The Columbia Democrat. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1837-1850, 1837-10-14
TIE Art or PRINTING.

OF all the arts that man has invented or discoycr
cd, there is no one that stands so prc-cminent ~
the art Of printing. With the discovery Of this ar,
commenced the regeneration of Europe-tLc p,oo,
religious refornation-the civilization and enI;ah
tenment of mankind 1t aroused the people to
ofther rights and liberty. Literary Treasures
that before the invention of the art were unknown
to any but the monks and favored few were publish
cd to the world Books, that, before the dscoyo,,,
Of this great art would have cost kinr,lo,n -
purchase, and in fact, could not be purchased o or
price, may now be found in the hands of the pooreS
in theland Even kings and mobiles could not Obtain
them-for 1t is well known fact that Henry Nv Of
France before he could obtain a loan of a bool,
had to leave his jewels in pledge with the monoeor,
to which it belonged.
II is now upwards of400 years since the art or
printing was discovered by John Genesteisb srr
named Gutenberg, who first printed the Alpbobc,
1t was done with wooden blocks that served onl,
for the work printed. About the wear I4A5 Inh
Faustus invented moveable types He received ss,
sistance from his son-in-law, Peter Schnfler. who
il is said, devised the moulds, &c for casting them
| II is conended by some that Faustus was the or
gina inventor. In the year l4G2 the first hook ,,
printed which was the Vulgate Bible bv Fausfrs
He sold it at first as high as 500 croyne NO..
copy.-Having afterwards reduced the price TO ao
crowns, he was seriously charged with being in
league with the Devil, and had he not eyplaincJ
his art he would have been sacrificed for witchcraG
About the year l473 printing was first commep
ced in England by German. The first Gcoor,
phical work was printed in Spain about the Year
1883, at the time ofthe excitement caused in Euyore
! by the discovery of America:
! In the year 1881, the first newspaper was ppb
| lshed. 1t was called Gazette (from coin named
Gazette) and was printed at Venice: In 1855 the
first attempt at periodical literature, called the
"English Mcrcurie' was printed at London.
The first printing Office established on the cont.
nent ofAmerica, was at Cambridge, (AIass.) in the
year 1880
In 56I was published the "Public Intclgcn,"
the first newspaper in England-and in I7O5 nat
years aiterwardsj was published at Boston, by
Scotchman, named John Campbell, "The Boston
News-Lcttcr,' the first newspaper in the United
States.
About the year I7ls there was publiched at
Philadelphia, newspaper called the "Weeky
Mercury"
In June, 1873, was published the "Ncw Yok
Gazette" the first paper in the State
Previous to the year 1882, the printing was nearly
all done parchment-in that year, the first print
ing paper within the present limits of the pitcI
| States was done.
! In no country in the world has the art ofprintpr
! improved 50 rapidly as in the United Statcs.-is
for the newspapers there is no end to them--eycu
little village offs 600 inhabitants has its Gazette"
or its "Oraclc'
In the year 1928, it was calculated that there
was at that time, about nine hundyed newspapers
published in the United States and its territories
and in 1886, (only years afier) the number bad
increased 1OO-maklng, the number published tha!
year, Hirieea hUHdred besides which, there are
numerous magazines and otherpcriodcals published
all over the country. TYPO.