The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1871-11-16

! mandment, Thou shalt no swear. In
the long summer DAYS we labored as
siduously to get up our columns of
small plea and burgeois, SO as to be
ready for the press days; and we hes
itated not, when the nights became
! long, to work till ten and eleven o.
clock by the light of tallow candles,
frequently using our fingers for snuff
ers- Night work ,as the rule then, be-
gan the evening after the October
election, and continued till April fol-
lowing.
Then we knew nothing of the job
press all work was performed on the
old Ramage or its immediate success
ors. In those days when election
tickets were printed we used nothing
but cap paper, and it was always cut
4 for that purpose or any other, when
] printed on.
The printing paper made at that
period was all hand made-sheets
rough at the edges-not very smooth
| on its surface, and much of it any
color but fair white.
But these things are all changed.
| We don't know nOw-at least many
of our junior brethren are not famil-
| lar with what sort of thing Ramage
press was; and as to balls, modern
! young men have no idea of their ap-
pearance or use. Primitive as these
balls were, they were capable of pro-
ducing good press work, when prop
erly handled and could we see many
| specimens of skill and workmanship
of forty years ago, considering the
| materials used. we would conclude
that jobs were printed which might
pass very well now
Our modern presses, SO well adapt
ed to the various kinds of work re-
quired in the printing art, are SO i'm
| proved as to render labor on them al
| most play. No blistering of hands,
! no tugging and sweating at the great
lever which moves the world, and no
rub-a-dnb with pair of balls. in or
der to blacken the faces of Ingenious
ly contrived types; but we turn on
the steam, and straight way the ma
chine is set agoing, doing its own ink
ing, with nothing to feed its voracious
NAV with paper--it does all the rest,
even to throwing off the sheets and
we have such work done as challen-
ges the admiration of all. Two thou
sand sheets day was once heavy
task for two men-now two thousand
to ten thousand eXcites the marvel of
no one.
Having thus briefly reverted to our
old way of producing works of the
press, it may serve as sort of intro
duction to few remarks as to what
is the duty, in some respects, of those
who assume the responsibility of TAX
ing control of this agency.
In just times, cunning, physical
power, stratagem and deceit were
phrases of the governing power. Now
it is far otherwise among peoples who
claim to have progressed in civiliza-
tion and the arts. Mind, thought,
ideas are the luling spirits. The an
cient saying, KnoaOledge is poaUef;,
was never more fully exemplified than
in our day. That subtle thought, an
entity. SO to speak, which none of our
senses can perceive, when it inspires
some master mind, has set to work
the requisite agencies that have effect
ed the most marvellous results. Some
of us can we'll remember when we
had no telegraphs, no railroads, no
photographs, no true science which
described the nature and mysterious
operations of the human mind, no in
telligible system of photography
but these and many other wonders of
the age are now more or less familiar
to US all. 1t was human thought and
perception that discovered them all, !
and human ingenuity that makes
them useful and subservient to our
wants. A. Franklin Chat old boss
printer and Morse made the light
hinge of heaven our servants, Ste
phenson contrived the wonderful To-
comotive, imbuing it with it's terrible |
power and great swiftness,a "a Dagueyre !
brought to light the magic skill which |
so utiIizes natures labratory as to |
make indellible the lineaments of the |
human face, Gall and Spurzheim |
discovered and promulgated clear
system OF mental philosophy, Pit
man reduced to absolute science the |
means of capturing thoughts as they
gush from the lips of the living speak
er, by the facile hand and quick APP
prehension of the phonographer.
But great as are all these manifesta-
tions of advancement, there is yet, L
may safely assume, one which, in ma
zation, although greatly crippled,
might manage 10 contribute to the
welfare of our race without the dis
coveries alluded to, as it did for Gen.
turies provides for their development.
ize it would the loss of the art of
printing create! 1t is the favorite art
that makes all the most improvements
of the age in which we live familiar
to the world. Dispense with the
printing press and what could our tel.
egraps, railroads, photographs, phre-
,,0Ionu rNhnnnnpo1ahv ond |
coveries all together, do to fill the
void? Those two OF three fortunate
Germans, Faust, Gutenberg and Shaf-
fer, made a discovery which gives
life because it embalms and imparts
animation to all life. Their eureka
was the daybreak of the dark ages,
and it pnfolded mysteries for which
all coming generations will pronounce
them blessed. No encomium that /
can conceive is adequate to extol be-
yond, or even equal to, its merits, the
art of printing. ru
It is possible that some of us by ma
ture and qualification may not be fit=
ted for the places we occupy, but we
are in them, and as long as we try to
fill them we should be prompted by
the most exalted aims that can ami
mate human action. The position of
the true editor is that of a teacher.
The thoughts to which he gives utter
ance in his columns, whether original
or selected, may seem transient at the
time of their expression; but they
leave their impress on some minds.
1t Is said by some thinkers that no
sound is made by the hu-
man voice that is not echoed, and its
caught. The idea is,
of course, that this fact is spoken of
in a metaphorical sense, yet may there
not be something literal in it! So it
Is In giving expression to our ideas in
print, and promulgatingtt Them to the
world. Humble as they may seem
they do not die stillborn, but go forth
on the mission for which they were
sent. Those of us who have become
with these facts, from quar-
ter to third of century's observa-
tioo CON vapifv this nneifi0n