Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1857-01-23
Newspapers and the Printing Press

One of the peculiarities of the present
age, and the main one, perhaps, by
which its intellectual activities are quick
ened and the material progress Of The
world is sc greatly promoted, is the enor-
nous increase of newspapers, and par
ticularly the remarkable growth of the
editions of single newspapers. This has
created new power in civilized commu-
mites, power so vast that when prop
erly directed in free countries, it is able
to control even the action Of government,
and is the most potent engine which may
be used either to arouse the popular
mind to national danger, or to combine
its elements against the mischiefs which
affect social security and the happiness
and well being of mankind. The ''power
of the press is phrase frequently ut
tered, but very few entertain an adequate
or definite idea Of it. It's real power is
not to be measured simply by the mum
bers Of printed newspapers Of various
kinds and Of different titles, which are
daily issued from the press, each of which
exercise an influence to an extent equal TO
its own particular circulation, ability and
character. but il is in the enormous edi-
ton which few newspapers attain, that
this idea of the power of the press is most
forcibly realized. In the latter class of
newspapers are embraced the greatest
combination and concentration of forces
known in the intellectual world. A
newspaper distributing many thousand
copies, among all classes of readers, and
impressing its own thoughts and feelings
spontaneously and instantaneously upon
as many thousand minds, is a power of
such magnitude that it is not surprising
the public mind generally has no ade-
quate conception of it, because it so inf
nitely above and beyond any other popu-
lar medium of intelligence with which it
may be compared. The orator who adj
dresses mass meeting, is physically in
capable of making himself heard by more
than few thousand persons at any one
time, and the most popular divine is sat
isiied if his church is crowded with still
fewer numbers. But the newspaper has
no such limits to its auditory; its instruc-
tons may go simultaneously to a hundred
thousand readers, with nearly as much
facility as to thousand, restricted only
by the amount of population which sup
plies readers, and the imperfect power 0
the mechanical agencies used to perform
the vast amount of physical labor re-
quired to print the largest editions.
The power of the press, as implied ant
realized in newspapers with such edition.
as we have referred to, is entirely 0
modern growth. 1t is the result Of
combination Of causes co-existing and co
operative. Education has created read
ers out of densely populated communi
ties. Free institutions prevailing, hay
established free enquiry as necessary :
maintain them. Our educational m,
our political establishments have there
fore created new popular wants, and ex
tended the desire and necessity for knowl
edge to the EXTREMIST circle Of societ
where human intelligence exists. Con
spontaneously with these new wants hav
arisen the power and means of gratifyin,
them. The intellectual activities of tb
age have vivified and enlarged the pow
ers of the mind. and inspired its invent
i've faculties. With the increased edi
tions of newspapers which grew out 0
their cheapness, came the necessity 70
improvements in the mechanical agen
cies employed to print newspapers. :
Modern invention was equal to this re
quirement and the mechanical genius 0
Hoe reached the highest principle within
the grasp of inventive power or applica
ton. The sslast fast type revolving
press, in which the rotary principle is $
beautifully. simply and effectively ap
piled, is the most perfect conception Q
mechanical adaptation to the require
ments of a particular art that has eve
been suggested. 1t does for newspaper
what Fulton did for propulsion. and tn
mechanic arts in general, when he sue
cessfully applied steam to work the cram
of an engine, and put into the hands 0
labor the unlimited power Of notura
s,s;,,a 80 .s as "u ~" .n :, , au.u
Of automatic machinery, and upon whicl
a.. ., la.d.e ,apaese,usn's' 'ot 'ae raPi'
n,a."o,' ',s. =. ooPios' ~ INC p'ih'ln|
p'ess mus ~ usseu'
o,n1e ina. Pe,iou' apou' zen years y ago
s w, - me cnoap nswsp a q =, Ne'
. lu.n law oeen oonPel'eu y 'nclt iasg'
eua''ouS' - procure ,our anu s'N cylluuc
ples :s, anu 10 leau'ng newspaper ca'
possipiy 40 WITHOUT them. Once seeing