Constantine republican. [volume] (Constantine, Mich.) 1836-1838, 1837-06-07

to pay five hundred dollars for Bible, or
one hundred dollars for common octave,
or school manuel! A ten dollar bill
No, we had forgotten ourselves, without the
aid OF printing we should have had no bills
or banks either! The lawyers would be-
compelled to study the public laws from the
manuscript records of legislation, or spend
the income Of years 10 obtain copy-not
for his library (for none but prince would
presume upon such extravagance) but his
strong box, to be watched over and preser.
we'd like the miser's gold. Or perhaps
when he enters the court of justice, we
should see in his fringed garments, as in
Jewish days, the mementos Of his lega,
knowledge. The Divine instead of having
thousand volumes within his reach for re.
ference, would be far more fortunate than
many OF his brethren, if the only work he
possessed was whole Bible. The physi.
clan, deprived ofihe knowledge he now re-
ceives from the works of skilful practition.
ers OF other times, must rely on the oral in.
structons of his teacher, and make up the
rest Of his knowledge from his own perso.
nal observation and experience. Whatev-
er discoveries he makes in the healing art.
will be sure to be his own; for however
benevolent his intentions now be, he can
find no press to dffuse his discoveries a.
broad. If a quack invent some pill, which
will as usual cure every malady, he must
be content with taking il himself, if he will
venture TO, as he will have no opportunity
of sending it like SIMPSONS foxes scatter.
ing fire brands throughout the land.
With the channels of knowledge closed,
men would rapidly verge back to the igno.
rance of former times. Aristocracy would
| extend her covering and domineering hand
to the stores of knowledge, and rejo ice in
being able to keep others in ignorance.
Without the Press, there would be nothing
like the general conveyance from one state
to another, or from town to town-it could
only be from individual to individual. But
why talk of state? The system of our gov.
eminent over so vast an extent of terrific.
ry, could not be maintained, and the name
of State, in its present relation, would soon
be heard no more among us. The chain
which binds our Union together would be
broken-for we are literally bound togeth-
er by the Press, and the chain strengthened
by the jars OF DIP sing parties in politics,
produced by Its influence without this
tightening of the cords, our nation might
fall into state of apathy dangerous to its
Liberties. Without the Press there could
not be Republican system OF government
maintained over so extensive a territory as
the United States; ignorance must una
voidaby exist without its enlghtening infu.
ence-the laws in each state could not be
generally understood in other distant states
-jeaiouSes would be continually rising up
acts of violence and civil war. No =
without the press the Republic could not ex-
list: a monarch with standing armies to keep
his ignorant and servile subjects in awe, is
the most we could expect without this bull
wark Of our liberties.
The Press is the means and stimulant to
enterprise. Why is it that a Chimes ves-
sci has never visited our country; and
female from an empire containing millions
of inhabitants, on arriving in the western
hemisphere, is considered so rare q curios-
ity that she is Gagged up for public exhibit
ton? While at the same time the Ameri.
can canvass is whitening every sea, and
the sons and daughters of our land prome-
nading every country under heaven. The
reason is plain. While China, from her sin
gle newspaper, scarcely learning that there
is any other country in the world. knowing
nothing of the advantages she might possess
by more extensive knowledge, cramps her
enterprise to her own domlnions-the A.
merican Press is daily giving intelligence
from every cline, and opening a field
ofenterprse, wide as the world, and, through
its influence as well improved as it is ex-
tenslve.
| Due credit has never been given to the
Press for the part it has performed in the
brilliant achievement of our National Inde-
pendence. 1t was on the Press that the
oppression of the Stamp Act was brought di.
rsctly TO bear; scarcely newspaper could
be found among the thirty-nine which were
then published, which would either willing
ly or forcibly submit to the imposition OF
so unjust tax. The sumo degree Of op.
preston might have been practiced upon
other branches of the arts, not less sensible
OF injury, but without the means of arousing
the public to sense of their wrongs, and
been meekly borne but the stamp act was
boarding the lion in his den! Indignant
he came forth, and shaking his shaggy name
his roar resounded through the forest, and
sympathy for the aggrieved was echoed
from every quarter. 1t can with confidence
be said that the newspapers at that time
dressed in mourning, and the British stamp
supplied by deaths head, distributed gen
orally among the people, did es mitch IN
preparing their minds for the Revolution
as Lafayette, or even Washington after
wards did in accomplishing it. Archimedes
in vain glory, boosted that if he had a spo
on which to place fulcrum, he could move
the earth! What the ancient son of sci
ence proposed in sport TO do to the materia
universe is now fast doing TO the political
scientific, and moral world. A fulcrun
has been found based on the sunbeams
already has half the world been elevated b.
its encrgy--and ere another century, SHOULD
its influence continue to,extend in the ratio
the last twenty years, wisdom will run to an
fro throughout the earth; knowledge wl
every where be increased, and the emo
bling principles Of Liberty and Equalit.
, will be every where incucatcd.
If il be true that knowledge is Pow
, err il requires no extra keeness of Vi
I sion, 20 discern this fulcrum in THE PRESS