Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1870-08-20
For the journal
For the Journal
THE PRINTING PRESS-GUTEN-
BURG.

Through printing, can talk with all the
historic ages. When the mood is on me
can sit in my room and say, ''Come Plato,
Newton, Shakespeare and Swedenborg tell
me what you think of life" Through print
ing they are my servants. How eagerly they
tell me the best they know. The best of the
worries past experience l may have for few
dollars. The richest fruits, the spiritual out
come Of humanitys hoping, praying, and toll
ing for the last twenty-five centuries, l can
have brought to my door. What magic power
thus offers me such untold treasure from the
past? The printing press A Spencer, a
Tcnnyson or Emerson, sits to-day in his
study evolving some higher, la ger thought
of life, entertaining some more beautiful Wis
ion of God. Tomorrow or next month the
new thought, the higher vision are given to
the printing press, that rejoicingly spreads
them over all the civilized world. Thus the
millions come into communication with the
richest lives. What is printing the present
outcome of? Is it not one of mankind's later
efforts of soul to communicate with soul
Commencing at the bottom of the ladder, so
far as man can discern, We find that in the
lower orders of creation, animals commune
cate their emotions, or desires, by touch, or
movements that answer for signs. How limited
and imperfect is this. Higher in the scale we
find sounds used. The call, the songs and cries
of insects, birds and animals, are their con-
ofin their do 10 H.
sounds get crystalzed into definite method
they become the speech of human beings
more and more perfected as the world ad-
vances. Man was not content with this; he
wanted to talk with his friend miles away
What could he do? His voice could not
reach him; he made picture or rude signs
on piece of bark or skin, that in measure
represented what he would communicate to
his friend. This was the beginning o. litera-
ture, the forerunner of printing. By and by
signs take the place of picture language.
Slowly the signs, through the advancing ages
get crystalized, or methodzed into letters,
standing for certain sound in human speech.
For many centuries these letters and words
were written by human hands, on papyrus or
parchment. This slow process did not meet
the wants Of progressing man. He be-
gan to dream of and dimly discern a better
way Who should discover this better way
to the world? A poor unknown, finally dis
pissed and prosecuted man, as all Gods
prophets and inventors of better things gen.
orally are; man by the name of Gutenberg
When a young man at HARLEM he fell in
love. The day that Gutenberg fell in love
ought to be set apart as a worlds holiday.
What saints day importing more? When this
Gutenberg had holiday he used to wander
outside the town, and sitting under the will
lows, amuse himself by cutting, or engraving
the initials of his brides name on little willow
blocks. One day he cut piece so nicely that
he thought he would preserve it., so he wrap
ped it up in a little piece of parchment. Next
day on opening it he found the letters inn
printed on the parchment in perfect form, tor
the sap in the green wood had oozed out, and
stained the parchment where it had been
pressed on the letters. This was the begin
ming of printing.
Gutenberg shut himself in his workshop,
and continued this process. He felt that he
was about to open new heaven to man. He