The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1902-02-06
HISTORY OF JOURNALISM
VALUABLE WORK COMPILED IN THE
CONGRESSIONAL LIBRARY.

The Newspapers Treated Are Arranged
by States The Entire Work Fills
More Than Two Thousand Pages of
Print-Growth OF American Periodicals
Ralph M. Mckenzie, of the periodical
department of the Library OF Congress,
has compiled book containing a brief
history of American Journalism. The
newspapers treated are arranged by
States, and include those long since
dead as well as the living, In every
instance the name of the founder Is
given, and such other facts as will
answer the questions which naturally
suggest themselves concerning news
papers history. The entire work, it is
estimated. will fill more than 1000
pages of print. 1t has taken about
three years 20 prepare, and another
six months will probably be consumed
in putting it through the press. The
compilation was huge task, involving
n search through State histories, county
histories, biographies. gazetteers, direc-
tories, occasional addresses, pamphlets
of all sorts, and the files of newspapers,
from the earliest American date down
to the present time. Mr.. Mckenzie
will Introduce the book with n chapter
discussing American journalism and
periodical literature in q general way.
"When it is remembered" said he to
visitor the other day, that u thou
sand periodicals become extinct in this
country every year, and that nearly
$4,000 were issued in the year 1900
you will understand something of the
task which l have just finished. The
first newspaper was printed in Amer
lea in 1904, and l have gone over the
field for the whole three centuries
since that date"
"What fact impressed you most as
the result of your investigation he
was asked.
II suppose l was most struck by n
comparative study of the circulation
Of the periodicals in this country and
in Europe. AS early as 1880 the United
States with Il population of less than
100000, published more periodicals
than Europe, with population Of 1885,
100000. In this comparison, you un-
derstand, l am including newspapers
under the general head of periodicals.
Fifty years later America published
600 more periodicals than Europe, and
each decennial census has found us
still far in the lead. The most notable
increase of periodicals i'll this country
came between 1870 and 1850, when
4 aI,pt. nIt
ming from 57S1 TO 11,314.
1.-THE ten years between 1890 and
1870" continued Mr.. Nick enzie, may
be distinguished in periodical history
for its innovations. During that period
James Gordon Bennett introduced reg
ular market and financial letters into
the news columns of the New York
Herald, and collected the local news,
sensational and otherwise, to place
side by side with the foreign budget,
which till then had filled the choicest
space in the American newspaper. 1t
was Bennett who evolved the idea OF
giving Il complete history of the events
of each day throughout the world in
the press of this country.
The increase in periodicals is most
marked ut tine large publication cen
tres like New York, Boston, Philadel-
phia and Chicago. The greatest per-
centage of increase between decades
belongs to the Northwestern States,
Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa,
and Illinois. Minnesota, for instance,
doubled its output between 1860 and
1870, and in 1880 published nearly two
and a half times as many as in 1870.
It~doubled its product again between
1880 and 1890, and so did Illinois, while
Iowa made nearly as good record.
All this was accomplished without
letting the newcomers in the field de-
stroy the circulation of those who had
preceded them. In Minnesota, which
shows the most rapid development of
any State, the increase of circulation
between 1880 and 1890 was more than
450 per cent, and there are many in
stances of 200 and 300 per cent. in
creases in ten years in other States"
Mr.. Mckenzie furnishes the follow
ing table TO Illustrate the growth of
American periodicals: