Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1863-07-02

compense in fewer, but better books: we nigh
| have fewer authors, but more WORTHY of on
remembrance and gratitude.
Some ten years after the first use of woode,
| type by CT EENBERG, one ULRICH HASSE
| Vienna printer not succeeding in his own city
removed to Rome. where he by his skill an,
| ability so gained the favor Of FREDERICK "
as to cause that Emperor to bestow priyilep,
on Printers, which placed them in equal RAM
| with noblemen and scholars, land permitted then
to wear a sword. The rank. thew have eve
acknowledging the equals of noblemen ana
scholars, and if they do not wear the sword
| they have only laid it aside for the ssshootine
stckn EDWARD " of England. in showing
| favor to his intimate friend CAxToN the print.
| er, was pleased to remark that he had s:raised
him from chief AMBASSADOR to that of printer };
Allusion is made to these circumstances. only
to show the attention paid gifted men. for none
at that day aspired to the dignity of the profes-
sion who were not men OF superior education
and worthy of the society and patronage of the
royal and the learned. They were not simplv
craftsmen-their erudition, their attainments.
and dignity of bearing made them the EQUALS
of princes-they respected their profession,
and were respected because of it. They were
not hirelings, nor peddlers of brains. but men
who rejoiced in the nobleness of their profess
sion. and were honored because of their man.
hood-unsold, untrammeled unbought by corpo-
rations and politicians-would it not be well
for US to think back, If we cannot 90 back. to
the good old days Of the ABUSES, the PLAN
TINS, the STEPHESsEs, and the CARTONS
when the patrons of the Art thought thew hon
ored themselves in honoring the Printer? They
opened the Book of knowledge, be it ours to see
that its pages are untarnished by word or
thought unworthy of transmission to those
VIII heads t0 ha oIp /
our teachings.
1 will not attempt to follow the progress of
our art through the troublous times of the
fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. That was
a peculiar era in the worlds history. The
passing from dark to brighter ages-the curtain
Of darkness raised slowly, and long and doubt
full was the combat which finally gave enlight-
ened intelligence and christian liberality the
mastery over ignorance and bigotry. In 1900,
the first printing press was brought to the
North American Continent-an era in the
New Worlds history, second only to its dis.
covery. The press was to the New World like
the breaking Of day after long night of dark
ness-the dispelling Of the mist of ignorance
which had so long mantled the land from it
was to radiate the light of intelligence and
knowledge, permeatinC the dark recesses, and
warming to life and usefulness the treasures
and beauties Of Gods creation. This press
used as a Government organ; and like all such
organs, it's music was for the Government. not
for the people. 1t was mere convenience
used to sound the glory of the King, or praise
or abuse some one in or out of power, as might
best seem for the interests of those who con-
trolled it.. Such presses die with their selfish
masters-and the hope of the people is that
the master die early.
The next press, brought to the American
{
1929. A man by the name of DAY, very
good name, was the first printer, and the Gov
eminent, in honor of his pioneer position, gave
him grant Of three hundred acres of land.
What became of DAY, or how he disposed Of
his land the record is silent, though it may be
safely inferred, that being Printer, he died
i" land poor" The second press in the colo
MES was established at Philadelphia in 1886,
by VIM. BRADFORD, a name somewhat familiar
to all printers and the inscription on his
monument, in its conclusions, would be an
appropriate epitaph for many printer who
has spent a life at the case" That inscrip-
ton reads " Here lies the body of Mr.. Will
LIAM BRADFORD, Printer, who departed this
life, May 23d, 1852, aged 80 years. He was
Printer to this Government for upwards of
fifty years, and being quite worn out with old
age and labor, he left this mortal state in the
lively hope of blessed Immortality" After
serving his Government for upwards Of fifty
years, " and being quite worn out with old age
and labor" he passed away with the hope of
a blessed immortality-we, too, will wear out
/" with old age and labor" but who will ven
ture, when we are gone, to speak of our pros
poets of C blessed Immortality?
1t was not until about the beginning of the
present century that the West, or, as it has
generally been termed, the North-W est, began
to attract attention, and men turned their
thoughts to the inviting points north of the
Ohio, and along the great chain of lakes,
though few settlements for trading purposes,
had then been made b. the more adventurous of
the border men. In 1898, a press was establish
ed at Cincinnati, and in 1903, another was taken
across the Mississippi and planted in the viii
lage of st. Louis. 1t is but half century
since, and what change has been wrought in
this, then, underlined, North-W est-an unbrok-
en- wilderness, with its wild, untutored peo-
pie now one vast productive field, with its
intelligent, busy, thriving populace, rich in
all that contributes to earthly happiness and
prosperity. The agency of the Press, in this
great work of retaining, civilizing and en-
riching, is too apparent, and too highly appre-
ciated to need more than passing allusion,
and that only to remind those to whose care it
is committed that in assuming the duties of the
Chair Editorial, they take upon themselves
responsibilities that challenge their devotion
and watchful care.
The first printing within the boundaries of
what is now Wisconsin, was done at Green
Bay, in 1927, by Mr.. ELLIS, practical print
er. He possessed small font of type, with
which he in that year printed a quantity
of " Lottery Tickets" to aid some charitable
purpose and as printing has been g lot
terry" from that time to this, we may, per-
haps, attribute the uncertain results of our
business to the influence of an unpropitious
beginning. 1t was not until the 18th of De-
cember, 1888, that the first paper. the Green
Bay hteIligsncer, appeared. Wisconsin was
then a part of Michigan, and the vast country
to the west and north of Lake Michigan was
in the darkness of an almost unbroken and
unknown wilderness, without name to dis
tinguish it from the wide expanse of woods,
and streams, and mountains, that stretched
away to the Pacifc-a vast space, which geo.
graphers filled up to suit their convenience,
and beautify their charts Milwaukee, in
1886, followed with it's Advertiser, DAN RICH
ARDS, editor. Green Bay and Milwaukee
were even then rival settlements, and though
separated by wide tracts of unsettled country,
their inhabitants looked forward with jealous
eyes to the great trade which was some day to
build Metropolis for the State, which had
already future of grand proportions predicted
for it by those who had studied and speculated
upon its vast wealth and resources. Presses
were then established, to aid In the great
work of founding cities. They were to pro-
claim the advantages of their own locality,
and declaim the advantages of all others; and
a glance at the two first papers of Wisconsin