The Minneapolis journal., 1901-10-16
The EVENIf G PAPER

1t is somewhat surprising to read in
the editorial columns of that venerable
and usually progressive journal, The In
dependent, of New York, the following
view touching evening papers: H
"In the morning mans mind
is busy with the transient affairs of
the day, and that is the hour to- read the
reports of the worlds current dOings. In
the quiet repose of the evening, for lit
tie while at least he may turn to interests
that are beyond the clamor of the moment.
We do not say the evening papers may
not be ably edited, but of necessity they
merely give a man what he will read again
in the morning.
1t should be remembered that The In
and naturally its editor is not used to fol-
lowing a hot trail for news, but at his
leisure collates the daily news for con-
densed weekly publication. He is per-
fectly willing to wait thirteen or four
teen hours to read news which he could
have read that length of time previously
in the evening paper. He admits that the
evening papers merely give man what
he will read again in the morning." He
prefers news" half a day old to news
hot from the wires. Strangely enough
does he tell us that when "a mans mind is
busy with the transient affairs of the
day." that is "the hour to read the re-
ports of the worlds current doings."
That is, when man is strenuously occu-
pied with the imperative business Of the
day and the cares and anxieties incident
to such intense application, 1t is good
time for him to sit down and leisurely read
and digest the morning paperi Possibly the
editor of The Independent is only theo-
newspaper reading himself.
1t is needless to follow his musings fur
| ther. The subject of the respective ad-
vantages of morning and evening papers
has been pretty well threshed, but it may
be remarked that the public continue in
the most persistent manner to read the
evening papers, for they are aware from
reading experience that a live evening
paper presents the very cream Of the news
of the day and it is comparatively rare
of publishing a great piece of news ex-
clusively. 1t is only necessary To refer
to the two great recent events, the assas-
sination Of President Mckinley and Ae
contest for the Americas cup, to show the
peculiar adaptability of the evening paper
to the effective dissemination of the
worlds news The majority of people
prefer reading between five and seven
in the declining hours Of the day what
morning papers publish twelve or four
teen hours later.
The editor of The Independent will
hardly dispute the statement that in at
least two of the evening papers of his
own city is to be found the very cream
OF the journalism Of the metropolis,
viewed from his own fastidious stand
point What he says about the evening
papers imperfections might have been
said with more justification twenty years
ago, but the improved facilities for the
collection and publication Of news has
made 1t possible to lay before the average
reader the news of the day at the hour
when he has most leisure to read it, AS
for the complaint that the evening pa
per crowds out the well-seasoned book,
that is of no more force than that the
morning paper crowds out the days bust
ness. unless the superior quality of the
evening paper be insisted upon.