The Bennington daily banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1877-1877, 1877-08-15

women to the smutty little devil" Of the
printing Office, they are light
giyers, and pre-eminently so. The
Statesman, the preacher, the jurist' the au-
thor, the editor are capable off being great
lights in the world, but only through the
lDractical printer Christ personally 0d-
dressed few thousand fof people, while
through the practical printer he has spoken
them until all shall have heard the glad
news of salvation. Without the printers,
the orator, the statesman, the jurist, no
matter how great, could address at most but
q few thousands of people the poet anu his
i tOrian could only 20 from house to house
aud from inn to fnn and repeat their tales as
Homer and the TrOubadOuTs, or write out 2
few copies and deposit them in libraries; but
the printers make all the world their audi
ence; the publishers ahd pratical printers
| theu for their great usefulness are fairly en-
titled to stand in high estimation by the side
of authors and editors whose works they IS
sue to the world, cTystalized and perpet-
uated on the printed page to instruct or a.
muse not merely the people of their own daY
| but of many future generations. On anOtler
occasion, this theme may be prOtitably de-
velOped by some one more competent thhn i
am into an elaborate discussion OF the dlg-
nifty and duties and the responsibilities OF
| the profession which this association repre-
sents. have suggested it for your reflection
hopeful that your own considerations OF 1t
will lead you to higher aims, better lnls
provement of your great opportunities aud
the better discharge of-your duties to the
public.
And now, l turn to- topic more pertenent
to this historical occasion, to wit; the earli-
est printers in Vermont. They were not
large aud brilliant lights, but Rs candles set on
bushels Their llttle light went little way,
for there were but few, people then even
within the limits of the whole State, and no
mail routes, so that the subscription list
must necessarily have been small. Never
theless the first light-glveTs were very use
full to the state which had been compelled to
go elsewhere for the state printing; and use
full also to the people within their reach Civ
ing the news OF the day and discussing sub
jects of the greatest public importance, But
more largely they were useful in stimula-
| ting taste for reading, and a
demand for more printers, books
tennial year, the profession in Vermont ranks
| fully as high as in any other section of the
country outside of the metropolitan cities.
Let us then accord due hanOTs to the Arst adj
yenturers in the field of Vermont journalism.
The first printing press in Vermont was pro-
badly brought by Samuel Gale, who was
married in Brattleb0rO in 1773, was a sur
veyOr under New York In that year, and ap-
pointed clerk of Cumberland lWindhamD
county court in 1774, He was an English
manner, and Tory in politics. As, clerk OF
the court, he Of course fought on the court
side in the Westminster massacre of 17l5,
and for that he was arrested and imprisoned
by the Wings, and his property was cOntis-
Gated by Vermont In fact he was in prison
so long under different authorities, THAT he
abandoned the country on his release by the
continental congress- and took office in Cana
da, and subsequently pension from tue
British government, The evidence that he
brought the first printing press into Yer
mont is meagre, vet tOlerably satisfactory.
| The writing office" 80 runs the record OF
one Pale, at Westminster, was eontiscated
| to the use of the state by the legislature OF
1880. The name Pale does not appear in
Thomas history of printing, neither does
that of Samuel Galei but it is obvious that the
"Pp instead of the "Gp is q natural CLERICAL
error. There is ample evidence that Gale was
at Westminster in 1774-5, as clerk of the
court that he was man of learning, and
ambitious of authorship at Philadelphia in
1TT2, and actually an author subsequently
in England. The most reasonable inference
is that Gale brought the printing materials
with him to Vermont with the intention of
using them, though by reason possibly of his
short residence IN this state and the lack of
print there is no evidence that these ma
| terials were used by him.
The next press brought for the use of Yer
mont was established at Dresden, now Han
over, N. H., in IT'S, by Timothy Green and
Judah POddook SpOOner, In both Thomas
history and Zadoc ThompsOn's Vermont,
it is stated that they set, up their
press in Westminster in that year,
but Thomas subsequently stated that they
first went to Hanover, printed newspaper
for n short time and afterwards removed to
Westminster, and printed the first newspa-
per 10 Vermont. In October 111o, Dresden
and Hanover, and nine other New Hamp-
shire towns were represented IN tine vermont
Legislature, and IN the second DAY or t1e ses-
Paddock and Alden SpOOler be and are here
by appointed printers for the general assem-
x proeiarmation of GOV. chIss-..sts.., dated
June 3, 1873, was " printed by Judah Pad
dock and Alden hpooner, printers to the state
of Vermont The first union of the New
Hampshire towns with the state of Vermont.
was dissolved in February l779, and it is
therefore probable that the brothers SpOOner
had removed their Office from Dresden to
Westminster in that year, and Timothy
Green had taken the place of Alden SpOOneT
However that may be, it is certain that the
first newspaper within the present limits of
Vermont was issued at Westminster, Feb
ruary II, 1881. | will describe it from a copy
in the library of the Historical Society The
sheet measures 17x12 1-2 inches. Isaiah
Thomas called it " Pot paper" Alas, how,
many papers aud printing offices in Vermont
have gone to pot the type to the melter
and retiner came out new, as brilliant as sill
yer, to print the wisdom that is more pre-
ciOus than gold and the poor printers
would hope with Benjamin Franklin, ap-
pear in new and more elegant edition, re-
vised and corrected by the author" | read
the title; Vol l, No. s. The Vermont Gazette
or Green Mountain Post-BOy, Monday, April
2, 1881.
PLANT as reeds where streams of free
dom glide;
Firm as the hills to stem oppression's
tide"
Westminster printed by Judah Paddock
and Timothy Green. would state its con-
tents and first the class most profitable to
the printer, the advertisements
there are four, viz: a notice for an
application for meeting Of the
prOpTietOrs of the town of Dorset
a commissioners notice; promise ofreward
for settlers IN the town of KillingtOn (nOw
Sherburnel and the standing advertisement
in every Vermont newspaper for many years
of cash given for any kind of cotton or lin
en- rags" Next l turn to the editorial, eight
lines in all, announcing an adjourned session
of the general court, at Windsor, meaning
the legislature, to consider a proposed union
of large number Of New Hampshire towns
with Vermont, and a report of the capture of
General Arnold. with all his troops. And
now for the news. Two columns and one
half are given to Revolutionary war news
and three columns of foreign news, the last
being more than can be found ordinarily in
any number of Vermont newspaper of the
present day, On the fourth page is a Par
wassian Packet" containing an ode on char
ity; and | complete the listl of contents by
noticing a we'll written political article by
contributor, the first of series against the an
nexation of part of New York to Vermont.
which was then proposed in Western Yer
mont, as q balance to the New Hampshire
territory that was coveted by Eastern Yer
mont. And this reminds me of a prominent
feature in the early newspapers of Vermont,
to which will briefly advert. The editors
Matthew Lyon being an exception, think, |
to the general rule-paid little attention to
political matters, leaving this to their con- |
tributOrs, among whom were the ablest men |
in the State, the Lyons, Chipmans, Bradleys |
and RObinsOns; and in both politics and lit |
erature contributions were frequent from |
chief justice Taylor, Thomas Green Fessen- |
den, the poet, and probably from chief JUS |
tice Prentiss, who was an associate with |
Fessenden, and an intimate friend. This |
list Of contributors could be considerably ex- |
rended, proving that the best minds in the |
State were Jealous for the public good and
and some of them doubtless for their own.
Another remarkable feature in the early |
Vermont newspapers, growing partly. out Of