Stevens County tribune. (Morris, Minn.) 1877-1880, 1877-07-12
How Printing Has Benefited Mankind,

How Printing Has Benefited Mankind.
The four hundredth anniversary of the
introduction of printing into England
was celebrated by special musical fes.
tival and discourse, in the Church of st
Peter. London, adjoining which Caxtor
set up his press. Mendelssohn's Hymn Of
Praise" which was first performed in
1910, at Leipzig, on the four hundredth
anniversary of the invention of printing
by Gutenberg, was, on this occasion
magnlticently sung, and afterward the
dean of Westminster delivered an elo-
quent discourse to the vast assembly on
Romans, xiii, IL: 1.-THE night is fal
spent; the day is athand; let us there,
fore cast off the works of darkness and
let US put ON the armor of Hghtm Dean
Stanley said that:
1.-THE year 1477, in England, might be
described as one of those periods of tran
guilty which Immediately succeeded and
immediately preceded events Of extraor-
binary moment. The knell of the mid
die ages had sounded, 1t was hardly
more than twenty years since the last
relic of the old Greco Roman world
ByZantium-had sunk into night before
the cOnquering Ottomans. 1t was only
five years before that the last echo of the
Crusades had died away. 1t was but six
years since the last of the barons had
fallen on the field of Barnet Old states
old dominions and old superstitions were
fast departing.
And this was not all, for with the exiles
from Constantinoplc came into western
Europe flood of Greek learning, and al
the same time that the Catholic warriors
of Ferdinand aud Isabella were driving
the Moors from their country, Columbus
sailed on the voyage which resulted in
the discovery of new world. Just ter
years before came into existence one Of
the greatest of scholars, Erasmus, and just
four years after was to be born the great
est of reformers, Luther. The day of the
Reformation and the reorganization Of
western christendom had come. The sur
that came out of the mists on the morn
ing of the battle of Barnet, was but the
type of the new era-the new dawn thai
had burst upon England as the feuda
system passed away. 1.-THE night was fal
spent and the day was at hand" And
yet they who lived in that age knew no
what was in store-that under the shelter
of Westminster abbey had been deposited
an instrument without which-humanly
speaking-the learning of Erasmus ant
the genius of Luther would have failed t.
produce their world wide effect
Since then four hundred years ha
passed away. The little one had become
a thousand. The solitary printing pres
had been multiplied like the branches o
the strange past-specimens (which hat
been preserved as relics OF the art o
printing to figure in the collection of thi
year-now appeared in mighty volume
and in enormous number, filling on
houses and our portions of i
at times overpowering our Legislature
By the power of the press now many evil
bad been laid low within four hundred
years? What vast bulwark it had bea
against the creation of new evils? VIVA
a vast amount of light it had dispersed, a
if the windows. of heaven had opened
and the fountains Of the great. deep hat
broken up, not for destruction, but TO
salvation. And what was the lesson t.
be derived from all this? It showed how
much may be done by the humblest TO
the peoples of all future times by
careful, exact, and punctual Performance
of his daily duty. What Caxton wa
many lowly artisan may become in GU
own time-the pioneer of good far be
yond what he,perhaps; could imagine. Tn
most obscure soldier who fought at Wa
terloo shared with the duke of yelling
ton in the glory of that event, and so ais
could the most obscure civilian dlstln
guish himself in the matter of everyda
life.
It was for the relief and reward @
those who labor and have labored in tn
important work of printing, that tn
memory of this day was intended to tax
a lasting shape It was for those memol
les of the past that they had praised Go
that day-for the delightful hours spen
in dev0uring the contents of some goot
book, for the familiar chapter of the bibl
and for every support which the art
printing had been the means of giving t
the cause of God and to freedom. Th
night is far SPENT the day is approachin
Ia day, it might be, of greater change
and deeyer difficulties than those whic
have passed away. To their hymn
praise of that day, to their cry of Watch
man, will the night soon passg lot ther
add the humble prayer that this gres
gift of printing may be saved from II
diligence in too much promiscuous rcae
ing and from the unwise exercise OF pull
lie opinion; that they may cast from the
libraries and the press all works an
words of darkness, and that they shoul
rather acquire that knowledge whic
reflects the radiance of the Eternal Go
He prayed that God, the source OF q
knowledge and truth, would give the
the sense of the value of truth. wheth
welcome or not welcome, and of the fait
which led not to darkness but 70 light