THE LEGION PERIODICALS OF THE UNITED STATES.
A CLASSIFIED list of periodicals is given in the Scientific American's Special Number on "Modern Aids to Printing." Period of issue:—
Daily …………………… 2,226
Triweekly………………… 62
Semiweekly ………………… 637
Weekly ………………… 12,979
Monthly ………………… 1,817
Quarterly ………………… 237
All other classes…………… 268
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Total ………………… 18,226 Character of publication:—
News, politics, and family reading 14,867
Religion ……………………… 952
Agriculture, horticulture, dairying, and stock-raising …………… 307
Commerce, finance, insurance, railroads, and trade…………… 710
General literature, including magazines…………………… 239
Medicine and surgery…………… 111
Law………………………… 62
Science and mechanics …………… 66
Fraternal organizations………… 200
Education and history……… 259
Society, art, music, and fashion… 88
Miscellaneous………………… 365 The average number of inhabitants to each publication is 4,170. News, politics, and family reading form the bulk of all publications, 81.6 per cent being taken up by them; religious periodicals come next with 5.2 per cent; finance, railroad, insurance, and kindred topics follow with 3.9 per cent; agriculture and allied subjects follow with 1.7 per cent; and the other subjects, while most important, follow with very small percentages, which can practically be neglected, as none of them exceeds 2 per cent, and most of them come nearer 1 per cent or below. The publications devoted to specialties have been steadily superseded by the large dailies, which have invaded every field of journalism. The Sunday edition has become a most important factor in journalism, which, when aided by the linotype or other composing machines, have done the work of four to nine men. The line cut and the tin cut, called "half-tone," have made the rapid production of a counterfeit presentment of a photograph possible.