The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1869-11-15

Monday Morning, November 6 1860.
Il he Progress If Jouru.,;.
CORTLAND .

Newspapers are of ancient date. Tho frat
we've D. iblished in manuscript, at Ven;ca
Tpey we've merely the monlh,y eoult Jour
nails. and called GdzettaS, nom the lar, Ling
coin .gazetta,p the pice OF the sheet. This
arlstocratic republic may be regarded as hav-
ing originated, some tour buudred years ago,
the idea of newspapers. Others, however
would regard the written reports OF tue lto-
man Empire, da y issued officially at tue pal
ace. as the first step in newspaper enterprise.
Whether we regard the Act0 DiurHd Of The
Romans, or the farthing reports of the VeDe-
tlans. or the 'eazalero' of the Span.
treasury oil news-as the origin al suggestion,
Il matters little These all were really but a
hint OF what was to come. The newspaper
read by the patrician, the ballad sung to The
plebean, the pamphlet and then tue sh-et
were but steps to the publicatl"n OF tue
"Weekly Newes," 1922, which the latest.Iu-
yesiigatiops place as the first printed English
newspaper. Against governmental sulvell-
lance and private monopOl' journalism 'or a
long time struggled. The Introduction OF
modern railroads and the abolition OF postal
taxes gave new Impulse to thls torm OF pop
ular education in Great Britain. In lo54
there were a hundred and twenty mil on
newspaper stamps issued, and tue circulation
OF newspapers in the United KINGDOM has
la terly largely increased. lh~ trst ewspa-
at Boston-but one copy u which is known
to he in existence sma | quarto.
Certain reflections CT a very high Da'ure'
annoyed the authorities who suppressed it.
Tue "Boston News Letter. appeared April
27, 1904, II by inches, half sheet with two
columns on each side. From this htt.e pc
riodical, or baudbili, as it mIg1t be regarded,
with very limited circulation, has gown
system Of journalism at ouce Extensive anl
power ul. The last U. s. census gives the
number OF papers and periodicals 4,051, with
an annual circulate ~ OF nearly u uOusGnd
million COZ les! The circulation mole than
doubled between 1850 and 1860. The war
gave new impulse to newspaper enterprise,
and t1e next census will show large increase
on these figures Massachusetts, New York
and Pennsylvania take more papers than sll
the other thirty SIX ota,+a a"d L-.IILJ-
lies. Eighty per cent. are ptlit:cal, seven per
cent. literary, about The Same, re- ig GUS
and the remainder are mi ce aneoUs his
brief review is extremely suggestive but we
fol bear comment. With the lapid growth Of
journalism there has been development Of
intellectual activity in all departments OF
thought. We are reading people, aud the
pen of the author or editor has come to be no
mean factor in national progress % srard
these vital clements o power rom the bI' e.
iul sway of cupidhy, injustice and par; liz IN
prejudice, and to encourage the growth o a
hIgh-toned liberality of sentiment. is among
the high respons. biliies ofAmefican Journal
ism. The character of the Press may be
supposed to reflect tue character of the people
and Waatever tends to tnnoble I q social Or
political life of the nation vii directly aid in
e.evatiLg the pos ton and purifying the in
fuence of these exponeIts of net civilizAton.
Kew. E. p. TH"lNG.