ill cling TO the
clumsy and awkward shape in which
our newspapers are Issued, and the
man who has attempted to manipulate
one OF them Oh windy day will best
appreciate the force OF my remarks.
BY the use of improved machinery. it
wokld he possible TO ISSUE The ncwspa.
per of ilr future IN what is obviously
lis proper form Il small. portable AMI
neatly indrXed publication.
Among the newspapers that. in my
opinion. are now making REAL progress;
setting aside their entire lack of COM.
mercial morality. are somc Of the
French journals. rhey have always
l,nn Fan l,..i, IA ;..l, l,,,
crilrncc, The an0rymous editorial has
never been Il particularly strong fen.
lure Of Tie French newspapers. On
The other land pure literature, in the
shape of fiction OF criticism. has been
one OF its chief characteristics
The power Of the press is no, wha,
1t used 10 hr. in Mr.. lIur.nsworlls
opinion. This, he says is especially
true OF England. where tho editorial
which was formerly read and quoted
BY all mcii of in,ciliGenc" is now scarce.
ly glanced AT The great cry Ii for
news, hut even in connection with the
dissemination Of news, the press. in Mr..
laion. He says:
Lately, there has begun kind OF
lntcrnecine warfare between the va.
rlous organs "f the press by which they
very largely iniurc their own positions
and that of their opponents. An ilcll
of news published in one paper is iu,.
mediatrly discrc.iiled in another, and
the public naturally enough comes to
the opinion that newspapers are usually
inaccurate. and too often dismiss
perfectly correct statement as news.
paper talk
Mr.. llarm>w0rlh pays high trb.
ute TO the press of the United States as
being in one respect far in advance of
the press Of his own country.
"Ih" question:" he says. "what to
put before The public is one that calls
Tor the keen"st ncnmrn and best juds-
mcnt on the part of tn" newspaper di.
rector. Here. undoubtedly, the press
Of the United States Is In advance of
that OF Great Britain. The instinct
that tells news. and how the public
will best take 1t, is NOT given to every
writer. There is great art in feel.
ing the pulse of the people"
Predicting what the journals of the
Goth century, will lr. he says: II
feel certain that the newspaper of the
Goth century will he drawn into the
vortex OF combination and ccntralza.
ton. in fact, given the man. the cap.
ltal, tl" organization ana the oc lsiou,
there seems 20 he DO reason why one
or two newspapers may not presently
dominate great sections Of the United
States, on almost the whole Of Great
Britain. In other words, where there
nre now a multitude OF papers there
will then be one or two great journals.
The method by which such journals
would be established would be precisely
those employed in the formal lon Of the
ordinary UuSt. Possessing its own
cables, wires. dispatch hoats and spe-
cial trains. the simultaneous newspaper
concern would soon have its own pa
chine shops and HE like.
THE simultaneous newspaper would
represent standard of excellence
which has never before been attained.
and with its vast resources il would he
able TO carry Out ON an unprecedented
scale enterprises outside. OF the strict
newspaper field"
Mr.. Harnsworth Is strongly Of the
opinion that the newspaper should not
be partisan In q political sense, but
should endeavOr to represent the will of
the people.