Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1877-01-31
AleFanorla0 0a3ett
WEDNESDAY. JAN UARY 81, 1871;
Journalism More than Twenty Cent

The first Roman Journal, published over tsE
thousand years ago, appeared only once yets
This paper intended 10 be read by the publssy
was kuowo by the title Anuales Maxlm. 1%s
editor of this paper was the "PontItex Nat
| mus, whose duty it WAS to chronicle all 4:
| important events Of the year. The news " Y
| written on white wooden tablets and attach.
! TO the residences of citizens. 1t must haSIs
been curious sight to see the old Roma 3
| crowiing arouad these tablets to get look q
the latest news. Bu; the thirst after kooa
edge and the curiosity of the people grew rais
!dIv. aud in such measure that the govern;
ment, the only ssuer Of a journal found ltsess
Obliged to issue Il daily 1t is interesting Z.
know that some Of these Journals, havlnts
reached the age Of 2,044 years, are stlIl ln c..
lsteDce. TIE name Of the first daily journft
was Acta PJpuii Roman! DiurnI; it appearefI
daily either as "Aibum," .e., the tablet huus
our 10 pubic, or the cOntcots Were written VIII
red chalk On the walls OF the houses The coGi
tents of the journal comprised what would o.
claSscd as day news 10 our modern papers,
From the waut Of the n,c1ssaTy material, pol
ical articles we're not 10 be hal. NeVerthe!essf
according to the views Of the Roman governs
ment, it was true Journal, aud intended az
reahug matter for the public.
Doubtless it will Interest some OF our readers.
10 perusc a verbal translation from The oldest
iourDaI exianr, issued one hundred and sixty!
eight years b fore the birth Of ChrlSt. Con!
sui Sicinius Was the acting Judge to day..
There was heavy thunder storm, and the
lightning split an oak at the foot OF the hills OF
Veil. In hoS,clry at the loot OF the hills OF
James there was fight, in which the landlord
was badly wounded. iitiuius punished some
butchers on account Of their selog meat which
had not been inspected; the money thus pad
was used T. erect d chapel to the Goddess
L4verea. The iroker Ausidius fled from town
to-day, taking money with him belonging to
other people lie was caught, and had to re-
iuud the money. The brlgand Dcmlphon, who
was captured by officer Nerva, has been cruel
fed to-day. The fl ,tl!la from Asa arrived TO-
day"
We see from this that it was in oIdcn times
pretty much the same as IN our days; We only
wish that our officials would attend to the
butchers as we'll as Ttloius did. 1t must be
Of interest to journalists - kno" that JULIUS
Cp ar, the greatest OF all Romans, paid special
attention to journalism. lie saw the DecesSlty
OF us;ructIug the people IN everything occur
Ing in Tie State, aud We lnd thlj quotation 10
Suctonius;
Julius i'e ar, as soon as he bad entered
his pubic otil:c, caused not only to be WrltIen,
but also spread among the people. the proceed
Tags OF the Seuatc.
This was the first political paper, and as 1t
contained news about buildings, births, deaths,
executions and anecdotes, 1t Can BE- lkcned
very much to cur modern papers. 1t seems To-
credible, but it eau be proved that already lr
the oidcu times there were stcnOgrapbcrs who
took down the speeches made 10 the Senate or
in public They we're called ''NotarIl, and
we fud place 10 Suctonius where Augustus
is augry because the stcnographcrs reported
the speech OF Cesar for Nlealu' IN very lm'
perfect manner. There must have been re.
porters. judging from letter OF Cicero TO 90
lius; also private reporters who gathered tn:
news, and scut them by the "cursus pubiic'ls,
an institute similar to our mail, throurhout
the provinces.-P 4. IN Potter's Imertca"
if,ufI}u