But  these  were  only  isolated  cases.  We  are  considering  the
attitude  of  the  people  at  large  toward  the  press  in  general.
That  attitude  has  been  one  of  jealous  preservation  of  free-
dom of  expression  even  to  frequent  wanton  abuse.  Privi-
lege, in  consequence,  has  been  constrained  to  guide  what  it
could  not  muzzle.
For  purposes  here  being  considered  the  press  may  be
divided  into  two  general  classes :  the  monthly  and  weekly
publications  belonging  to  one,  the  dailies  to  the  other.
Putting  apart  those  publications  that  rarely  or  never  trench
upon  political  or  economic  subjects,  and  aside  from  trade
union  and  propagandist  organs,  most  of  the  monthlies  and
weeklies  until  recently  have  been  in  general  respects  on  the
monopoly  side.  Their  owners  or  readers  were  there.  Their
sentiments  have  been  boldly  or  qualifiedly  exclusive.  They
have  appealed  to  the  comparatively  small  privileged  class
and  to  those  of  easy  circumstances  who  uphold  that  class
through  a  mistaken  idea  of  the  nature  of  monopoly  and
confusion  of  it  with  what  is  properly  wealth.  These  peri-
odicals have  been  high  of  price  and  small  of  circulation.
It  must  be  admitted  that  periodicals  of  less  exclusive  and
more  general  sentiments  touching  monopolies  would  not
before  the  present  time  have  flourished.  The  monopoly
issue  was  not  ripe.  Except  in  singular  instances,  the
general  public  took  no  particular  interest  in  it.  A  maga-
zine devoted  to  it  and  aiming  to  be  popular  would  have
died.  But  the  rapacious  march  of  monopoly  within  the
past  decade  has  awakened  lively  popular  interest,  and
latterly  a  number  of  low-priced,  well-printed,  well-illus-
trated magazines,  containing,  besides,  generally  attractive
features,  have  offered  exposures  of  the  more  flagrant  super-
ficial aspects  of  Privilege,  and,  in  consequence,  have  sprung
into  phenomenal  vogue.
