Page:History of American Journalism.djvu/235



67 cents per 100. The carriers distribute the papers, and on Saturday collect from each subscriber six cents, so that for each call their net income to the carriers is but one third of a cent. We wish our penny associates all success, hoping that they will grow wise, good, and great, until they make every sixpenny paper ashamed that tells a lie, or be- trays its country for the sake of party, or does any other base thing.

For some reason the owners of the six-penny political sheets did not consider it strictly ethical to sell their wares on city streets. Subscribers received their papers by carriers, and tran- sient purchasers had to go to the counters of newspaper offices. The penny press, however, did not wait to enroll annual sub- scribers, but tried to market its merchandise daily through boys. The pages of the early penny papers fairly bristled with advertisements of "Boys Wanted." The first issue of The Public Ledger in Philadelphia contained a small advertisement to this effect :

50 MEN AND BOYS can make it an advantageous business to circulate this paper. Apply at the office of The Ledger Nos. 38-39 Arcade.

Early issues of The Boston 12 o'clock News contained this ad- vertisement:

WANTED 20 boys neatly dressed and excellent deportment to sell The Daily News None need apply except those who intend to en- gage permanently. 30^ for every 100 sold.

Possibly The Sun of New York was the first to use news boys in this way. Almost at the start that paper contained a notice :

TO THE UNEMPLOYED. A number of steady men can find em- ployment by vending this paper. A liberal discount is allowed to those who buy to sell again.

For the first time journalism was brought directly to the people. By making the daily papers easy to buy, the penny press brought something of a revolution into American journalism. Its system of marketing its products undoubtedly had much to do wit