Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1859-01-19
PRINTERS FESTIVAL!

this city, and wasthe scene, apparently, of unmix-
ed enjoyment to all present. The pleasantness of
the time spent in the Armory and Dining Hall,
was in perfect harmony with the pleasantuess of the
evening without Several hundred persons were
in attendance andthe exercises of the evening pass
ed of with harmony and good feeling.
Dancing was commenced in the Armory about
half past eight O'Clock, and continued until supper
was announced at ten. The Armory was finely
decorated with swords and pistols hung in festoms
around the galleries This, be it understood, was
not for the Festival, but for the Military Conven-
tion Of the day following. The more peaceful prin-
tiers, whose most warlike weapons are shooting
sticks had arranged large number of beautiful
engrayings and pictures to add to the attractive
ness, { ,s6h y - EEF
Supper having been prefaced with blessing by
Rev. James Eells the material part of the system
was most bountifully refreshed with all manner of
food pleasant to the taste and comely to look upon
Landlord Wfnslow and Steward Phillips shone forth
in their glory at this supper
The impatant duties of refreshing the inner man
having been duly attended to- the President Mr.. ].
A. HARRIS addressed the company as follows
LADIEs;AND BROTHERS OF 'THE ART PREsER.
yATIyE OF ALL ARTS p am happy to meet with
you at this festive board to commemorate the One
| Hundred and Flfty-thrd Anniversary of the birth
| of BENJAMIN FRANKLIN-the American Printers
Patron Saint. Franklin is in truth Saint to go
~ ii. for altdseples of thetsbIack arts down 10
the very "deviP in the office, worship old Ben
Franklin. And why? Because his life illumin-
ates bright page in the Worlds History When
but poor printer boy, he was model of indus
try, of frugality, of temperance, Of application of
integrity OF perseverance, of success. When a
man, the Philosopher and the Patriot-making
the dread bolts OF Jove his harmless playfelows,
and with the sturdy independence of an Ameri.
can Freeman he looked "unawed upon kings
Honor then to the memory of old Ben Franklin
May Printers ever truly honor him, by emuating
his example,
The Printing Press is the fitting prototype of
our Western World 1t is the Genius of Progress,
and leads the march of Empire. Free Schools.
Free Churches, Free Labor, and Free Territory,
keep step with the Free Press from the Atlantic to
the peaceful Ocean whose waters lave the golden
sands of the Republic. And ali, whose fingers
have fashioned the words, and brought into line
the leaden types of the records Of its triumphs,
may well be proud fdaily ministering in the dus-
ty and begrmed Printing Ofice-that true Temple
of the Press. 1t was our Franklins College; and
how many here assembled, with myself, owe life
time OF gratitude to the poor boys Alma Mater,
the humble Printing Office Its types its presses
have changed with the fashions and the improve
ments in the mechanic arts but its teachings are
ever the same Its intelligence is uniyersal-its
truths eternal.
The wood framed Ramage Press, two pulls to a
side, from which the Mercuries, Courers and Her
aids of our fathers were issued-the press on which
franklin worked ed in Boston and RAiaaelta5i Bgs u
Poor Richard, with Noah Websters Spelling Book,
Daboll's Arithmetic and Murray's Grammar, the
best thorough educators of the young yet invented
the Ramage presses that so figured in the olden
time, have already become buried fossils Many
younger jours have never seen one, much less DIS
tered their hands like Franklin on its ''devPs taf
In their stead we have the great thought executing
monsters, with breath of fire and lungs Of iron, do
ing industrious Franklin's work of a year within
J the hours Of a single day-the lightning he tanned
its messenger boy flashing news from all quarters
of the globe, and steam trains-never even dreamed
of in his far searching philosophy scattering thu
mutitudinous sheets, still damp from the press, il
cities and towns hundreds and thousands of mile
distant! fEta
But as all Printers are sensible MEN of Letters
: and for good cause put PERIOD to long speeches
: I shall, as the REsPoNsIBLE EDITOR for the occa
L sion, now GIVE OUT few SHORT TAKES of PHA'
e COPY, trusting that ALL HANDS will JUSTIFY tn
' NATTER with due FLOURISH of EXPLANATIONS
REGULAR ToAsTs.
n Ist Bsnjaulia FrankliR-And God made MAJ
: : after his own image. ~ ~
Responded by ]. A. Spencer. He made a capi
tai ofhand speech, eulogising Franklin for all hi
noble qualities relating many incidents of his life
imTressing upon the young men present the wis
dom of following the example of their iIlustriou
= Saint, and interspersing his remarks with man
q happy Lifts at past and presenttimes Frahkli
was humble printer, and desired no titled honor
l. to be bestowed upon him: He was emphaticalI
D. one of natures uobemen in the garb of peasan
Ad The remarks Of Mr.. Spencer were heartily appal
ded. ana
: I'd. Ye Printer Boys-Always at the head
4 the column, may their chase after PhGt takes |
~ successful, and they never find themselves QuE
sorts
l' as fellows:
The printer pointed to the past history Of b
craft-to its triumphs both moral and intellectual
as the best evidences of the truth of the sentmel
that "ye printer boy" was always at the lead
the column. Our craft has furnished the wbrl
& with some of its brightest scholars and statesne
ew and although printers did not claim to be Kine
or King makers by profession, they were builder
of nations and peoples-for wherever the star
ct Empire took its way, 'ye printer boys' were il
= varably its pioneers to act as the sentinels
IS enlightened institutions, and render themsevt
fl1TT worthy the applause of the world.
ats With respect to the ausion to ''phat takes,
sad tndt Just lOur lulQreQ years ago SDaui
Is IS, taught Faust and Guttemberg the art Of maxim
es types from matrices, which SO delighted Faust th;
he gave to Shaffer his worthy and beautiful daugl
ter Chrstiana as a wife. That was the first .'phi
n take" on record and he need not say that the e.
: ample of 'phat takes thus happily inaugurate
has been assiduously emuiated by printers to Il
- present day; and if this occasion was not produ
. tive of many similar "phat takes" the speaks
said he was no judge Of the eternal fitness
things" q
Sd. The Press of the United States-The mo-
liberal and enterprsing in the world. @ .
Mr.. ELI BRUcE responded to the above. L
said;., -. E5--f 90. -
The history Of the American Press remained
be written and if it ever found historian equal
the labor the most important chapter would be al
ded to the annals of our country In all the essei
tia elements of its character that Press was peel
- Harly and pre-eminently American. Its power
= u1aiities and excellence have been developed III
der the benigpiRfnence of our free institutions
= 1t could have its origin and growth in NO otht
: country: and could 1t now in its strength, imm.
ture as il is be transplanted to any other civilize
nation on the globe, (no matter how powerful an
despotc it might be,) and gam access 70 its peop
7 that nations government would be revolutioniAe
- in twenty -four hours and new and popular gOS
N. | erpment, established and maintained. Dating a
mostfrom the day Of every thing else American
il strikes its roots into the same SOIL and grow
sheteringiy in the group with all the other Of ou
institutions, imparting and receiving vitality
strength and Vlgor. -
from its commencement as an incident as it grey
to feature and then TO fixed and recognized in
stitution TO which position it had attained unde
the guardianship Of Franklin, whose genius foun
scope for its varied and wonderful workings il
moulding and developing the energies and power
And r,3 most 5obIv and fsitbfulIv has it warrante