The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-01-11
LONDON TIMES IS
 FAMOUS JOURNAL Change of Ownership An Event
 of Importance HISTORY OF FAMOUS PAPER Known as "The 1hunderer." It Was For Many Years Acknowledged
 as the Greatest News
 paper In the World.
 
HISTORY OF FAMOUS PAPER

Chicago, January Especial )-William D. Curtis, Washington correspondent of the Record-H Herald, writes the following interesting history of the famous London Times, which changed hands this week.
 The sale of the London Times. although 1t does not pass entirely out of the hands of the family which has always owned It, is as great an event in England as change in the administration of the gov ernment The London Times is and all ways has been the leading newspaper of the world, and, although the lines upon which it has been conducted are very con- servative and it has been different in sev- eral respects from every other paper, none has ever exercised so powerful an influence in political, social, diplomatic, ec- elesiastical, financial and international af- fairs. For that reason it has been called
 'The Thunderer." Men have been made famous by the smiles of the Times; men have been ruined because 1t has frowned upon them. Its favor has been courted by sovereigns, and a political party could have been formed upon it's sole support. There are thousands of intelligent people in England who still believe that the edl- torials in the Times are written by the prime minister of Great Britain and the other members of the cabinet and it's money article is still the most powerful agency in the finances of Europe. The integrity as well as the influence of the Times has been seriously impaired dur ing the last 20 years. It received a fear ft11 the Irish patriot, were exposed, and it has never been able to recover its pres tige. Several subsequent incidents have shaken public confidence in its infallibility and omnscience, but it has survived ex- periences which would have ruined any other paper, and still is the most impor- tant publication in the world.
 The earliest newspaper in London was called by the quaint title, "Newes Out of Holland" and was first published May 16, 1619. "The Newes the Present Week. was started three years later and was edited by the famous Nathaniel Butler In 1906 there were nine weekly newspapers and reviews in London; in 1709 there were IS, and in that year the first daily news paper ever published was started and cdlleu the 0Ourant. Tn TEA there were three dailies, six weeklies and seven tri- weekly newspapers in London.
 The Morning Chronicle was started in 1747 and was edited by William Woodfall until 17S9. It was the first paper to report the debates in parliament and many fa- nous men were connected with 1t as ed itors and contributors, including Coleridge and Campbell, the poets: Sheridan, the wit and dramatist; Canning the states man, afterward prime minister Hazlitt was dramatic critic of the Chronicle, and Charles Dickens was for several years a reporter on the staff.
 Of the other London papers now living, the Post was started in TIP, and the initial number of the Times was issued on the first of January, 17SS, 100 years ago last Wednesday, by John Walter. It was a continuation of daily called the Universal Register. Since it's first number the Times has been as I have already said, the leading journal of Eu- rope and the most influential and promi- nent paper in the world. Until recent years it has also been the most pro gressive; 1t was the first paper to be printed by steam. In November, 1s14 1t set up a wonderful press that turned out 1900 copies an hour and was inspected by all of the crowned heads of Flu rope. A model of that press is now dis played in South Kensington museum. In 1S4S the Improvements had been so rapid that the Times presses were able to print 5000 an hour, and if you will look into the encyclopedias that were publish ed 50 years ago or even more recently you will find descriptions of the press and composing rooms and business of flee when they were as great objects of interest as St. Pauls or Westminster Abbey.