The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1891-10-23
THE TENDENCY TO DEMOCRACY.

The world is tending to Democracy.
Since the war of the revolution Demo-
cratic government has been sustained in
these United States, and for aught we
can see will be so long as time lasts. In
South America republics have been es-
tablished and running as such, in name
at least and so in Europe. The govern
ment of the United States is now every
where commended and initiated, so far
as it can be, among the people of the
different countries of the world.
To sustain republic tire masses must
be enlightened. To enlighten the masses
the newspaper is indispensable. OF
course, educatiOn-as we say, common
educatiOn-is essential. as the masses
must learn to read, or they cannot peruse
the newspapers. In reading an article
by an able writer in one of our popular
magazines few days since, he dis
courses as follows: ''Who is to guide
the sovereign people to understand
matters of State The newspaper press
undertakes that Office Our journals are
the guides, philosophers and friends of
the masses, teaching them to think what
they do think on well nigh all subjects
For the majority of men, with their
newspapers-they seldom read anything
else-are the direct sources of those
floating opinions which have drifted
into their minds whercwith they judge
all social and political problems. Our
journalists have succeeded to an i'm
portant position of the functions which
in by-gone days have been discharged by
the clergy. Now the preacher is gener-
ally required to restrict his teaching to
matters of religion"
1t is impossible in a review of this
subject to give every consideration and
all the minutia bearing upon it; I can
only take up those things most promi-
nent as pass along.
Wonderful progress has been made in
this country in everything which bears
upon the welfare of society, and in moth
ing is progress more marked than it has
been in the press.
was born in January, 1915. The first
newspaper l knew was the Rutland
Herald l remember reading it when
was six or seven years old. My father
took it. 1t was then published by Will
liam Fay. Mr.. Fay was connected with
the Herald before the advent of the pres
ent century, and became its sole mana
ger about or soon after the year 1900,
and continued the proprietorship and
management until 1927. Mr.. Fay mar
ried his wife in my native town, Middle
town. She was daughter of Deacon
Jonathan Brewster, whom | well remem-
Der. Mr.. Fay had good paper for the
time. 1t was a small sheet, frequently
afterwards referred to as seventy
nine sheet. The matter to put into the
paper then available for that purpose
was but little at best, or would be so
considered now. 1t was before the days
of railroads, telegraph, or the thousand
and one inventions and improvements
that afterwards came to the surface to
We talked about in the newspapers. The
Herald was circulated among the sub
scribers by a carrier. The man who car
ried them about would throw them from
one-horse wagon to the roadside as he
passed along and someone from the
house would pick them up and carry
them in. My oldest sister, who was
born in March, 1916, and myself were
the only ones old enough of the children
in my fathers family at the time to in
terest ourselves in the papers. We
would run out as the carrier came along
to get the paper. As was little more
than year the oldest and a little the
strongest usually got hold of the paper
and carried it into the house. Jane
would cry, and feel badly, and to relieve
her my mother made it rule that Jane
should get and bring in the paper one
week and the next.
The number of newspapers then in
circulation in my native town were but a
fraction and a small fraction at that, of
what afterwards became in that small
town; but / had not then sufficient
knowledge to be accurate now in the
statistics. But it is evident even to
young men and women that from that
day to this there has been a constant in
crease in newspapers and other publica-
lions. 1t has been asserted recently by
one who ought to know that this litera-
ture has doubled in this country within
the last twenty years. Whether that is
so 1 will not pretend to say. l know
this, there has been a marvellous in
crease in the last twenty years. The
New York Times, Tribune, World and
others come to us now, instead of four
or eight pages, with sixteen, twenty,
and sometimes more in the same ISSUE
The proprietors increase their circula-
ton by adding to their ordinary amount
of reading matter and that is their rea-
son for increasing the size. The most
of our local papers are doubled up to
eight pages which until recently had but
four. A paper often makes stupid,
silly thing of itself, though the crowd do
not see it. They are looking for size,
and the more paper there is in the sheet
the more merit there is, as they judge.
In order to fill up to double the natural
size that local sheet would ordinarily
require, in small town, much is in
IL. 4. II l..