laborer on the street can be as well posted on the news of the day as the
banker in his office. Through the newspaper he can feel the pulse of the
country and find whether its vitality is increasing or diminishing; he
can read the signs of the times and scan the political horizon for what
concerns his own interests. The doings of foreign countries are spread
before him and he can see at a glance the occurrences in the remotest
corners of earth. If a fire occurred in London last night he can read
about it at his breakfast table in New York this morning, and probably
get a better account than the Londoners themselves. If a duel takes place
in Paris he can read all about it even before the contestants have left
the field.

There are upwards of 3,000 daily newspapers in the United States, more
than 2,000 of which are published in towns containing less than 100,000
inhabitants. In fact, many places of less than 10,000 population can
boast the publishing of a daily newspaper. There are more than 15,000
weeklies published. Some of the so-called country papers wield quite an
influence in their localities, and even outside, and are money-making
agencies for their owners and those connected with them, both by way of
circulation and advertisements.

It is surprising the number of people in this country who make a living
in the newspaper field. Apart from the regular toilers there are thousands
of men and women who make newspaper work a side issue, who add tidy sums
of "pin money" to their incomes by occasional contributions to the daily,
weekly and monthly press. Most of these people are only persons of
ordinary, everyday ability, having just enough education to express
themselves intelligently in writing.

It is a mistake to imagine, as so many do, that an extended education is