The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1877-10-05
NEWSPAPERS.
Address OF Joseph Medili Before the Ohio
Editorial Association, Mt Toledo.

1000. Some authorities fix the time q little
earlier, and others somewhat later. This OF
the weekly. The daily press commenced about
l7O9 II we call generation thirty years, the
former class of newspapers is about nine and
the latter nearly six generations old. The be-
ginning OF the press was humble as well as OBJ
scure. No gunpowder was burned or bells
ring to herald the birth OF the new institu-
tion destined in the near future to influence
the opinions and actions of mankind 80 enor
! mously.
The newspapers came "al alone and in the
dark, rs 1t were. Poor and puny were they
for many year. They existed on sufferance
they were tolerated by rea SON of their insig-
nihcence and abstention from expressions of
| opinion. Those were not the days OF freedom
or speech and OF the press-especally of the
press. Every budding manifestation Of indie
| pendence of utterance, every approach to crit
icism Of either OF the dominant professions
sacredotal and political-were promptly pun
ished and repressed. The methods Of I" stop
ping the press" were by fines con6scations
| and imprisonment. The "greater the truth
the greater the libel is a mild expression of
the spirit Of the rules OF law applied to prose-
cuted publishers. Editors were not allowed to
have opinions to be expressed in their papers
whoever ventured on this forbidden ground
found themselves and publications stamped
out with atrocious and relentless rigor.
sThey were dealt with as summary and
promptly as is the cattle-plague in England.
| or the Colorado potato-bug in Germany. Still,
n spite Of all discouragements. prosecutions.
| the unprogressiveness OF the age and the Tilt
eracy of the Masses newspapers OF the heb
| domadal description spread and multiplied, es-
| pecially in the Anglo-Saxon portions Of the
world but for two centuries they were as seed
sown on barren ground, yielding but little fruit
| in the way Of disseminating free principles and
| of thOrOht
There was no public opinion TO protect them in
criticisms of public men or public measures
and they were not permitted to create a public
opinion. The daily newspapers which came
into existence later Jared no better and re-
| ceived no more lenient treatment from the
powers that were, but, in fact were regarded
with more aversion and were handled with
greater severity because they fired oftener, !"
and, being only printed in State capitals and
| large cities, they were more conspicuous and
were regarded as more dangerous; hence they
were under closer and severer censorship and
surveillance than the weekly press.
The intolerance of politicians relaxed ex-
ceedingly slowly. The strangling grip on the
throat of the press has not yet been removed
in many countries which boast Of their ciyilza-
ton and literature. From the inception of the
newspaper until within generation or two its
legitimate province was deemed to be the pub
LEGATION of advertisements, death and marriage
notices, "original poetry, anecdotes, an
nouncements of wars and accounts Of battles,
and praises of politicians.
In addition to this range of topics some VEN
tured into the domain Of "Old Probs and
prognosticated the changes of the weather,
based not on meteorological laws, but on the
inclination of the new moon or the color of the
breast-bones of tender turkeys; some contented
themselves with doing out Poor Richards ag-
ricultural maXims; and others who were negh-
gent in their Sabbath observances tried to pro-
ptate the clergy by publishing reports of
death bed scenes of the unconverted, and the
dreadful remorse of dying infdels; but high
above all other sounds were heard the perpet-
ual appeals TO delinquent subscribers TO pay
up; to send in cordwood cabbage or rags. and
make the printer happy. Poultry and potatoes
were always legal tender, and the Cry was for
| more.
While the press in this country has struggled
| up from small and feeble beginnings to its pres
| ent proud and overshadowing influence, it is
only since the advent of the locomotive and
the telegraph that il has really begun to fulfill
its great mission as public instructor and la
borer in the vineyard of civilization, and as q
successful combatant of ignorance, prejudice,
and superstition.
Before the introduction of the railway the
! distribution of newspapers was slow and imper-
feet Before Puck put his girdle around the
earth the collection OF news was tedious and
vexatious Before steam and lightning were
conscri pied into the postal service the papers
found il hard to gather and harder to scatter
the news. II was old when bought, and stale
when sold, often moldy with age when served
up to delinquent NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. the days
of advance payments.
In those days daily papers were Of very lin
tied issue. Few copies circulated beyond the
boundaries OF their respective cities Only the
more prominent merchants, bankers and poll
ticians INDUCED in the luxury of a daily paper
the rest of the public contented themselves
IL. 4.
and scauty, and. the people were not kept
on the qil Uire, they were unwilling to pay foi
il in advance, and had to be trusted !" and
the memory of many was so defective that
they ever forgot to pay, though often reminded
of their delinquency. 1t was only about cleo
ton times that the mass of people read theii
newspaper with any relish, or felt much inter
est in their contents. In those dull days the
daily paper was not deemed indispensable Il
business or necessary TO existence. Th5re was
not that laundering after 1t that poor people,
children are supposed to feel for bread Nobody
yearned for the newsless newspaper. The re-
cepts being small, the editorial force was linn
tied TO one or two writer's ; the market reporter
on his rounds among the traders picked III
few local items the foreman was proof
reader and helped out the editor or reporter II
either of them was OFF or ailing. The younger
members of the profession can hardly imagine
, that such was ever the condition Of the great
dailies but the graybeards Of the press re.
member it WELL Nor have they entirely for
gotten how willing they were to suspend pub
lication to accommodate holidays as well AT
!, holy-days.
Considering the utterly newsless and polypui
character OF the press of the seventeenth cent
ury, it is laughable to observe some Of the
early titles that were selected, such az the
} Neecs, the Post, the Messenger, and the Cour
Ter but the favorite name for long time on
the continent, as well as in England, was tn,
Mercury, the original being a son OF Jupiter
the messenger and interpreter Of the gods, tn,
deity of eloquence and commerce, and person
flying character full OF action, sprightliness
, intelligence and enterprise. But copies o.
newspapers Of those mercurial days which
have been preserved present most pitiabl,
and ludicrous resemblance to the model. The,
came about as near filing the bill and person.
fying the Greek ideal of Mercury as Snug thu
Joiner did the lion when he played the part o.
that "wild-fowl" or Snout who represented
, the "wall with the "chinks' in it, through
, which the lovers whispered in Midsumme
Nights Dream"
In the few countries which have enjoyed tn,
, habeas corpus and trial by jury, the press b!
, tardy and painful steps, acquired freedom o.
discussion, and fought its way through per
petual persecution TO some liberty Of criticism
Of rulers and Lawmakers. As the press Sc
cured these privileges il increased its influences
| ,bav - nj haOan IN