The Andrew County Republican. [volume] (Savannah, Mo.) 1871-1876, 1875-06-11
Journals Two Thousand Years Ago.

The first Roman journal. over two
thousand years ago. appeared only once Il
year. This paper, intended especially 10
be read by the public. was known by
the title AmnaIcs MaXimi. The edi-
Tor of this paper was the pOntritcX
MaXimUS, whose duty it was 10 chronicle
all tie important events of the year. The
news was written on white wooden tab
lets, and attached to the residences OF the
citizens. itmuSt have been Il very curl.
rs sight TO see the OH Romans crOWdium
round the tablets to get Il look at the lr-
test news. But the tnirst after knowledge
and the curiosity Of the people grew rap
idly and i'll such a measure that the Gov
"rnment, the only isSGC Of the journal,
found itSplfObliged to issue Il daily. Some
of these Journals, TWO thousand and forty
two years after, are still in existence. The
name of this journal was ActG Poputa Ro-
mimi DNt17ln. and appeared daily either on
tablets hung out il; public, or the contents
written with red chalk on the walls of the
houses. The contents We're simply news &;
from the want of the necessary material,
political articles were not to be had.
Nevertheless, according TO the view Ofthe
Roman Government. II was Il true journal,
and Intended as reading matter for the
public, which might also be inferred from
The fact that the archives OF the State were
carved III bronze and inaccessible to the
public. Here is a verbal translation from
the oldest journal known. issued one nun
dred and siXty-eight years before the birth
Of Christ: Consul Sicinius was the act
ing Judge to-day. There was a heavy
thunderstorm and the lightning split
an oak at the foot OF the
J hills of NnIi Il, bAr-to-r of
the foot of the hills of Janus there was a
fight in which the landlord was badly
wounded. TitiniuS punished some butch
erS or count of their selling meat which
had not been inspected; the money thus
paid was used to erect a chapel to the
Goddess Laverna. The broker Ausidius
fled from town to-day, taking money with
him belonging to other people; he was
caught, and had to refund the money.
The brigand DemiphOn, who was cap
tured by Officer Nerva, has been crucitied
t0-day.n You can see from this that it
was IN olden times pretty much the same
as in our days. Julius Caesar paid special
attention TO journalism. He saw the ne
cessity of instructing the people in every
thing that occurred in the State; and
SuetoniOuS says that "Julius Caesar, as
soon as he entered his public Office. caused
not only to be written, but also spread
among the people, the proceedings of the
Senate" This was the first political pa
per; and, as it contained news about
buildings, births, deaths. executions and
anecdotes, it can be likened very much to
our modern papers. 1t seems incredible,
but it can be proved, that already in the
Olden times there were stenOgraphers
who took down the speeches made in the
S.,,ntn n,l -, ,,1lsn TNhnu rar aatIn1
~notarii, and we find in SuetOnius where
Augustus is angry because the stens-
graphers reported the speech of Cesar for
Mentelius in a very imperfect manner
There must have been reporters, Judging
from a letter of Cicero to CRlius ; also,
private reporters who gathered the news
and sent it by the cursus publicus, an III
stitutiOn similar to u mail, throughout
the provinces.