The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1902-04-01
HISTORY OF JOURNALISM
VALUABLE WORK COMPILED IN THE
CONGRESSIONAL LIBRARY.

The Newspaper Treated Are Arranged
by states The Entire Work FnIs
More Than TWO Thousand Pages of
Print-Growth Of American Periodicals
Ralph NJ Mckenzie of the periodical
department. of the Library OF Congress.
mas compiled a book containing n brief
history OF American journalism. The
newspapers treated are arranged 10y
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. IL is
estimated. will fill more than 2OO0
pages of print. 1t has taken about
three years TO prepare, and another
six months will probably he consumed
i'm putting it through the press. The
compilation was 4 huge task. involving
search through State histories. county
histories. biographies, gazetteers. direc-
tories. occasional addresses. pamphlets
of all sorts ana the files OF newspapcrs.
from the earliest American date down
TO the present time. Mr. Mckenzie
Will introduce the hook with a chaptev
discussing American Journalism and
periodical literature in general way.
when il is remembered" said he 10
visitor the other day, that Il thou
sand periodicals become extinct in this
country every year, ana that nearly
22,OOO We're issued in the year 1900.
YOU Will understand something of the
task which | 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 rs
the result of your Investigations" hc
was asked
Il suppose | 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 population OF less than
100000, published more periodicals
than Europe, with Il population OF 49,
100000. In this comparison, YOU I'M
derstand, l am including newspapers
under the general head Of periodicals.
Fifty years later America published
GOO more periodicals than Europe. ana
each dcccnnial census has found us
still far in the lead. The most notable
increase of periodicals in this country
came between 1870 and 1880. when
The number was almost doubled. run
ming from 57Sl to 11,31I.
The ten years between 1880 ana
1870 continued Mr.. Mckenzie. 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 10y side with the foreign budget.
which till then had filled the choicest
space in the American newspaper It'll
was Bennett who evolved the idea OF
giving complete history OF the events
OF each day throughout the world in
the press OF This country.
The increase i'm periodicals is most
marked at the 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 1850 and
1870, and in 1880 published nearly two
and half times as many as IN 1870.
1t doubled it's 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 i'm 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 1850 and 1890 was more than
40 per cent, and there are many in
stances OF 200 and 300 per cent liz
creases i'm ten years in other States"
Mr.. Mckenzie furnishes the follow
ing table TO Illustrate the growth Of
American periodicals.