The Nevada Democrat., 1858-06-09
Eor,v v.,r. IN a PRINTING once.

II ia seldom in 30 modern country as cur
own an individual connected with newspaper
can say that he has controlled It's columns Tor
nearly half a century, or been uninterrnptedly
engaged in the mechanical duties pertaining
thereto. The editor Of the Portsmouth IN ID
journal, however, can say this, and we take
pleasure in giving, from bis paper Of Feb. 9th,
the following in reference to his long expert
encs as printer and editor
In comparison with the common term Of hu-
man life, this is long period to be In the con-
slant and regular exercise OF one employment.
The recurrence of the 10th OF February, last
week, reminds us that on that day terminated
forty years since we made our entrance into
this office to learn the art and mystery of print
ing. And from the morning of Feb 18th 1918,
to the present time, have we been stationary
axture-never for day in all that time having
been disconnected from the Office; but as ap-
prentice for six years. journeymaR for one year,
and for thrty-three years proprietor, we have
gone on hand and hand with the establishment.
Once in the time we were absent a month from
sickness; but on no other occasion have we ever
been absent more than ten days at time. 1t
will be seen that the regular yearly volume in
the head of our paper is Xxx. When we enter
ed the office, it stood thus Vol. xxx. From
1921 (when the Portsmouth Oracle took the
name Of the Portsmouth Journal to the pres
snt time, have we personally made up the pa
annual changes in these Roman characters.
Long acquaintance with types has not, by daily
| familiarity, taken from us that admiration OF
their beautiful mechanism, so square, so equal
| in hight, standing 60 regularly in lines, which
was excited in us the first day we handled them.
But however thick personal indoor recOllec-
| tions may cluster around, there are others
| which arise from the outdoor progress of our
country and the world, while we have been
made printing office medium, between the
people and the events.
Forty-nine years ago, the States Of our Union
numbered twenty-of which Indiana and Miss
issippi had been but year in the sistcrhood.
We have set the record of the successive admis-
sion of Illinois, Alabama, Maine, Missouri, Ar
kansas, Michigan, Florida, Texas, Iowa, Wis
consin and California. The population Of eur
country was then about nine millions-iti is now
about three times as great. The town of Bos-
ton then contained only 40, 900 inhabitants--the
city now contains 100000. Philadelphia has
increased from 100000 to 100000, and New
York from 100000 to 100000. New Orleans
from 25, 900 to 125,0o0. Portland, in the Dis
trict Of Maine had one-thrd Of its present pop
ulation-and many cities OF 2O,OOO new, were
then scarcely kRown as'vilages.
This progress of population, however is small,
when compared with the progress Of the press
Of the country. In the forty years since we en-
tered the printing Office, more improvement has
been made in the mechanical progress of print
ing, than from the day Of its discovery up to
1918. Until within three or four years of the
latter date no power press had been invented,
and the London papers of large editions had
two sets of types to make a seasonable ISSUE
! No other than common hand presses were in
use in the United States for printing newspa-
pers until after 1918, and newspapers were con-
sequently small-none in the country being so
large as the Portsmouth Journal now is The
Boston Daily Advertiser was then q small sheet
and an experiment Of recent date. The three
semi-weekly Boston papers, the Palladium, Cen
tinel and Chronicle, together, made an issue
each day for many years The Daily Advert-
ser and evening Gazette are the only Boston
papers now published which date back Of 1918.
While fatality has marked so many of the BOs-
ton papers, the Salem Register and the Salem
Gazette. papers which have ever kept on the
even tenor of their ways, have continued to
thrive, blessing to the community where they
circulate. The same may be said of that valu-
able paper, the Newburyport Herald.
Since 1918, the speed Of printing has so in
creased, that in the hour which then produced
only 240 impressions, 1000 can now be made;
or 100 to / The real issue of the newspaper
press has increased 10 about the game proper
tiOn.
The Keene Sentinel, the Amherst Cabinet,
the Concord Patriot, the New Hampshire Ga
zette, and the Portsmouth Journal, are all of the
thirty-ive living papers in this State published
previous to 1918. Twelve other papers had ex-
pired in Portsmouth previous to that time, and
a much larger number in the other towns in
the State.