The Bennington daily banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1877-1877, 1877-08-16
Press MeetinRE

The meeting was called to order by the
president, after which the annual ADDRESS
was delivered by Hon. Z. P. Walton, ci
MONTPELIER, who was actively and honoraDly
connected with the press OF tins state tor
over forty years. The following is the ad-
dress in full:
Address delivered by Hon Z P Walton OF
Montpelier before the Editors and Publishers
association Of Vermont at their annual meet
ing held in Graded School Hall, Bennington
Tuesday evening, August 14th, 1871
Light, more light is the constant cry from
the cradle to the grave light for all things
in earth and heayenl; light for 1.-THE eyes. tile
mind. the soul Doubtless God eau create
a world of darkness; and people it with eye
less creatures as down in the depths of the
mammouth cave in Kentucky where no ray
of HupliQht has ever pierced, he has created |
eveless fish, but the record is that in the
Divine design for man. light was the first ib |
ment that was necessary, were for omnipo-
tent power, in working out that design and
God said LET there be light and there was
light. and God saw the light that it was
good, and God divided the light from the
darkuess.y This was the first act in that di-
vine drama which will not be completed, un-
| til there shall be new heaven and a new
eartb. where there shall be no night; and
the dwellers there shall need no candle,
neither light of the sun, for the Lord God
Riveth them light Light therefore was the
beQiuninQ and is destined to be the end of
of Gods work for man. Without light the
| earth would have had no heat, mo vegetation
for the support Of man or beast, no beauty of
akv and landscape of form and flower, no
beauty that man should desire it, but utter
darkness. Most filthy, therefore, utter dark
ness was Christ's synonym for hell. Since
then, God himself, gave to light the frs
place and the highest dignity inthe order of
his own works, and is at least to make it his
greatest glory. for God himself is the light
and the glory of heaven, it is not presump-
tious to say that the light giyers OF the
earth are entitled to stand in the first ranks
among all orders Of men and to be honored
|, by all, precisely TO the degree they honor
themselves In the noble professions into
} which they have been called,
And who arc the hght-giversi or
aid they were mainly the prophets
'. priests, apostles, historians, philosophers
poets = Christ being the greatest OF teach
the 0lRlbBb VI pLltSlog lhO lkhh
. Of the world. In our day they are the
! teachers of all true knowledge. the
! preachers of all truth, and boldly add, the
heralds of good tidings to all men, the ed.-
4 tors, publishers and printers whose duty II
is to gather up all that is good from all light
i oiyers and send it as the sun sends its rays
: into every corner Of the earth, refreshing and
: gliding all 1t touches, and gladdening all who
q behold it,. We have been wont. after the
: best authors, rulers and statesmen, to give
/ the highest hOnors to the learned professions
a the teachers. the preachers, the lawyers
; | and the physicians: but pray tell me what
J, DrOfession needs so much learning as that
2 ~ fine editOrt His field Is the world nay,
3 II embraces both worlds; it covers kingcraft
4 and pTiestGraft, all the prOfessons7Tall arts,
= all sciences, all Iterature-ln short, all
!, knowledge, human and divine, all phases OF
Z a practical life, all fauCies OF the ideal, and
= ali the promises of the eternal. The editor
= should be a walking dictionary and encyclo,
I, media combined: his head should contain all
. the libraries within his reach; MS judgment
: | should be perfect; his heart pure, his percOn-
sI character spotless, and his hand apt in
:, nenning the l0ftiest thoughts to instruct
a and Ratheriug up the hghtest tritles "a
9 smuse. Many editors have reached nearly
~ 1nsa a 9RSt fRSt ide Fs danSsl nSe tsndsnoy
: fis in the right direction. journalism b.
= come to be recognized in some OF the co..
