The Savannah morning news., 1902-09-01

Iar more importance than the question
of how many papers are printed.
1t is not so much the number of pa
pers which go out of the press room
which should be carefully examined,
as the fact where those papers go to
and who are the people who read
them. Are papers hastily read and
thrown away? Are they purchased to
help pass away few moments ride
on car, or are they delivered in the
homes to be carefully read by each
member of the family? Are they read
as we would read a hand bill or are
they read for information and instruc-
ton, to become the source of our
knowledge of contemporaneous life?
The higher the mere literary quality
OF newspaper, the small will be its
circulation. The masses of the people
do not require such a paper nor could
they appreciate it, 1t is not necessary,
however, for newspaper to become
pedantic or scholarly to have a high
grade of excellence, but 1t is possible
for paper to be ably edited, to be
alert and enterprising. carry all the
news, to use such illustrations as will
make clearer the text. to be up-to-date
in every particular and yet
maintain that high degree
of equality that will bring
to 1t such a large number of readers
that advertisers will generously use its
columns and the revenues of the paper
will be such that the best talent anil
the finest mechanism can be employed
In the production of it. Yet such a pa
per must necessarily be limited in CIR
culation. To meet the requirements of
Its readers, 1t must carry all the news
of the world and of the country and
In addition large amount of local
news, society events, obituary notices,
sports, movements of trade. politics,
religion and a hundred other subjects
in which their readers are personally
interested. If time was eliminated in
delivery of such a New York paper to
Chicago, IL would not sell in that city,
because the local news that would be
of so great value here would be of no
value there.
The paper of quantity can publish an
edition at O'Clock in the morning at
New York and sell in large numbers
in the afternoon. The paper which
makes any pretense whatever to its
quality Is very much restricted. 1t
cannot print Objectionable advertise
ments. If itGid it would be debarred
from the best homes. 1t cannot print
advertisements of fake concerns, be-
cause its readers expect its business
ethics to be on as high a plane as its
editorial professions. 1t cannot in
suit the intelligence of its readers by
the use of poster type or denominations
in the way of pictures or colors. 1t
cannot make statements rejecting on
the character of individuals without
careful investigation. 1t cannot lie.
1t cannot be dishonest. 1t cannot print
papers at IL o'clock and call them. an
evening edition. 1t cannot be bragg
CART and appropriate the best portion
of the paper in exploiting itself and
its own achievements. The paper Of
quality is prevented from adopting
these and other practices of so-called
modern journalism. 1t must be conser-
vative to a degree. 1t must be fair
and honest in it's reports and it must
give all the news, leaving to its read
ers to judge the proper amount of en-
phasis to give to each item.
Can any one doubt the value of such
papers to the advertiser? Is it not
true that the thinking, educated, influ-
entail public read such papers? Do
they not go into the homes to be read
by father and mother and by the chill
dren? Are not the articles of the pa
per the topic Of daily discussion In
the family? Does not the quality of
the paper and the character of the peo-
pie who read ii give character to the
very advertisements that are publish
ed. Many an advertiser would give
quadruple rates to be admitted to the
columns of certain papers from which
they are now excluded.
After all. the local advertiser knows
the best mediums. Study the papers
in this country which seek the restrict
ed quality circulation, and are not
managed by the affidavit man, whose
only idea OF success is large circula-
ton, and you will find that the home
advertisers are large patrons of those
papers This test alone ought TO Ge-
eide the relative value of quality as
against quantity Fortunate indeed is
the paper that can have quality and a
generous amount of quantity.
king Victor OF Italy has a passion