Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1880-09-22
Address of Welcome by G. q.
Spang of Bedford, Delivered Be
fore the Printers Association Of
tie Juniata Valley at Roaring
Spring, Pa, Sept. 4, 1880,

Mr. President and Gentlemen Of the Print
srs' .issOciat'on Of the Juniata Valley II
would be ill-timed, if not cruel, at an How,
like this to intiict upon yen the hearing Of ,
speech when you have come here for ~,
purpose Of recreation and pleasure. II !,
not my purpose therefore TO make any ror
NAL or extended remarks. have nd rheto.
rical boquets 70 throw out among YOU. and
if had or could, | question whether ,ou
would have the time 10 receive them.
But have what to me is a very pleasan,
duty to perform. 1t is, that upon the rar,
of the citizens Of Roaring Spring, and OF
the community, 1 shall extend TO the
4" Printers Association of the Juniata Val
ley" to its friends, and in word TO all
here present cordial, gracious and an
earnest welcome,
But, gentlemea, Ii seems to me to he nm
necessary that you should be welcomed with
any set phase of speech or formal GORE.
mcn'es CT salrtations. There is no place
HAT your committee could have selec ted for
the holiday of this your third annual mic.
nic,' or for any that you may hold here.
after, where cordial and heartfelt greetings
would not now have, and hereafter alwav,
await you.
And II you ask me why think so, / am
prepared TO tell you, 1t is because Won
meet as one of the most hcaoraJIe and re.
sponsible professions ii the world. By your
calling you are compelled to lead life of
constant study and laborieus research, and
as a CONSEQUENCE you must and will become
men of culture; men well informed uron
all Questions OF every Kind, whether moral,
religious, scientific, political, or otherwise
IN any nation or in any part o: the world.
By your studies YOU become scholars, by
your intercourse with society you acquire
knowledge of mankind and readily assume
that ar,eritv Of manners Stern has so apply
styled .'the small sweet cour:esIes Of life"
Men thus accomplished must ever oe well
come visitors anywhere and everywhere.
But have said that yours is an honorable
profession. Sc il is, aud responsible ore
too,
The art of printing, which very sppropri-
ately has been called " the art presefvative
of all arts" is conceded to be the greatest
of all human Inventions Its very age en-
titles it TO respect. Just Eos old it is, or
what is its exact hi,tcry have not now the
time or information to state. You doubt
less know. / know that its birthday dates
back for sometime before WAS born. From
the best information | can get the art of
printing had its origin and rude beginnings
among the Chaldean and Chinese nations.
John Guttenburg, about the year 1888, 'dis-
covered the mode cf forming every letter
and character of the alphabet separately,
and he was the first to practice the art Of
printing with movable types" He too it
was that printed the first Bible.
John Faust was his partner, obtained his
apparatus and he it was who was considered
hy ignorant people as having had cOnnec-
zion with the devil. In plain words. old
Faust and old Birthstone were in partner
snip in the printing business. Hence, il is
said, came the expreSSion-.sDr. Faust and
the Devill'' Whether the young gentle
man now found in every printing office in
the country, ard who is called "the Devil"
derived his title from the l.st-named MEM
Der of the firm of {" Faust and the Devil, }"
am sure | don't know. But do know
that the young man now faIniliariy called
the 81 Printers Devil'' is generally good
sort of a fellow he is not at all dangerous
and don't carry any smell Of birthstone
about has clothes.
A statement OF the improvements and
progress made in the machinery, and the
methods ard manner OF printing, since its
first discovery, would be both interesting
and instructive. but time forbids-
4 word or two directed to this thought is
more appropriate to the oecaSions line
power of the press. 1T is almost uniiinlt-
cd. The power which the editorial profess
SION wields, it is not an easy matter TO COM
prehend and describe. free press is ah
absolute necessity in every country that Is
Inhabited by freemen. Show me any coun-
try where the press is muzzled, where inc
people are not allowed freely TO speak ana
write and print their thoughts, ana VIII
show YOU a country that has an aristocra'
and tyrant fer Its ruler, ard he mas ior us
subjects a down-troddcn people, who are so
either because they have not the power 10
nrotect themselves. or otherwise they are
set of idiots, of beggars, of miserable cow
ards and of slaves Thank God, the press
in America is free, and its pAvilege to write
and priut and speak out is authorized ahd
soiemnly protected and shielded 0! ''ie
broad egis of our highest and most respoe
ed laws. Our forefathers, the heroes oi 'ne
first revolntion. whilst the wrongs they had
suffered and the grievances they had oo'"'
and which they had fought to redress "ei'
yet fresh upon their minds, and remenioef'
ing that during their long, hard struggle ior
liberty the press had necessarily 'o''eu :"
the holy cause of freedom, when lhet 0a'"0
TO frame their first constitution, 1883, thes
put in it, so that it could be seen OF all men
and become part of the supreme la" u a"'
lard these few words, found in article y
uConrress shall make no law aoridg
ing the freedom of speech or of the press
In your own State the Constitution "
1890. and as amended in 1888, and again !"
1873. all declare that the cThe printing
press shall be freei"
OF course the editor is not expected nor
is he at liberty to use thoughiiessiy or re'N
lessiy the great power thus conferred upon
him. But in all cases where the ma''e' :.
proper for public information, and the pun
lication is not maliciously or neghse.
made, there can be no conviction. such Is
the law, and so it was ruled in the nrs' e-''
tried in Pennsylvania, under the new Oon
s,iturion, by his Honor Judge Hail. a, De-
u lsg