Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-01-08
London's First Newspapers.


London's First Newspapers. e.
The earliest newspaper in London was
called by the quaint title Nerves Out of
Holland, and was first published May 16
1919. The News of the Present Week was
started three years later, and was edited
by the famous Nathaniel Butler. In 1896
there were nine weekly newspapers and
reviews IN London; in 1909 there were
eighteen, and in that year the first daily
newspaper ever published was started and
called the Courant. In 1924 there were
three dailies, six weeklies and seven tri-
weekly newspapers in London.
The first daily, called the Morning
chronicle, was started in 1747 and was
edited by William Woodfall until 1889 1t
was the first paper to report the debates
in parliament and many famous men
were connected with it as editors and
contributors, including Coleridge and
Campbell, the poets; Sheridan, the wit
and dramatist; Canning, the statesman
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 172 and the
initial number of the Times was issueC
last Wednesday, by John Walter. 1t wa!
continuation of daily called the Uni
versal Register. Since it's first snumber the
Times has been, as / have already said
tne leading journal of Europe, and thu
most influential and prominent paper il
the world -
Until recent years it has also been tn,
most progressive. 1t was the first pape1
to be printed by steam. In November
ioI4. 1t set up a wonderful press tina
turned out 1,oOO copies an hour and wa:
inspected by all of the crowned heads O
Europe. A model of that press is nov
dlsplayed in South Kensington Museum
In 1913. the improvements had been 9,
rapid tnat the Times presses were abb,
10 print 5000 an hour and if Won will
look into the encyclopedias that were nuh
Hshed nifty years ago, or even more re
Gently, you will find descriptions of III,
press and composing rooms and business
iee. When they were as great objects O
Abbey. 'iiiiiiste
Times Circulation Small.
IheN circulation of the Times ~ha.
never been very large In 1850. ac
ooiulng TO the encyclopedias, it ha,
-eooo subscribers. and from what
heard In London two years ago if can
not nave very many more than tina
mum Der now In 1852 it printed a,
eoltlon of 10000 copies, containinr a,
account Of the funeral of the Duke o.
tio e,i.ms Ion. winch was the largest edi
tion ever issued by a newspaper un r.
mat time. In 1863 it printed l35, 90,
| copies Of an edition containing de-
| scrlption Of the marriage ceremonie,
3 W.1 ENG sn Edward VII. then Prince O
Denmark. That was high-water n,. u
Tor newspaper circulation in those davs
put II was soon afterward surDasse,
by the New York Herald's edition con
G 5aining an account of the battle O.
Gettysburg. "
Before the Parnell exposures .tb,
lines lines had regular circulation o.
| oo,ooO or 10000, which ran I'D to Is O0l
| or $4,000 on special occasions. Blu
| SINCE then Its subscription lists hay,
Deen growing smaller and smaller am
Its earnings less and less while tn,
| other London newspapers were Coinins
| money and printing five and six time,
| as many papers. One reason for tbi.
1ailllng Off is the high price of tn,
LINES ,nes' "hich has been maintained at
cents a copy until today, while riya
| newspapers were selling for cents.
me advertising patronage of the
Times has also been falling OFF grad
uaiiy as its circulation has gone down
and this is explained by.advertisipe ev.
perts on the theory that the merc liant,
realized that the classes of people Whf
read the Times are not subject to in.
1luence by advertisements. Hence the
classlned ads We're very few in mum.
frst-class mercantile establishments
book publishers. real estate agents
brokers', bankers and other Hnancia
operators. Its revenues became 81
much reduced that the Times has re-
| sorted to various outside schemes to in.
crease its circulation. 1t has HANDLED
encyclopedias and aliases; it has pub
| llshed Special editions and supplement:
to attract the patronage of the differ
| ent professions, and it employed ;
| Philadelphia promoter to conduct a sen
| satlonal book sale which demoralizet
| the entire book trade of England
Conservative Policy Maintained.
Nevertheless, it has continued upon it
old-fashioned, conservative way, publish
| ing enormous blanket sheets, containing
| verbatim reports of the proceedings O
parliament and the political speeche!
made by its favorites in public life. 1t
| said that every word that has been utter
ed in the British parliament for more thai
hundred years has been published in tn
London Times, and that is probably true
| The government has official reporters il
| both the house of lords and the house O
| commons, and their Stenographic account
! of proceedings are printed every mornin,
| in publication similar to the Congress
| sional Record, and called Parliamentar,
debates. But limited edition is printed
| and the public is compelled to get it's &C
| count of parliamentary proceedings from
| the Times.
! The Times has maintained the best stat
| OF correspondents in foreign countries O
| any newspaper in the world; the most in
| telligent, experienced and competent news
| gatherers and publicists, and they hav
| invariably enjoyed greater advantages TO