= leRes as a high profession, and within The
= last quarter of u century the colleges Of Yer;
! mont have sent out men who nave auOrneu
!; IL. RAYMOND and Spauldlng were giants
u among the editors of New York City, and
both were grsdgates o. tlS G9iXSsas1g ~ yer e
u al printers, who have had no advantages o.
4 high school or college, will oaly name hor
: ace Greeley.
n This brings me to the practical printer
n from the highest to the lowest-as light
Is Givers; from the foreman down through
the cOmpOsitors aud pressman an'
b. women to the "smutty little devilp Of tn
"a printipQ Office, they are light
Of eiyers, and pre.eminentB SO: IN
M statesman, the preacher, tue lurlst, the au
of thor, the editor, are capable of being grea
Ar lights in the world but only through th
N practical printer. Christ personally az
nj dressed few thousand of people, Will
Through the practical printer he has spoke
IA To millions upon millions and will speak
Iv news Of salvation, Without the printer
he the orator, the statesman, the jurist, u
Ia matter how great, could address at most Dg
IT. a few thousands Of people; the poet ana nj
an tOrian could only go from house TO nous
in aud from iun to inn and repeat their tales
No Homer aud the Tr0u badOuTs, or wT1te out
Dr.. few copies and deposit them IN libraries; D,
mr.. the printers make all the world their aud
IA ence; the publishers ana pratleal PRIME e
RI then, for their great usefulness are fairly e
nc titled to stand in high estimation Dy the slt
~ of authors and editors whose works they
M sue to the world, crystalized and perpe
in uated on the printed page to instruct or
70 muse not merely tue people OF their own ui
Ss but OF many future generations. On anotl
nd occasion, this theme may be prohtaDly q
inf velOped by some one more competent than
Ice am into an elaborate discussion OF the Ill
~ nity and duties and the responsibilities
~ ~ the profession which this association repr
VI " sents. have suggested 1t for your reiieetl
~ hOpeful that your own conscientious OF
lte will lead you TO higher aims, q better II
hle prOvement of your great opportunities y
l.. n nf
ter public,
nm. to this historical occasion, to wit; tine ear
icb est printers in Vermont. They were !
~, large aud brilliant lights, but as candles set
WI W. bushels Their little light went little We
IA for there were but few people then eV
s seu within the limits of the whole State, and
Pa- mail routes, so that the subscription
..s ea theless the first light-givers were very u
Of ful to the state which had been compelled
~ VI 10 elsewhere for the state printing! ana u
th tho ful also TO the people within their reach
had ing the news Of the cay anG 1oG9sSinR
,,la ~ more largely they were useful IN stimu
sI s1I ting q taste for reading, and
ioas demand for more printers, Do
ths aud newspapers so that In TINS "
'ho tInnial veal, the profession in Vermont ra'
fully as high as In any other section OF
country, outside Of the metropolitan CIT
Let us then accord due honOrs TO the hrst
venturers in the neld OF NermOhg ouInHiI
The first printing press in Vermont was !
tha bably brought by Samuel Gale, who '
'"' married in BrattlebOrO in 1773. was q s
ton veyor under New York in that year, aud
JwB; pofnted clerk of Cumberland lWindh!
,ton county court in 1T74. He was an Engli
- man by birth, well educated, gentleman
sVon manner, and q Tory 10 politics. AS clerk
veen the court, he of course fought on the co
side in the Westminster massacre OF
,.io, and for that he was arrested and impriso
' tns ias nv the Whigs, and his property was con
ll.SO Gated by Vermont. In fact he was in pr
so long under different authorities, that
~ An abandoned the country ON his release by
40 continental congress, and took otiicein Ca
l'ao al. and subsequently 0 pension from
British government, Tine evidence that
lows brouqht the first printing press into
Ben mont is meagTe, vet tolerably satisfactory
The "writing office 81 runs the record
g in one Pale, at Westminster, was coniisca
D. m. h the use of the state by the legislature
wing i7s0. Tie name Pale does not appear
745 Thonas' history of printing, neither d