New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1870-03-12
Old AND NEW.

OLD AND NEW
.Just one hundred years ago to-day appeared
tba 770tb number of The Boston Gazette ana
Country Journal. A copy of it lies before us
"a we write. 1t is dingy little paper ABOUT
one. fifth as big as THE TRIBUNE, and though
Il nurnorts TO contain "the freshest advlces,
" foreign and domestic it is barren enough
ne general news, as the best OF Journals
were apt to be in those early days. no
second and third pages, however, surrotlilucu
nv broad black margins and decorated with a
row of collins bearing skulls and cross-bones'
fell a story which even at the dis-
tance of an entire century Is still Oh
vivid interest. This is the story OF the
famous Boston Massacre Of the 9th Oh
March-"a melancholy Demonstration" says
The Gazette, "of the destructive Consequences
"of quarterng Troops among Citizens IN
"Tine of Peace under Pretense OF support
cling the Laws and aiding Civil Authority, but
ain Reality, to inforce oppressive Meas
cures. to awe g. controul the legislative
"as well as executive Power OF
"tbe Province, and to Quell Spirit OF Liberty,
which however it may have been paseiy OPP
"pos'd and even ridiculd by some, would 10
| Honor to any Age or Country ohe can
hardly read without a smile the report tha1
TUESDAY Morning presented most shochinS
"Scene, the Blood of our Fellow Citlzeh'
q" running like water thro' King Street, and the
a." Merchants Exchange. Our Blood might also
q" he trackd I'D to the Head of Long-Lane,
" and through divers other Streets and Pas
a." sapes - for it is we'll understood now
that the Boston Massacre was in itself
small affair." and the soldiers had pretty
severe proyocation for what they dld.
Perhaps it would be rash to call the victims
of the riot martyrs; but the four black
collins which figure in this mourning sheet,
marked with the initials Of Samuel Gray,
Samuel Maverick, James Caldwell, and
Crispus Attacks, are after all memorials
of the rising spirit Of independence
which few years later was to express itself
in Jefferson's noble Declaration. The narrative
of The massacre and the funerals, and the pro-
ceedings of various Own-meetings which IN
tho same week resolved to oppose the i'm
portation of all British goods and to drink
no tea until the Stamp Act should be
repealed, take up so much of the paper that
there is little room for miscellaneous reading
We have, however, an angry communication
from "An Independent" who argues, III reply
to ga Bostonian,n that allegiance to the king
is compatible with resistance to I'M
inst laws. and is Mortified at Bostonl-
ans assertion that "1he Independent
would convert every province or island,
" however insignificant some of them may be,
Unto separate and distinct States'-whlch he
declares to be ga palpable lie." We have
curious report in the way of vital satisfies
Buried in the Town of Boston since our last,
Eight Whites, No Black: Baptizd in the sew
" eral Churches, Seven" Passengers for New
York are informed that sloop will sail III the
course of a week; and the heads of families
are advised that "A young woman with good
Breast of Milk, that can be well recon-
"mended, would go into Gentlemans Family
"to suclIe."
The Gazette was not bad paper for Its day
but what enormous progress the art of journal
ism has made in the hundred years since this
little sheet was printed Suppose America
now were full of the spirit of revolution,
and an occurrence like the Boston Massacre
should fan the smoldering fires into flame; how
differently the newspapers would treat the
matter. The fullest possible descriptions OF
the scene would be read the next morning In
every city of the Union. We should have the
history of the troubles from the commence
ment we should have the opinions of the peo-
pie from all quarters, the.talk of the drawing
rooms and the murmurs of the streets; and the
editorial pages of the great papers would be
filed with comment, explanation, expostulation,
indictments to revenge, or entreaties to be
calm and prudent. The journalist would recog-
nize his double function of both directing and
reporting tho public sentiment; advising his
party what to do. telling them what their
friends were doing in other cities and States,
and Indicating the general drift of the tide.
Material progress and political develop
ment depend largely upon close intercourse
between the distant parts of country,
and nothing promotes that intercourse so much
ras the press. Perhaps if the last century had
produced newspapers like those of the present,
the independence of the United States would
have been achieved generation earlier