The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-03-15
AN ANCIENT SHEET.
Kentuck,,s FIrrr Newsnnncr.

A gentleman who for years has been in the |
habit of gathering together all the old books, |
periodicals, and newspapers he could lay |
hands upon and storing them away, until his |
library is a kind of curiosity shop, linking
together by writing and printing all ages and
parts of the world, has sent us a copy of the
first newspaper ever published in Kentucky.
1t is the kentucky Gazette, which was started
at Lexington, KY, on the 2Sth of August,
1887, by John Bradford.
The paper before us is twelve inches long
and eighteen inches wide It's editorials con-
sist of only five short paragraphs that would
be measured by about the space occupied by
ten squares of our times. Then there is a
little over one column devoted to foreign
news, and about as much more to domestic
intelligence. The rest of the paper is taken
up with observation-disclosures for the Federal
Government, some for the State, and the rest
for private individuals. In other words,
about nine-tenths of the paper is devoted to
advertising, which shows that even at that
early day those who had anything to sell or
to buy understood the importance and the
value of making known their wants by means
of the press.
There are but few now living among us
whose lives date back to the birth of this
newspaper. The eighty-one years which have
passed have carried to the grave nearly all
those who could read the kentucky Gazette
Bradford. Indeed, there are none among us
whose memory extends unimpaired over the
past and brings down to us the events of that
day like the little sheet before us. And yet,
though these fourscore years and one en-
brace the entire newspaper history of Ken
tucky, newspapers we're a thing of old when
they were but born in Kentucky.
To say nothing of the dctG dteITnG of the
Romans and the manuscripts of the middle
fha La
nished the aristocracy, and the news ballad
sung by kind of minstrel down to later
| period, newspapers, as such, have high an
| tiquity. In England they date back to the
days of Nathaniel Butler in 1922, when the
Weekly NerS made its appearance. The first
| daily paper made its appearance in London
! under the name of the DGay C0urGnt in
1902. The London Times began in 1885; and
| its founder, John Walter, grew with it until
the fame of both the editor and the paper
| filled the civilized world. 1t is probable that
| in Germany newspapers have earlier date
! than in England. The Frdnkf0rter Oberp0r-
| tdn.ts Zeitung, still in existence as daily at
| Frankfort on the Main, claims its origin in
| 1916.
In our own country, the first newspaper was
the Boston Nea0S Letter, which made it's ap-
pearance at the Club" on the oath of April,
1904. 1t was on a half sheet of paper,
twelve inches by eight, with two columns of
matter on each page. This was eighty three
years before the Kentucky Gazette made its
| appearance in Kentucky. 1t is possible that
| there was an earlier newspaper than the NelOS
| Letter in Boston, as far back as 1890. But
there was but on number of it issued, as it in
Cured the displeasure of the colonial legis-
lature, and was suppressed without second
issue.
1t seems, therefore, that two and half
centuries cover the whole period in which
newspapers may be said to have existed in
| the world; that about one century and a half
compass their duration in the United States,
and that little over three quarters of cen
tury measures their existence in the State ol
Kentucky. If we take the longest period, two
centuries and half, what enterprise on eartf
has wrought such wonderful changes in such
length of time? Think of the London Times
one hundred thousand strong issuing every
morning, and spreading not only over th'
largest city in the world, but going by mai
wherever civilization has established itsel
upon the earth!
The time was when none but the wealthy ant
the powerful could enjoy the luxury of
newspaper. Now the daily is within tn
reach Of almost every one. There is scarcel
anything in the world so cheap as the effu
those who understand it how a frst-clas
daily can be furnished at the price it bear
in our day.
Within the last $50 years newspapers hav
multiplied until their numbers on the cart
r are now counted by thousands. There is n
8 department in human life to which they ar
not devoted And whether the sphere c
their action be politics, science, religion, Iii
!. erature, or news, it must be admitted this
n their influence is mighty. They are the grea
@ source from which issue the thoughts tbs
control the busy millions of the earth. The
build up and tear down the most powerfl
: governments. The great truths arrived at b
It science and art appeal to them to be mad
n useful to the nations. The great orator {
n Rome, whose mastery speech was heard froi
. the rostrum, held at will only the multitud
. that surrounded him; but the statesman
. our times, whose eloquence enchains
Senate, is not heard alone by those with
d the sound of his voice. The newspaper tax,
= up his words and imparts to them a soun
g that is never hushed-a melody that rims
u through all the land until the nations of ii
= earth, however distant, hear and enjoy
+. voice that is heard when the eye of I'll
% speaker sees not, and that will die away on
J. with the decay of civilization.
Is DRUGS, PAINTS, E-O.