Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1880-05-29
THE NEWSPAPER.
Hy Captain Henry King. President
of the Kansas Press
Association

1t is among the chief glories of
Missouri, that the first newspaper
west Of the Missouri river-the third
one west OF the Allegheny Noun
tains-was established within her
borders. That was nearly seventy
two years ago, at St. Louis, and the
vcnturesome little sheet was named,
you know. the Missouri Gazette. 1t
was quaint, thrce-columu affair,
12x14 inches-ahout the size of
laGy's handkerchief - without col
unn-rules or title-lines, and contain
ing not so much matter, all told, as
would equal the special dispatches
printed i'll its elaborate successor OF
this morning. The news dates from
Philadelphia were over a month old,
from London more than three months
for there was no telegraph then, no
railroad. 10 steamboat there were
not even as many miles of pest-routes
in all ths country as there are now
miles of railroad III Missouri. And
they called 1t grand country anu
good time, and so it was-for had not
Bunker Hill and Y orktown been given
to history, and the flag to Heaven !;
was not God here, and liberty =? Yes,
apparent. But our geography of that
day really stopped at Pittsburgh, and
all beyond there was little more than
hearsay and guesswork. Mr.. Jeffer-
sons purchase of Louisiana,
THE BEST TRADE OF THE CENTURY,
WAS still! a recent thing, you recol-
lect. The authority of the United
States had begun in Missouri only
four years before; it had been less
than two years since Pike had un-
furled the stars and stripes fer the
first time over what was to be Kan
sas the Rocky Mountains had but
just been heard of, the Pacific Slope
was tale of Crusoe. There were
probably not Il hundred white men III
all the vast
UNMAPPED AND MYSTERIOUS EN-
PRE-
west OF ST. Louis, the present spien-
did Valley of the Missouri. Daniel
Boone was shooting 'coens around
st. Charles. Indians were scalping
one another (to their credit be it said)
at Liberty, RobidouX was fur-trading
at st. Joseph, Sedalia was thing OF
unregarded grass and weeds and St.
Louis itself could boast only two
hundred cabins and about thousand
Inhabitants.
1t required bold man, and an econ
omical one, to start paper III such 8
town, with such an outlook. | fancy
he had perhaps fifty or sixty sub
scribers his four squares OF adver-
tisements were worth possibly four
dollars d week. No wonder he left
his wife behind him in Kentucky.
He slept III the Office, | make no
doubt, OH pile Of exchanges, (if he
had any eXchauges), and ate his
frugal meals on the Imposing-stone,
which was probably Il sycamore slab
How lonesome he must have been
and how thirsty. Did the pretty,
chat:eriug French girls ever drop in
to see him ''stICk" type or work OH
the paper. Very likely. Let Us hop,
they called often and smiled thei,
sweetest upon him, poor soul let us
believe they put i'll his weary finger.
now and then u bunch of flowers, t,
preiigure the cordial homage We
render him to-day pansies fol
thoughts, a leaf Of rosemary tor re
mcmbrance. May the name of JOSEPH
Charless endure forever!
1t was the lucky fate of this on
trans Mississippi Franklin to bull,
better than he knew. His awkwar,
old imitation Ramngc press had in i
touch of unsupported prophecy
The diminutive Gazette meant NOR
than anybody' dreamed 1t was, s
to speak,
a SUDDEN BANNER
hung out at the edge OF he wilder
t ness to herald Il new departure, t