The Arkansaw traveler., 1885-02-07
A CENTURY AND A HALF AGO,
lleadoa Exchange 1

 It vas on the evening ot Monday, the assA 0s luly, h sAe year i7ia, tAat twc mladle-agea men came oat of Niillsl eofzAa-A -Ae0sa. ana alowly walked lAEongh sAe close lanes tAAs led, to the AeaFt Il the city. As theY passed Aloag tAey en- eountefed a oevy of neWsvend0s& known then as AaWkeEs of ~A1escuries,R wAo wAre hawling al the top ot their lunga, Here you have thA last number of the 0asvvdA>r-sAe last assnbes-no other number. will ever be pubssshed, on ac- count of tha stamp.s !" Here yoa have the FiyiSg Rssf which will go ea in spite of the stamp" Here you have the StNsatsv, this dayS SbSlaabr, all wris 6y the ereatest wits of the age"
 The more brisk oi the two friends twitched his companions arm and whis. pered. "Tha.b M any rate comfort, Addison.''
 "True fame, Steele" was the reply.
 Their on vs'd course was to a small printing g-office tn LItie Britain, They climbed the narrow staiycaSe, and were in close and dizzy room, with two urinting-presses, and working spaces for k1r competitors, A grave man was reading at a desk, and he bowed rever. ently to the gallanis in lace and rufiles who thus honored him by visit to his dark den oi letters.
 Why, Mr. Backley,' said Steele, "your narrow passages and close rooms remind me of the printer of Ben lonson, who kept his press in hollow tree. We are come to talk with you Abou, this villainous stamp; a red stamp, they tell me 1t is to be, Rot black, like its father. Lille Is obstina:e, and says our peHny .SbNkakss must be raised to twopence, and fl so. where are our customers to come fromI ?"
 I'm for stopping" interposed Addi- son.
 No, sp, sir; not so. l pray" "ejaculased the frightened printer there isn't such paper in town, sir. Goes into the houses et the first of the quality not a coffee. house without 1t. Not like your Pssf bcys and PosI, which are read by shop. keepers and hAndicrafis."
 "l should like to be read by shop. keepers and handicraks," said Steele.
 "Oh, dear no, sir; quite impossible, sir. They must have coarse food-ghos,s and murders. Delicate wit like MT. Ad- dison's, fine morality like Mir. S,eele's, are for the town, sir, not the populace."
 "A uice distinction, truly" cried Ad- dison "audiencs 6t, though few"
 Few, sir why, we print three thou. sand, and we shall prin, as many when tho stamp doubles our price. Our GUS toners will never stand upon shilling e week; and besides. those who support the government will rejoice in the oppor. tunity of paying the nx shouldn't wonder if the stamp doubled cdr sale"
 "Vesy sanguine. Mr, Buckley"
 SanguiAe, sir! Who wouldn't be sauguine. when rare wits like you con- descend to write for the town There is De, xit, too, hear, has been writing penny paper after penny paper. A 6ne hand, gentlemen 1! Arc we to go back to our old ignorant days because of red stamp! We mus, go on improving Look .s my printing office, and see If se are not improved. Why, sir, Roger LEstrAnge, when he set up the IsAsM. .gsrcsS, fifty yeass ago, gave notice that he would pubilsh his oue book q week, to be published every Thursdsy night, and finished upon the Tuesday night, leaving Wednesday entire for the print ing 1t of.' And now l, gentlemen, can. without boosting, print your .Spscfaiov of every day, and nos even want the copy more than three days before public Ation. Think of that, gentlemen, a hAlf-sheet exery day. A hundred years hence mo- body will believe it."
 "You are wonderful man, MT. Buck Icy, and we arc ali very grateful to you" said the laughing eyed essayis,, bat, talking of hundred yeais hence, who can say that our moral and mechanical Improvements stop hereI can imagine time when every handicrAit tn the country shall read when the footman behind the carriage shall read when the Irish chairman shall read and when your /sklhgsStsy shall hear of great battle on the Wednesday moTning, and have . full account of it published on the Thurs- day:~ ... actually impossible. And surely you are joking when you talk of the vulgar learn ing to read, and taking delight h read ing. Reading will never 20 lower than osr shopkeepers, l think"
 'wo"os' sa'o Hoo'.oH, wsss me people would read . hundred years hence, if they had the abiliiy7 They must have books especially suited to their capacities. They would read your Vision of Mius, and know somsshiug about your Sir Roger ds Covesley.'D
 Some, come, Dtccon, don't be aar- castle. l thought was pitching my key iow enough to suit our tops, and our courtisrs, and our cofBec iousgess, bat to be reIished by the rabbiel A pinch of snuf, if you please"
 {" If ! could see the day." ss:a S.esle, when we had q nation of readers. and books coold circulate rapidly throagh the whole country, would leave the town to mead it's lolliss as best t mighs, and set np for . teacher Of tks people