The Cambridge History of English and American Literature in 18 Volumes (1907–21).
Volume XIV. The Victorian Age, Part Two.
IV. The Growth of Journalism.
§ 11. The Standard.
| The Morning Herald, first published in 1780, ran until 1869. It was founded by a somewhat notorious clergyman, Henry Bate Dudley, who had previously edited The Morning Post. It was not very successful until after 1820, when it received a large increase in circulation on account of its reporting of Bow street police cases, Wight, its reporter, afterwards editor and partner, exaggerating into caricatures his descriptions of the proceedings. So attractive was this feature that a selection from the reports was issued, with illustrations by George Cruikshank. An enterprising policy in regard to news raised the circulation, until, according to the official stamp returns for 1828, The Morning Herald had then a publication of 1000 copies daily above The Times. This position, however, was not maintained. In 1843, or 1844, Edwin Baldwin, a proprietor of The Evening Standard, purchased The Morning Herald, improved its literary quality, and, as it happened that the railway mania followed close upon his purchase of the paper, he was able to spend heavily. During the mania, the advertisement revenue of many newspapers was enormous. But the prosperity was not lasting, and, in a few years, Baldwin became bankrupt. James Johnson, an official in the court of bankruptcy, purchased The Morning Herald and The Evening Standard, and established The Standard as a penny morning paper. This was after the abolition of the newspaper advertisement duties, and when The Daily Telegraph, The Daily News and The Morning Star were being issued at a penny. Later, The Herald was discontinued; but, for many years, The Standard has occupied a high position in London journalism. It was a staunch supporter of the conservative party, and among its leaderwriters numbered Alfred Austin, afterwards poet laureate. In conjunction with it, The Evening Standard was maintained, a paper with which was eventually amalgamated The St. James’s Gazette, an evening review and newspaper founded by Frederick Greenwood, one of the foremost journalists of the second half of the century, when a change in the ownership of The Pall Mall Gazette led to his retirement from that paper. 24 |
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