The world before newspapers--Unbearable thought--No Street and no Man in it--Unfortunate position of great Generals of history, ALEXANDER, HANNIBAL, CÆSAR, etc., in lacking support or criticism by military experts--Their fatal ignorance of public opinion--Serious handicaps in the past--LEONIDAS never seen at lunch by Mr. Gossip--ALCIBIADES never stimulated by attacks in Athens journals--No brainy onlooker at defeat of Armada. _II.--The Growth of the Press._ The birth of a happier era--The first English newspaper--Rapid development of the new arm--A nation made articulate--Unfortunate quietistic tendencies: ADDISON, STEELE, JOHNSON--Foreshadowings of the real thing--Arrival of the real thing--The Fourth Estate--The Tenth Muse--The Editor as Dictator--The Millennium. _III.--The Vigilant Correspondent._ The Council of Ten and the Lion's Mouth--Importance of attending to other people's affairs--True citizenship the improvement of one's neighbours--Neglect of one's own character a national virtue--Brief sketch of Paul Pry--Brief sketch of Meddlesome Matty--Keepers of the public conscience--Human alarm-clocks--Samples of reforms delayed by absence of letters to the Press--The circulation of the blood--The law of gravity--The movement of the solar system--Value of iteration and undauntability. _IV.--Range of Subject._ Every stick useful in beating dogs--Nothing too trivial to yoke with such words as "scandal" and "outrage"--Suspicion and mistrust the letter-writer's life-blood--Necessity for believing everyone in office negligent or corrupt--Reasons why it is better to write to the papers than to the individual--The sacredness of publicity--Importance also of victim seeing the indictment--Value of _Who's Who?_--Postal rates for newspapers. _V.--Signatures._ Real names and pseudonyms--Cases where real names are best--Cases where pseudonyms are best--Danger of giving both name and address--The Knobkerry--The Dog-Whip--The Art of Self-Defence--The Law Directory--Choice of pseudonyms--Latin _v._ English--An Advantage of "One Who Knows" over "Audi Alteram Partem"--"Scrutator" better than "Spectator ab extra"--"One who is doing his bit" better than "Junius"--Reasons for "War-Winner" being the best at present moment. _VI.--Model Letter with Remarks._ At the present moment no type of letter is more effective than the following:--