The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1886-03-27

plated. Its results have been productive
of the highest benefits. We are indebted
to this adventure of Steele upon the public
taste for the idea of Addison's Spectator,
work which will never cease to amuse and
instruct so long as the English language
continues to be spoken or read. "Who-
ever wishes" says DIR. johnson, ''to attain
an English style, familiar but not coarse,
and elegant but not ostentatious, must give
his days and nights to the volumes Of Addi-
dison.' The plan of the Spectator went
one step beyond that of its precursor-pol-
itics were wholly excluded-and here be-
gan the periodical literature of England, as
distinguished from the mere newspaper.
Since then the distinction has been gener
ally kept up, though in some cases par
tial or temporary union may have been
effected. "Such an attempt" says Dis
raeli sis retrograde step for the indepen
dent dignity of literature" ="
1t would be useless to trace any further
the history of periodical journals in Great
Britain. We leave it at point so far
advanced, when compared with the infant
state of the invention, that the transition
is easy to the present time. Statistical
tables, affording full comparison Of the
yearly accessions of numerical strength
which have marked the progress of these
publications, are within the reach Of almost
every reader To the United States our
particular attention should now be directed,
in the endeavor to present brief sketch
of the rise and progress of our own news
| nanars and neriodical literature,
The first printing press established in
the British Colonies of North America was
put in operation at Cambridge, Mass, in
the year 1639 The first Anglo-American
newspaper was published in Boston In
1904. 1t was entitled "The Boston News
Letter" and was printed on half sheet of
post paper, In 1719 the first number of
1.-THE Boston Gazette" was issued, and on
the following day third colonial journal,
entitled "The American Weekly Mercury,
made its appearance at Philadelphia. From
this time the number of papers began rap
idly to increase, all of them being pub
lished weekly, as were all until after the
close of the Revolutionary war. The first
daily journal, under the title of "The
American Daily Advertiser appeared in
Philadelphia in 1884.
In each of the thirteen original colonies
periodical press had been established prior
to the year 1775, with the single exception
of New Jersey, which had no newspaper
until after she became independent, At
the former period the whole number OF
papers throughout the country was thirty
four. In 1900 there were at least one
hundred and fifty publications of this kind
printed in the United States of America.
The whole number of newspapers and
literary journals published in the United
States in 1884 was estimated at / ,395.
The number of similar publications
throughout the whole world, exclusive of
our own country, was computed, for the
year 1882, at 1921 Now, allowing a
reasonable increase in both cases up to the
present time, the ratio of which should,
however, be much greater for the United
States than for the rest of the world, it is
SEEN. at once, that we have considerably
more than one-third part of the sum total
of these journals We have been figuring
only to half century back, but will give
the other half at the close of this article.
Great Britain, France, the Netherlands,
and the several states of the Germanic Con-
federation, are the countries of Europe in
which periodical journals are most widely
circulated. OF these, however, Great
Britain alone can be said to enjoy free
+. press Until within some years, France
had, for many previous years, participated
in the same blessing; but government has
done much to destroy its energies, and re-
strictions and penalties sap its independence.
Still it is probable that papers are more ex-
tensively circulated and read in France, es-
pecially in her large cities, than in any other
European state.
In short, when we take a retrospect of
the past and compare it with the present,
we at once acknowledge that in no branch
of the arts has there been such astonishing
improvements, during the half century, as
in printing, and the various and compli-
Gated labors connected with the newspaper
press. By the daily sheet the news of the
world is spread over Christendom almost as
upon the wings of the wind. That of our
own country is behind none other except,
perhaps, as to the basis upon which it is
and talents of individuals, but in England
newspaper press is often matter of stock
company, backed by tremendous capital.
Take, as an example, the Times, published
: in London. This establishment is under
the control of joint stock company, whose
capital is divided into twenty-four shares.
Three editors are employed, one with a
salary of about eight thousand dollars, and
two assistants, receiving proportiopate re-
muneration. About one hundred persons
are constantly occupied in various capacities
, in bringing before he public daily edition
7 of from fifty to one hundred thousand
, copies of this paper This number is passed
through the press 1t the rate of twenty
thousand sheets, prir ted on single side,
in an hour, the whole edition being thus
struck off in about taree hours, The pro
cess by which the necessary matter is OBJ
taiued is no less curious or carefully sys-
tematical than the various mechanical ope-
rations. During the session of Parliament
twelve or fifteen reporters, if not twenty,
are continually relieving each other in the
Houses of Lords and Commons, and the
expedition and accuracy with which their
! reports of the debates are prepared and
printed seem almost incredible. Seventy
five compositors are constantly at work,
some of whom have already set up the be-
ginning, whilst others are committing to
: type the yet undried manuscript of the
continuation of speech, whose middle por-
ton is travelling to the Office in the pocket
of the hasty reporter, and whose eloquent
conclusion is, perhaps, at that very moment
making the walls of St. Stephens vibrate
+, with tho applause of its hearers. By nine
in the morning, or sooner, this paper is cir
culated throughout the city, containing a
> full report of the parliamentary debates of
the preceding evening, however late the
meeting may have been continued. And
the astonishing efforts in many of the
a large daily establishments in the great cities
, of our own country would leave even the
Times, with its stock company, but little to
/ boast of either in the brilliancy of talent OF