The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1871-03-30
THE MIRACLES OF THE PRESS.

In speech in New York last week re.
spondant to a toast to :" The Press" VIM.
Cullen Bryant said -
:" [ thank this company in the name OF
the journalists, for the compliment Just
paid to their profession I do not intend
now to pronounce an eulogy on Journal
ism. | can do that in my own journal at
any time, but wish to say a word or
two by way of illustrating the convent
ence of daily journal to some who are
not journalists. You, Mr.. President, and
other gentleman who have heard and ap-
plauded this evening, have apparently
spoken to a small company of guests in
this dining room Through the journals
you have been speaking to thousands, per-
haps to millions, and in a f W hours those
appliances will have echoed all over the
country. The busy agents Of the press
have taken down the utterances of your
lips; while you arc asleep the record will
be on its way in a thousand different di-
rections, and with early light will be laid
at thousands of doors.
Let us go back to the time when there
was no printing press, and Of course no
journals When Cicero in ancient Rome
launched his fiery invectives against Cat
laine and delivered his grand defense Of
the poet Archius, small indeed must have
been the circle of those who had any con
ception of his eloquence But let us sup
pose that by somd inscrutable means a
communication could been established be-
tween the world Of that day and the world
of modern times, and that an accomplish
ed reporter Of our daily press and one of
Hoes steam printing presses could have
been quietly Struggled into the Rome o.
Cicero's time.
We will suppose the stenographer ST
lently to take down in his manuscript
those no lie examples of ancient elo
quence as they were uttered we will sup
pose the reporter early the next morning
to visit the orator with copies of his ora
zion. He might say to him -
! Mr. Cicero - for your genuine journal
ist is ever courteous, as is Shown by some
notable examples Mr.. Cicero, here is
your yesterdays speech. You suppose
that the manuscript in one of the the
pockets of your toga is the only copy VI
it in existence, but here are several others
Here are your exordium, your arguments
your illustrations, your peroratlon and
not only those, but here are all your fig
ures Of speech, your exclamations, your
rounded sentences, your we'll chosen
words, every one as they fell from your
eloquent lips, with notes of the applauses
cf the audience in their proper places
The boys are already hawking it in the
streets; men are reading it in the wine
shops; patricians re coming it at their
break tables groups of plebians are
assembled in the forum, where one reads
| i. aloud for the benefit of the rest To.
morrow they will have it at Parthonope
aud Baie and in the northern cities Of
Italy; and it will soon be read in our col
onies in Gau, in Spain, and in Africa.
Read for yourself
What would Cicero have said to such a
phenomenon, or, rather, what would he
have thought, for we may suppose amaze
ment to take away the power of speech.
What could he have thought save that
there Was the iRterposition of some divin-
ity Apollo or working mir
acle to astonish mankind, and confound
those who disbelieved in the gods"