"THE TIMES."

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 88, 7 January 1908, Page 4

"THE TIMES."

It is impossible to read without concern tlie rumour'which reaches us by cable to-day that the London "Times" is to be disposed of to "the proprietors of seyeral magazines and newspapers." Every friend oi what is best in British journalism will sincerely hope that the rumour is a canard. Year by year, under the influence of American methods and imported American managers and editors, the British Press has, with some honourable exceptions, drifted further away from the dignified traditions of its class. Newspapers that were sober and sincere twenty years ago are, now reckless and uncandid competitors of the sensational and vulgar "Daily Mail." The public has been demoralised, and, in order to live, most of the old-established journals, once a legitimate source of pride to England, have had to cast aside their dignity and, in many cases, their independence as well. The trail of the American yellow journal is over the British Press. The "Spectator," and, until recently, "The Times," had been almost alone amongst the important London papers in resisting 'the influence of the up-to-date Yankee in their respective spheres of weekly and daily journalism. The " Spectator," we'are glad to remember, shows no signs of any inclination to change its form, its policy, or its method of treating the raw material of happenings.

It is some time since the great daily began to cause concern to thoughtful people by abandoning some of the dearest of its traditions. The first disturbing sign was its establishment of a book agency desirous of selling everybody a set of the " Encyclopasdia Britannica," a first step to worse things in the shape of a " 1 Times' Book Club," and a most undignified war against the publishers of London. In its general make-up "The Times" has changed a little, but it still refuses to allow any occurrence to excite it into large headlines, even when all its contemporaries arc using up columns of huge black headings; it is still printed on paper and in type that arc the envy ana delight of every journalist in the world; it is still, as a newspaper, the finest extant. Tet the American methods of its manager, Mr. Hooper, have sadly weakened its prestige, and this despite the fact that its literary standard is amazingly high, its foreign news service nothing less than magnificent, and its parliamentary and law reports the very last word upon those branches of journalism. More serious, however, is the altered tone of its political policy,. There was

a time, when England opened its " Times " in the mqrning without any certamtj'. as to what'the famous, journal would say .upon' the question ■ of the hour. All that was certain was that "The Times" would adopt what the " Spectator " would call the " Left Centre" attitude—the attitude, that is to say, of the moderate conservative. • • "

Nowadays, however, " The Times "■ has openly allied itself with temporary causes anjl ephemeral parties, and its . attitude can generally be; "predicted •with some confidence. . Occasionally it has shown, a flash of its old form, and has broken away, from its partisan bondage. ' Such a flash was that. of some three months ago, when it surprised and pleased its readers by its rebuke administered to a Premier whose reckless feud with the, Office was being assisted by, the, Union-, ist journals in the hope' of injuring the British Government. Such a flash; also, was its more recent warning, to the Unionist party to " go slow "upon tariff reform. It has been said, and said truly, that " English public life, and even English literature, would be infinitely the poorbr if" The Tim'es" were to cease, to exist. It has been of immeasurable value to England in the'past, as a great and im-' portant newspaper untainted by. partisan prejudice, and known to be thus untainted; must necessarily; be. 'In the hands of the 'Harmswortha "The. Timed,"' as we know it, will cease' to exist. li\' the hands of Pearson's it will fare better, perhaps,- but it will no more exercise its unique and will no more stand tip as a beacon , in the fog and tempests of opinion., v -