The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1875-06-11
Journals Two thousand Years Ago.

The first Roman journal. over two
thousand years ago. appeared only once a
year. This paper. intended especially 10
be read by the public. was known by
the title Annalcs Maxim. The edi-
tor of this paper was the pontrifex
Maximus. whose duty il was To chronicle
all the important events of the year. The
news was written on white wooden tab
lets. and attached TO the residences of the
citizens. Ii must have been q very curl.
Gus sight to see the old Romans crowdipg
round the tablets 10 get look at the La
test news. But the thirst after knowledge
and the curiosity of the people grew rap
idly and in such measure that the Gov
eminent. the only issue of the journal,
found itself obliged to issue daily. Some
of these journals, two thousand and forty
two years after, are still i'm existence. The
name of this journal was Acta Populi Ro-
mani DiiO7aa, and appeared daily either on
tablets hung out IN public. or the contents
written With red chalk on the walls OF the
houses. The contents were simply news I;
from the want OF the necessary material.
political articles Were not TO be had.
Nevertheless, according 10 the view of the
Roman Government. il was true journal,
and intended as reading matter for tue
public, which might also be Inferred from
The fact that the archives of the State were
carved In bronze and inaccessible to the
public. Here is verbal translation from
the Oldest journal known, issued one hun
dred and sixty-eight years before the birth
of Christ: "Consul Sicinius was the act
ing Judge to-day. There was heavy
thunderstorm and the lightning split
hills of Veil. In a hosiery at
I of nf
fight i'm which the landlord was badly
wounded. Titinius punished some butch
ers on account of their selling meat which
had not been inspected; the money thus
paid was used TO erect 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
to-day" You can see from this that IL
was in oldcn times pretty much the same
as In our days. julius Caesar paid special
attention to journalism. He saw the ne
cessty of instructing the people i'm every
thing that occurred In the State; and
Suetonious says that Julius Cesar, 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 IL contained news about
buildings, births, deaths. executions and
anecdotes. 1t can be likened very much TO
our modern papers. II seems incredible,
but 1t can be proved, that already in the
olden times there were stenographers
who took down the spet ches made in the
Senate and in public. They were called
notarii. and we find in Suetonius where
Augustus Is angry because the steno-
graphers reported the speech of Caesar for
Mentelius in a very imperfect manner.
There must have been reporters, judging
from letter Of Cicero to C9lus also,
private reporters who gathered the news
and sent IL by the cursus publicus, an In
stitution similar to our mail, throughout
the provinces.