92 The Newspaper World. to this, however, before specially qualified critics replaced on the metropolitan journals the ordinary members of the staff who had hitherto, without discrimination almost, done the notices of the theatres. As showing the altered relations between Press and theatre, the tradition prevalent in some newspaper offices may be mentioned, namely, that years ago editors actually paid for the privilege of publishing brief announcements about forthcoming drama- tic events. All this is altered in the present day, and dramatic folks are, if anything, too ready to impart informa- tion to the Press. Literature has always been closely allied to journalism, indeed the raison (PStre of several existing papers was to afford a medium for making known to the world the literary wares of some well-known pub- lishers. It is not surprising therefore to find that so early as 1825 Mr Murdo Young commenced in the Sun evening newspaper the practice of noticing periodical literature at the beginning of the month, which is now an invariable custom with almost all journals. Few newspaper readers are aware of the trouble and, in some instances, anxiety involved in the discharge of the functions of critic for the daily or weekly press. A new picture is exhibited, a new play performed, or a new musician courts public favor. The critic is called upon to sit in judgment, and he brings to the discharge of the task a lengthened experience of similar work and an amount of technical knowledge more varied, though not, of course, so thorough or practical as that possessed by artist, actor, or musician. The critic will give the public his honest impressions of what he saw or heard, and his brother critics will do the same, yet if the work criticised has the elements of originality or novelty, it is highly probable that their criticisms will be extremely divergent. No more common example of this can be met with than in dramatic criticism. The critics of the Press who sit in
