Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1886-07-23
THE COUNTRY NEWSPAPER.
what it was in the Forties-What II is in
the Eighties what 1t should be in the
Nineties-With Plea for Emanci-
patton for Editors.

Gentlemen ana Brothers Of inc Press As
SOCiUttOH.
Much has been said and written about
the advancement in newspaper work in
this country during the last quarter or
third of a century. While the daily and
metropolitan papers have generally been
in mind if not specified at such times
those who stop to consider must realize
that the fact of progress is also true IN
great degree of the humblest country
country weekly. Since my mind has been
turned to this subject and the present oc-
casion have lived much in the past. In
looking over the goodly number OF the
Fourth Estate" who make up the Yer
mont Press association of Vermont, am
not certain but that the one before you
now out-ranks nearly all of them in years
of continuous service in "the art preser-
yatve of all arts" With this antiquity
before your eyes it will be unnecessary
for the speaker to remind you OF the pro-
verbal garrulousness of old age or the
trite saying that there is no fool like an
old fool, )" while he weaves little of his
personal experience with this lay sermon.
The lay preacher of it remembers as If
it were but yesterday his entrance into
the CdlCdOnidn office, on the day that
Zachary Taylor was inaugurated presi-
dent of the United States. He sees the
three stands for Bourgeois and the one for
Mlnion the old Wells hand-press, the
only press in the office-the filthy wooden
sink and the I've tub that stood by it-but
more wildly still the long hand roller,
with which, with blistered hands, he roll
ed the entire edition of six tokens. And
if the rolling was not done eXpedltlOuSly,
the roller-boy's head was sure to get
whacked by the iron frisket which. the
athletic preSSman swung with vigorous
precision The rolling, however, was but
small part of his work. The wood had
to be dug out of the snow and the fire had
to be built, and the Office swept, and the
family COW fed and MIXED, and all this
each morning before breakfast.
1t is unnecessary to add that at the end
of the first week there was hOmesck
boy who wished he hadn't learned the
! trade.
In looking over file of the CdlcdoHidn
! for 1S49 | am impressed with several
| things-the most notable being the almost
entire absence Of any town or county
| news do not believe the CdlCdOnidn
! was unlike other country papers of that
| day but the facts as they are seem almost
incredible even to the speaker The cafe
dOnidH of March 10, lS49 contained one
column of President Taylor S inaugural
an editorial on the same ; a list of the new
| cabinet officers two and a-half columns
| of proceedings of Congress and a column
of California news but not one line OIL
town or county news OF any KIND
In the paper OF the 1olioWlhg Weeh
there were three and a-half columns OF
Henry Clay's letter giving his views OF
the subject of slavery and emancipation
one and a-half columns of news from Eu
rope Governor carlos Coolluge procIa
nation Tor tast several editorials, an'
the vote OF the state on license or no II
cense but not line of local news.
The following DHDpr. March "A, mac
three columns on national politics, halt
column on an accident to theatre II
scotland, nut the only local news was
siN-llne item about lreshet which danl
aged the highways IN town. Inc 1--WE
first papers IN April each had one ioca
item. April Il, the only item or loCn
character was Drlet one ON the napl'
sugar crop, unless the following announce
ment was intended Tor local applcatlon
mo man who pays regularly Tor M
newspaper was ever known TO De olttel
by mad dog.
5 | do not believe the paper was eXcep
tlonal in its dearth OF local news, out !
was fair sample OF the country paper
Vermont In that year.
; need not direct your ATTENTION 10 IN
change: You nave already anticipate
that. Ii Is poor week now When TN
same paper does not have eight column
OF local and county news-or more co
umns than 1t averaged lines 81 years az,
In other respects the press OF To-Day
much nearer perfection IMAM was the pres
, OF - or 80 years ago. Edltors ana pul
fishers have been anything but asleep dul
ing tins time. Ihey nave oeeh eager an
I watchiul Tor opportunities OF Improve
= ment. Especially Is this noticeable IN IN
country press. Newspapers nave pee
/ edging their way into the great world
q current literature AT an unheard.ol rat'
+ Previous to 1890 the columns OF the pa
q pefs puOnshed III me rural portions
+ New England were nlled with sketche'
n stories, poetry, toreigL news ana heavy
/ editorials, with only once III Whlle D
of local news. But after time ente
r prislng men began to realize the truth
1 James Partons remark that an edltorli
- is il man speaking to men, nut inc news
n Providence speaking TO men. I've pun
:. lie Il so began to demand the news, an
the Journal which published the create
T. amount and the sooner after us occu
( renee was the taVorlte paper. 80 IL ma
e remained and so it Will remain indefinite
a ly. The idea, or AS Charles dudley wa
y ner recently observed-the superstltlo
i that certain part OF paper must con
= tain poetry, a certain part nctlOu, on