The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1884-01-25
MAINE PRESS ASSOCIATION.



first in order.
The report of the committee on lob printing
Was postponed.
geo. ID. Watkins, of the Oxford Democrat,
historian for Oxford county, reported, which
was accepted and ordered printed.
Howard Owen, of the Maine Farmer, re-
ported the following resolutions, which were
adopted by rising vote:
ResotUed. That in the death of the Rev.
George Qulnby, ID. D., the Maine Press Asso-
clation has lost one of its most prominent
and influential members, devoted to its inter-
ssts, recognizing its helpfulness in the field OF
Journalism in which he became SO successful
and to which he devoted the best energies OF
MS life. His memory will be sacredly cher
isned and bis name placed best de those wht
nave performed enduring work. We extend
10 rne oereaved family our tenderest sympathy
heSetUed, That by the death of Dr. +, G
Parker, editor and proprietor of the NORTH
otar, Aroostook county, the Maine Press Asso-
citation has loss an esteemed member whose
oright intellect, generous impulses and general
narscter, won him friends and influence,
wherever ne moved. He was struck down il
the full vgor of life, snd in the midst of active
usefulness as journalist and physician. We
deeply deplore his loss and extend our warmest
sympathy and coincidence to his bereayeo
family
A general discussion then ensued on the
rlute to be adopted for the annual excursion
OF tae association. To test the sense of the
messing, Col. Adams, of the Argus, moved
''lat the Niagara, or long route, should be
adopted. The vote was declared doubted. and
hnally, after several votes and motions. II was
explained by Major Shorey, of the Bridgton
news, that active editors could not take long
excursions, and If the association voted to,
why then these editors would have to stay at
home.
Col. Adams saw the point and Withdrew his
motion
Flnally the president was instructed to ap-
point committee to select the route and the
tlme, and make the necessary arrangements
Inc president appointed j. A Homan of Au.
gusta, Col. Adams of the Argus and G. A. Pills.
curry OF the Belfast Journal. Mr.. Homan dt
clined on the score of former good service in
tnat capacity and shrewdly nominated the
president in his place and declared the nomi-
nation carried. The committee thereupop
stands Messrs. Laph am, Adams and Pilsbury.
and they reported in favor of Plymouth and
Cape Cod.
The committee on job printing reported no
real alteration in prices, through the chairman
Brown Thurston.
Or. Lapham, Brown Thurston and Geoige
u Bracket of the Belfast, Sea Breeze, were
appointed special committee on obituaries Of
deceased members.
On motion of Mr.. Elwell of the Transcript.
u was voted that the Secretary follow out a
vote passed several years ago instructing him
10 collect, in proper form, the annual reports of
the association from its organization, and sena
sets to the Maine Historical Society and such
other institutions as desired them, and to re-
print the first annual report.
The secretary said it was very difficult to get
some OF them especially as some of the records
were burned in the great Portland fire.
The society instructed the secretary to carry
out the vote as well as he could and voted to
have him print the usual number of the annu-
al reports for 1884.
The usual votes of thanks for courtesies re-
ceived from the Maine Central, Knox and
Lincoln and New Brunswick railroads, the
Falmouth Hotel, and City Government Of
Portland for use of hail. and to Mr.. Elwell for
the reception rendered the society, were
passed.
Mr. j. A. Homan was appointed to prepare
an obituary of the late Dr. Quinby, and Col.
John Adams one of the late Mr.. Parker.
Adjourned until 2.30 D. m.
AFTERNOON SESSION.
A good audience assembled at the Reception
Room, in the afternoon, to hear the ESSAY and
the poem.
The president announced the standing COM
mittees for 1884,
Advertising-George S. Rowell, e. P. Mayo,
K. M. Dunbar.
j, Job ! e Printing!. G. Rich. Frank K. Smith,
New Members-J. M. Adams. j. A. Holman,
Joseph Wood.
>, Summer Excursion-H. A. Shorey, E. H.
Elwell, Manley III. Pike.
s. L. Miller of the Waldoboro News. then
delivered an essay on The Country News
payer" which was well received:
On similar occasion to this the lamented
William II. Simpson prefaced an essay with
these words: "The person who in an un.-~
guarded moment had .enqssed-- tsv- sStitrr-ss the
representatives or the newspaper press of a
Ststee 1ike ours, must feel, when the time for
his task arrives, that his undertaking is rash
one. He is to speak to an audience made up
of crities-men whose calling is to WELD
trenchant pens, to seek for the weak places,
the faulty conceptions, the erroneous ideas,
the fatal slips of others--who have always
lances in rest and visors down, ready for the
conflict. 1t is no light matter to face the oc-
cupants OF seventy editorial sanctums.' If
such were the sentiments of man who had
conducted one of the most successful journals
in Maine and whose trenchant wit was the
nf 20 &1a E.
of neophyte, compelled by fate and an I'M
relenting committee to attempt the role of
essayist before this association.
An examination of the several efforts made
by my predecessors to amuse and instruct the
craft, shows that the ground has been well
covered and journalism has been ably dis
cussed in all its branches. Therefore it is
with no expectation of presenting new
thoughts for your consideration that I select
for my theme the much derided country
newspaper, the local journal, which represents
the industrial social and moral condition of
the limited community in which it is pub
lished.
Seventy-fve years ago there were in the en-
tire country only 238 newspapers and in the
district of Maine but eight. The example of
our own state illustrates how newspaper liter
allure has extended. There are now one
hundred and thirty-two regular publications
sn Maine and we have sixty-two cities and
towns where some sort of a paper is estab-
lished. Of genuine country newspapers-and
by such | mean those printed outside the
cities, or that have no Importance beyond the
limits of their respective counties-the num-
Der does not exceed fifty. Of these large
proportion are struggling under circulation
numbering from four to twelve hundred and
the most prosperous reaches weekly edition
of twenty five hundred.
1t is interesting to trace the history of iourn-
alism in Maine for the past fifty years. 1t
has been recently stated by an honored mem
Der of our association that of eighty news
papers started in Maine prior to and including
the year 1888, only nine still survive. Seven
ty-one dropped out by the way! If we should
add to these the large number which had their
origin since 1888, the list of newspaper NOR
tality would be swelled to extensive proper
tons. How many newspapers die young!
The pathway of country journalism is thickly
strewn with the wrecks of enterprises, whose
projectors had the ambition to emulate the ex-
ample of such men as Greedy. Dana and Weed.
1t is very eacy matter to start newspaper,
but when we study the history of journalism
in this or any other State, we find that not
only pluck, self denial and endurance but
peculiar adaptability for the work are neces-
sary for the successful establishment of any
Journal, Time, patience and perseverance, will