About Newspapers.

Facts are stubborn things, so are figures, perhaps, because they form the especial and appropriate language of facts, as imagery forms that of thought. One of the many facts that show us the vastness of the world is the existence of newspapers, for they imply by their very being such complication of civilization, such intricacy of interests and so universal a diffusion of knowledge, that they seem most truly emblematic of the nineteenth century. Let the statistics speak for them. Mr. Henry Hubbard in 1882 in his "Newspaper Directory of the World," published in New Haven, gave the following table of newspapers, and their circulation throughout the world.

Europe, with a population of 301,356,000 souls has 2,403 daily newspapers with a circulation per issue estimated at 15,682, 425. One daily newspaper to every 125,400 inhabitants, or one number to every 20 about. Asia has only 154 dailies though her population is 1,007, 128,000 and their circulation per issue is but 550, 736, one daily to every 654,000 souls, one number to every 1800. Africa is yet worse off, with a population of 205,000,000 she supports only 25 dailies, and their issue is altogether only 55,475. That is to say, there is one daily for every 8,200,000, one copy for every 36, 210 of them. North America gives another showing, with only one fourth the population of Africa, i.e. 76,033,000, she rejoices in 1,136 dailies, with a total circulation of 4,578,223 per issue. Calculate that out for yourselves, if you are patriotic enough. The editorial fellow feeling forbears a fling at Harvard indifference of "other publications." North America has 9,556 with a total circulation per issue of 22,073,000 as against 10,730 with total circulation of 33,901,400 per issue in Europe.

South America has a population of almost 30,000,000, her daily newspapers are 208 in number, their circulation 347, 490. One newspaper to every 144,200 of her population, one number to every 86.

Last, Australasia, her meagre population of 3, 570,000 reads 94 daily papers, which have an aggregate issue per number of 246,009. Rather more than one newspaper to every 40,000 people. one number to every 15 inhabitants.

It must be remembered that on an average a newspaper has five readers for every copy of an issue. Thus a circulation af 200,000 means an audience, if we may so use the word of 1,000,000. Moralizing on such figures as the above is too easy, let each do that for himself.