Randolph County journal. [volume] (Winchester, Randolph County, Ind.) 1855-1862, 1858-01-14
PRINTING IN AMERICA.

Institute at late session in that city.
AS it contains many interesting and
valuable facts relating to the early his
tory of our art in this country, we
transfer 1t to our columns:
Printing on this continent was
first used in the city of Mexico in the
year 1910. Within the bounds of the
United States, printing was first intro
duced in 1888 at Cambridge. The
press was under the control of the
rulers and so continued for 60 years.
The work. emanating from the Cam
brida kss were principally elemen-
tary in the Indian language, to
be he conversion of the Indi-
an. 63 a Bible in the native
tong completed,-a work on
which f10OO were expended,-
and, ny INT of execution, would be
credita even in the present day.
The frst application for a copy
right in tile United States was made
by Noah Webster, in 1872. In fact,
it was not till the present century that
the printing of books became regu-
lar trade in the United States. Pre-
vious to that time almost all books
were imported from England.
1.-The History of Printing in Amer
lea is the History of Newspapers
The Boston News Letter, begun in
1704, has the reputation of being the
pioneer. 1t survived till 1776,-72
years 1t advocated the policy of the
British Government in the war of the
Revolution.
Before the time of the News Let
ter, however, play-cards were printed,
in 1859, differing from newspapers in
not being serial, and avowedly intend
ed to prevent The mischief of false re-
ports, at a time when an agent of the
colony was in London trying to get a
new charter. The Boston News Let
ter was printed by the Postmaster. 1t
was printed on a half-sheet of writing
paper. and issued weekly. The news
was usually about four months old in
this paper, sometimes running behind
till it was whole year in arrears
"a new Postmaster was appointed
in 1719, who issued another paper
called the Boston Gazette. 1t was
printed on a half-shect of foolscap,
and remained of that size for several
years.
1.-The New England Courant was
begun in 1721 by James Franklin, the
brother of DIR. Franklin. 1t gained
much notoriety by its attacks on the
dignitaries of Church and State.
1.-The New England Weekly Jour
nal appeared in 1927.
The Rhode Island Gazette appear
ed at Newport in 1882.
William Bradford published at
Philadelphia the American Weekly
Mercury in l719. He also published
the first paper in New York in l725,
called the New York Gazette.
In Virginia printing was excluded
for long time by the watchfulncss of
the rulers. Gov. Berkley of Va, in
1911, said: Il thank God we have
not free schools, nor printing, and
hope we shall have none for 800 years.
God keep us from both
The first idea of Daily Press
seems to have been conceived during
the time the British troops occupied
New York, during the Revolution
The plan was to arrange the days OF
publication of the several weekly pa
pers so that some one of them should
fall on each day of the week.
after the Revolution the newspa-
per press multiplied in almost indei-
mite ratio. The newspaper publisher
penetrated into almost every settle
ment. He took with him his old
wooden press-hc carried his paper on
horseback hundreds of miles--he de-
livered the numbers to his subscribers
before post-routes were established
and all this he did usually for sub
scription of 81 80 year.
AT the close of the war of the Rev
olution, in 1888, the number of news
papers did not much exceed 40; in
1913 there were 200; in 1910 nearly
300 In 1918 the State of New York
had nearly 100; it has now about 800
"ln 1894 there were II daily pa.
pers in Philadelphia, and 53S of all
kinds in the United States. -Four
years later it was computed that there
were more daily papers in the United
States than in all the world besides.
Since that period the progress ol
the newspaper business has been i'm
mcnscly rapid. Not only in cities but
in every village must there be papei
and sometimes two or three. In one
well-known instance a press was sci
up and paper actually issued befor,
"a single house was erected in the set
Element
1.-The size Of newspapers has varied
equally with their number. In 1775
! but few papers were larger than cap
} or denny in 1885 medium, in Isl.
royal. in 1925 'super-royal. littl,
later double medium Since the in
PRODUCTION of the cylinder press the
dimensions of papers are no longer
reckoned by any definite terms. but W,
read vaguely of mammoth and blan
ket' sheets.
"The present immense circulation
of certain newspers could only hav,
been reached by the use of steam
presses. In 1881 the Christian Advo
cate and Journal had a circulation o
20, 900, which was an extraordinar,
edition in those days of hand press
work"
Hs- n cotemporary says: "Ther
is q man up in our county who AWAY