The Tiffin weekly tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1859-1868, 1860-01-27

Editorial Association at Tign, Jon,
lsth, 1860.
BEErmEN OF THE pEEss:-I had the
honor, at the Editorial Convention, which
assembled at Dayton, last onuary, to
receive the appointment of ORATOR, on
this occasion. | disclaim all pretensions
to oratory, and, shall, therefore, coniine
myself TO a little plain talk, hastily "set
fup at the case" (not written,) amid many
interruptions.
| You will pardon me little apparent
/ cgotsm, while / rehearso my connection
with the Ohio Press.
My first impressions were received in
printing office. As early Gs 1907, my
father, GEORGE DENNY, purchased an in
terest in the Supporter and Sciota Gu
zette," of the late GEORGE NAsuEE.-
They continuedin partnership until about
the year 1915. My father tried farming
for few years, but printers being gener-
ally fit for nothing else than printing, he
returned 70 the business again In 1920, at
AcniO, In conjunction with JoHN KEN
DALI, he published the "Ohio Interior
Gazette" Here, in my tenth year,
learned to set type, and have continued
90 follow the business, with little inter
mission, ever since. Forty years ser
vice, therefore, makes me a pretty ven
cradle printer. For twenty-six wears OF
that period, | have edited a country pa
per-twonty-fOur at Lebanon, In the ole
Western Star, established by Judge Nc.
Lean, in 1906. My father and Nathan.
iel McLain printed it for him year.
Ihave worked on all the messages Of
the Presidents from James Monroe e
James Buchananj and this reminds me oi
the remarkable changes that have taken
place in printing since my apprentice
ship. Here is fair sample Of the pa
pers of that day. II is "The GOlaxy,'
dated July %, 1929, and printed by my
father, at Wilmington, Clinton county
The type is small plea aud BREWER, ant
the press was Ramnge. The Ollie
cost about 800, and there was no
enough type in il, a part Of the time, &
set up the inside without distributing IN
advertisements ON the outsidel Stepn
was unknown; Hoe presses not evui
dreamed Of, and the "balls" were the on
L " linking apparatus then in use. Fo
many day, have played Yankee Doodl
and other matt onal airs, on the "forms ,
with these primitive inventions for ink
ing the type. They were made O
"polts" or green sheep-skins reeking iron
the vat. The Devil was required {,
wrap them in an old newspaper and rub
them under his feet on the floor, lo
hours, until they were 80 dry that no wa
ter could be squeezed out of them.
was a law of the office, that the Dovi
should eat one ofthem before he complet
cd his trade. The polts were filled will
wool, and the edges tackled on to u rouu,
piece of wood, with handles. After use
the ink was nicely cleaned of, and thl
balls deposited in the trough, covereu
with "wet blankets" to keep them moist
Careful printers, in order to prevent tn
wool from "matting," and to keep tn
pelt, soft and pliable, "knocked off" tn
balls after the forms W ere of, an d thel
"knocked them up" again when wanted
When in good order, and with superio
ink and paper, they did better work tha
rollers, and are still used by engrayers I
"bring of" clear and beautiful impress
ions. Buckskin balls, being little NOR
convenient, succeeded to the pelts, bu
now the rollers, made Of glue and me
lasses, have displaced them both.
There being no Telegraph lines nc
daily papers in the west, prior to 1896
the people were not greatly excited abou
early intelligence. If they heard froi
Washington once in two weeks, an
from Columbus once a week, they wer
satisfied. Publishers, therefore, were j
n no extraordinary hurry, and often had
good deal of "elegant leisure" on the
hands. Stoves being dear and scare
and not often found in a country otic
in severe winters il was not uncommo
M 70 suspend work for several weeks whe
all hands would occupy the timein frolicl
ing and cunning. The paper, when "w'
down" would often freeze as hard as a
iceberg; the types, when in form, woul
be frozen solid and the balls be as hard
a rCck. As printers, in those days, SCI
to the paper mill every few weeks for pi
per, (they were to poor to buy more tina
a ream or two at 4 time,) they frequent
found the mill stopped by ice; and, ear
In the spring, when on this errand, the
were impeded by high waters. / hav
when boy, with ream in each end Of
bag, on horseback, swan Mad River an
other streams. It was usual, then to pa
Gin cash and rags"-the latter beiH
bought by the printer aud called for, b
the paper-malier, every few months. III
papers, up 70 1880, all contained standir
advertisements, like this: