The River Falls journal. (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1857-1861, 1859-05-11
ADDR ESS
Delivered before the st. Croir Valley
Edito .ial Convention, held at the
Court House, an tie City Of Hudson,
on the 9th day Of May, 1859.

Edsto.taL COnUeatOn, held at TIE
Court House, an tie City Of Hudson,
on The 9th day Of Lay, 1859.
My BROTHERS There was a time
when mau was profoundly ignorant, and
one class Of community ie.ls us that zig
norance is Bliss" if such be the fact, then
that was the golden ago. But from that
moment when the great declaration was
made; Behold the man has become as
one ofus, to know good from evil" bis
restless spirit has been constantly striving
to break the letters of Ignorance, evil, tyr
amy and oppression that have ever en-
comprised him. The SIR; g,le of the
mind Of man has been worthy ola God.
The victories gained and progress made
are not the less worthy of him, who en-
dowed us with that spirit Of inquiry, that
searching after truth, that indomitable will
and boIdness, topush on investigation and
penetrate beyond that veil that some wod
seek to interpose to protect the hidden
mys cries of faith from the rough hands
and vulgar gaze of impious man.
In the golden age, the art Of Printing
was unknown. Ills doubtful, even, wheth-
er any characters were used for the pur-
pose Of conveying thought, or whether the
s;gnifcation of the words "news" or ''la-
test Intelligence" were understood in those
balmv days that poets draam Of.
We descend down to the days of the
great lawgver, Moses, and we find that
the Ten Commandments, along with the
other laws, were traced upon tablets Of
stone. There were yet no such things as
printed looks or newspapers. In the
book Of JOB there's some thing spoken of,
rather in fguratlye manner. which
sounds a little as if the old philosopher,
might have been somewhat acquainted
with the inside of a printing office; for
when his soul was wrought with anguish,
and his relatives and servants forgot him,
and his best friends Knocked him, he rails
ed his voice of complaint, and cried out:
ooh that my words were now written !!
Oh that they were printed in a book !
That they were craven with an iron pen
and lead in the rock forever!'' But vet
there was none in his day, it was only
prophetic language.
We travel onward down the long vista
Of time, to the learning Of Athens, and the
glory of the Roman empire, and yet no
printed books, no daily papers, no editors
to con lense the latest news. Philosophers,
reformers, prophets and lawgivers had
come to enlighten the world somewhat,
and pass away, but yet had not made
known this Art of Arts, the Art of
PRINTING. 1t remained for Faust,
John Faust, { 2 the greatest benefactor Of
the human race, to give man control of an
engine with which he could disseminate
that which rewarded mother Eve for her
courage in partaking Of the forbidden
fruit. Without this mighty engine, knowl-
edge would have ever been confined to the
few, and the world would be yet cropping
n mental darkness aud physical oppres-
sion. The Press is the legitimate conse-
quence Of the immortal Faust's great dis
covery. With its lid, the words of the
willy Riche,ieu arc confirmed; ''The Pen
is mightier than the sword 1t is the
terror of Kings and evil doors. Remove
the Censorship of the Press in Europe and
the on ire continent would soon be sree.
Paced on an equal footing, and the
Press mo:e powerful than any king in
the world. 1t was to overcome its ire
sistible power that called together the con-
vocation of ecclesiastics in London, shortly
after the discovery Of the art, VIII CHI caIIed
forth the memorable expression from the
High Priest: "We must destroy the art
or it will one day destroy us"
"Ihe Prophets prophecy falsely, the
priests bear rule by their means. and my
people love to have it So" Jer., 3lst
verse. 1t is this which maintains Louis
Napoleon on the throne of France, and
on the necks ofthe people. Remove the
restriction from the Press in France, and
he would rot live 40 hours.
Aatony of Rome declared with has
cause, if he had the eloquence Of '.Brutus,
he could move the stones to mutiny," but
with free and untrammeled Press,
thrones can be shaken down, the palaces
of the Guelphs made to totter on their
bases, and tyrants quake with fear; and
the entire world be moved, and man be
brought to be as 6 Gods, to know good
and evil"
It would break the midnight Of error
and superstition. the letters OF the accur-
sed inqusition, the chains of slavery and
despotism, and elevate man so that he
would be capable of selfgovernment with
out the aid of mediators, to play the sy-
cophant between him and the unseen
powers.
1t was the magic power of the Press.
that burst the Chains of kngcraft in France
in 1887, aud had the people been educa-
ted, Frence had yet been free. The peo-
pie of France are more abject slaves than
the negroes of the South, taking the rae IS
into consideration. If publisher of any
paper dares to criticize anything without
leave of the contemplate Louis Napoleon.
he is Immediately seized and lodged in
some vile and loathsome prison, where
sunshine never enters, or is banisbed the
country. The Press is comparatively free
in England. aud this accounts for the in
telligence an freedom of that country.
In Russia, too, the Press, though not
entirely unshackled, is dong good work.
In St Petersburg, several daily papers
have been ablished, and are exerting
mighty influence upon public sentiment,
even in that staid country. Many week
lies and Periodicals are being started in
other parts Of the Empire, and are having
the blissful effect of arousing the masses
from the midnight of ignorance and error
in which they have for SO many long
dreary years wandered.