Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1902-06-26
mHAr .IMhRIcANs REAb.

ever and the horses soon get used I'd
walking with these bog shoes.
WHAT AMERICANS REAb.
Criminal News Fills hut small 8 pace
the Press.
Chicago Inter Ocean.
About 4, 500 new books are pub lishet
annually in this country, andI about
III, uOo, 600 copies of these books ar
sold. The great bulk of America
reading of new matter, howeter, il
evidently in periodicals, for of thes
more than 1000, $50, 900 copies, OF about
100 to each possible reader, an pub
lished annually. Nearly 5000, loo, O0}
of these are daily newspapers.
Critics of tho American daild pres
often complain that its columns arI
chiefly filed with accounts of crimes
scandals and trivial gossip, which mos
of its reaiers would be better of With
out. Some analyses of the contents o.
typical newspapers, made by JohIz
Cotton Dana. of the Newark IN. j.
public library, and set forth in thX
Worlds Work, prove these charged
without foundation.
Mr. Dana took copies of newspaperlH
from all parts of the country, select
ing those of dates when no specia I
stress seemed to he laid on AM par
ticular class Of subjects, analysed thei
contents, and tabulated under 81
different heads the amounts of spacI
given to each. The thoroughness d
his analysis may DO judged froh TIL
fact that he lists IL different classics o
advertising, and takes pains to dis
tinguish between trivial towns nfws
and personal newsn of such gehera
interest that it cannot be chlle|
trivial. -
business, " as is natural to Urea
industrial and commercial pebble
naturally occupies the most sbace
Advertising proper fills % per cent
tho total space and the news
business IA per cont more. Only pei
cent is given to criminal matters
While 8 Fer cont is devoted to "haalt&
| and pleasure resorts, general gossipf
trivial town news, - much of tho N
be useful, and most of it is eghhhSv
harmless. Eu
Domestic politics, including III
gross, the Army and Navy, PhiIilnn
| War, &C., also have s per centh
foreign affairs, including the III
| ragua Canal, II Z per cent. LiterA1
unions reforms 10 i are on ~ a str
with 20 per cent each. So are ts
| asters, t'society'i and srience
per cent cach. Il is not necessary I'd
| 80 through Mr.. Dana S categorieS, Al
| the general results are clearly show
by giving the percentages of the DIV
great classes to which he reduces thenE
| These arc; business, not includinE
display ads, 269; personal an
| social 2S.6; political and govern
mental, Ut: criminal, sensational an l.
trivial, lib; intellectual, scientific an
religions, l2.5.
After all, this is not such ba L
showing. That crimes and their punish
ment should be properly recorded ma
| be painful TO some sensitive souls, bL
II is evidently II public duty and nece
sity. Against the 14.3 columns give
| ON tho average TO criminal, sensf
tional and Crivialn news, over 81
columns are given 10 matters in whic
every citizen is or ought to I'll
| interested.
The American newspaper is whaI
American readers make ii. 1t Civ
most attention to things that are real.
worth reading, because its readers are
on the Whoic, the cleanest, most decefl
moral and progressive people on cart
~
no USE ELEcYRTcITY IN TINE sIp
,.., p,.
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f." ", norraa ",sootp[s' according
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NV, Ia MisHouT oheInicals or dyna
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o1 w. ""s d inoSino lofte' G.
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a. u tha on sleer u WOODS. ana fores
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9 800, !, @eiIn ~ Ulysses at 81. a
,sn9,,nn ooinn, 80 tas laii,las ana ION
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TIA sanrot f 10 nus tteniotsiy guarde
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ward E,,o ,n's gu, ioG ~ nun OF ms II
IN have an ,9n NV so mniie ne profess
W :, nave ehGlfeiy succeeded, he remain