Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1867-06-29


provements In this respect have gone
on, till now, the newspaper is a neces-
slty TO mans earthly existence: and |
even the daily of a small country CITY
at the present time, far exceeds In in
terest and in the ability of it's MANAGE.
ment the best publications in the IaTp.
est cities of forty years ago. These
are facts though the change has
been going on so imperceptibly that
We can hardly realize it. Still those
who have been engaged in the news
paper business as long as some
who are now present can fully attest to the
truth OF these positions from personal OBJ
servation.
In assuming so great an influence for the
newspapers OF the country, it may not be inn
proper to back mp our clam with some
reasons why they exert an influence so SUI
perior to other public educators, as orators,
professional men, &c. A few words ON that
point. Take, first, the public speaker. He
attracts the attention of the MASSES dis
courses TO them most ably and elOquently;
the people are electrified with his brilliapev
aud at the close of an argument, the uni
yersal acclaim is the highest praise of the
effort. The crowd disper5es, each one to his
own home, fully impressed with the extreme
richness of the intellectual treat he has had;
that il was unequaled by ANYTHING he had
business, and by the next day no only knows
that he witnessed most brilliant displav of
OratOry the day before that he had been en-
raptured by 1t: but ask him what particular
thing pleased him, IN nine cases out
OF ten, no sentence or point of excellence
can be given, beyond the general i'm
preston of the great superiority of the eff
fort. The substance of the matter Is all gone
How would it be III this same matter ap-
peared in the newspaper 1t would be read
nv tbOnSaUd9 lfa MARTA KVouIH ba 4
on the first reading, and the paper would be
laid aside for n fnture perusal; and it wouId
not be given up, until its whole substance WAS
firmly fixed in the mind of the reader, n ever
to be removed by time. The fame of the
public speaker rarely becomes conspicuous.
unless his speeches are published They are
indebted to the newspapers of the country
for a large share OF the glory OF the high
position they attain. Their displays OF ora
tory attract the attention Of the people some
what towards them, and cause an Increased
eagerness IN community to read their efforts.
but it is the reading itself, that establishes
the title to superiority. Ii there is true abiI-
ity ia the effort, it's being put in print and
thrown out TO the world will most surely
bring it forth. Aud here, if it we're not
for letting out a secret OF our profession, 1t
might be added, that If the matter in most
cases prepared by the author, was given
TO the public without the printers improve
ments, many regulations would be fatally
-
men of the land have had their characters for
ability established through the careful prun.
ing that has been given their productions
by the humble jour. printer, who plods away
his life in the confinement of an office. en-
tirsly unknown to fame. MyJOwn experience
would furnish many Illustrations of this point, |
but it will not do to particularize. The print
or rarely gets 1.-THE OF the credit that be
longs to him in this respect; but he is content
with privately knowing that he has done his
ahaVz in making FnnnfqtInnG
men; and this knowledge Is his principal con- |
ISOLATION, as he seldom receives either thanks |
or money for his pans. Ia my estimation, |
the practical printer, in his daily
cated by the community generally, |
in proportion to his great worth, and to the |
amount of good he does in the world, of any
class of persons that We have in the country. |
trust the time wall come, when that class |
will become elevated to the position in society |
where its intelligence and constant aud severe
labor for the good of mankind, entities it to
stand and, Ill my opinion, 1t would be a high
rank.
As public speaker, perhaps no man has
wider influence than Henry Ward Beecher.
His great elOquenee and ability Is universally
acknowledged. His fame as an orator IL world
wide His influence ia the country is second
perhaps to no man IN 1t. But, friends, did it
ever occur to you, that this immense influence
is attained quite IA much, if not more. by the
continuous publication OF his sermons and
speeches in the newspapers of the country
than from his bTilliancy in the delivery of
thena2 That his eloqnsnoo in manner has at
tracted vast amount of attention and adj
miratiOn from the citizens of the country is
undOubted and this fact has created
an anxiety to read his discOurses;
bat ii II, beyond question, the |
publication of these discOuTses, that has |
given him the larger share of his influence in |
the country. Thus, 1 claim, that he IL largely |
.fAal fa1t f,f
tinguished position he holds in the world
In considering the influence of newspapers |
over the public mind, let us illustrate by a |
single estimate. For a public speaker, as a |
minister of the Gospel, or lecturer, five hun |
dred persons Is certainly fair average audi |
ence. The discourse is delivered in the most
attractive manner, aud is made mp of the best
of matter but, as has been before intimated |
with large majority OF the audience, there |
is only an impression OF Its excellence left ) |
the substance is gone /; is lost forever. unless |
it is published. Five hundred is a very small |
average subscription list for newspaper; |
and it Is fair to presume, that there are five |
readers of every paper issued, to every single |
subscriber. Thus an editor with five hundred |
Subscribers, talks in every Issue, to an audi |
ence of not less than twenty-five hundred |
persons. Not only does he talk to them, but |
if the matter he sends forth Is interesting, it |
remains before the readers until its entire |
substance is garnered up in the mind, fur |
time. We may thus reasonably claim, that |
the same matter spoken to an audience of |
five hundred persons, or issued in a news |
paper to five hundred subscribers, will exert |
in the latter mode OF communication, an in /
fluence ten times greater, than in the former. |
But we can only hint at these things, in the |
time allotted rs on this occasion nor Is it |
necessary to do more, to fully establish 10 |
the public mind, the positions we have as /
sumed with reference to the influence OF |
newspapers upon the world.
will now adduce a few authorities sustain |
ing the position assumed on this subject. In |
1882 DIR. Franklin. in a letter to a friend |
uses the following language
''The ancient Roman and Greek orators |
could only speak to a number of citizens Ca
pable of being assembled within the reach of |
their voice. Their writings had little eff |
feet, because the bulk of the people could not |
read. Now, by the press, we can speak to |
nations and good books and we'll written |
pamphlets have great and general influence. |
The facility with which the same truths |
may be repeatedly enforced by placing them |
daily in different lights ia newspapers, which |
are everywhere read, gives a great chance of |
establishing them. And we now find that it |
is not only right to strike while the iron as hot
but that it may be very practicable to heat 1t
by continually striking"
III, oil; hty-five years ago when newspapers
were so limited in number, aud contracted In |
both amount and character of matter, as COM |
WIN bhOoo VI TIC pA DbbliA llAbii lAA-
flaence was deemed so vast by the great |
how can that influence at the |
present time be Overestlmated
De TOcqueyllle, IN his work on America, /
thus speaks of the newspaper ga newspaper |
can drop the same thought into n Thousand |
minds at the same moment. A newspaper Is |
an adviser who does not require to be sought, |
but who comes to You OF his own accord, and /
talks to yOu briefly every day OF common
veal, without distracting your private affairs. /
therefore, become more neees-
aaYv in man hpeOma