The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1894-05-10

years leaplng to.heights, 90 grand and
bow'ldering as to almost defy thecom.
prchension Of man. At tho closo oil tho
Revolution thcro wero 81 newspapers in
tho Unitod Statos; Ia 1850 thero were
1000 aud to-day therp arc ovor 10000.
Thia country contains, In proportion to
population, flye times as many nowS.
papers rs all continental Europe. Since
tho time Of Gutcnburg. tho printing art
has made marvellous strides.
II tho Now York World should got out
its noxt Saturdays edition on press
similar to tho ono used by Gutenburg
and his assistant, 400 yoars ago, itwould
take two mon working ton honra aday
800 ycars to print tho ontiro edition for
just one day. Not only aro vo ahead in
mem bes in tho United Statos but nlso In
quality. ThoAmoricannowspapor leads
the world in tho scope Of It's vision aud
the depth OF its.wisdom. It's influence
is boneath evcry throne on earth.
England has broadeucd hcr suffrage,
Russia hasliberatod hor scris and France
has erectod a republic upon tho ruins Of
Napoleon's empire. To redccm.the earth
from king craft and dospotism Ia Its
mission. Tho kuel OF monarchie8 has
boon sounded aud tho enemies Of FREQ
dom are fast stacking thoir weapons in
the neglected arsenals Of the past,
RULING INFLUENCE.
at cannot be donied that tho ruling
force in this land to-day is. the prose.
Tho power that branded tho fnir
name of tho Kentucky statesman with
infamy yesterday Is tho Same silent
force that robes Coxey in the purple
vosturo Of undying fame to-day. To-days
newspaper is the history OF yesterday
the mirtow in which we SEQ reflected
all that mon havo devised, discovered,
done or imagined.
after centuries OF developement,
Romo would butcher one-hundrod mon
to make holiday for the
emperor. The spirit OF the times
has changed. In 1000 years tho world
has grown better. Light has spread
and bayonets think" This Is the best
uge tho world has ever seen. II we ex-
cept Christianity tho press has done
moro than all othor forces combined to
hasten the universal brotherhood OF
man, foreshadowed in the Hebrow law.
Across "old oceans vast eypanse"itho
Occident greets the Orient. A mighty
cohesion binds the old and the new.
THE MODERN PRESS.
~ know Of nothing mere interesting
in the realm OF tho mechanical artu
than the modern printing press. I
stood by tho side Of one OF those power
iul perfecting presses upon which one
OF your city papers was being printed.
1t seemed as though 'twore a living
thing, the paper leaving the roll pure
and white and coming out a finished
newspaper in the twintling Of an eye.
Those rolls OF white paper started q
train of thoughts. The raw material
from which that paper was made was
chiefly wood and few days ago it
might have boon growing wild and
luxuriant upon some West Virginia hill.
side. Since that time. however, 1t has
had an intensely interesting history. It
has been taken from it's sylban home
and its pieces thrust into the powerful
jaws OF one OF these gigantic won-
ders OF mans skiliiui mechanism.
It's hbers were torn and lncerated. Its
cellular structure bosieged and pulvar-
lied. Then it passed into the great iron
man OF thnt machine and its identity
was Loaf in Heething. slimy creation cali
ed pulp. Here all would bc chaos, but
chemistry, tho mysterious necromancer
OF time, comes to the rescue with its
combinations and adhosions. Tho re-
bellious molecules clasp hands, the pom.
derous rollers begin 10 turn and the
product is pure white paper"
The orator OF tho association, Mr.. f.
Vernon Aler, editor OF the Martinsburg
Public Opinion, delivered an oration on
Tho Power and Influence of the
Press" The lHTELLIGEScER will pub
lish this able paper tomorrow.
Historian A. B. Clark, of tho Buck
hannon Delta, had prepared, and in his
absence Secretary Snyder read, his.
tory Of journalism in West Virginia. It
ia hore presented:
INTERESTING REPORT,
~ confess am somewhat n. loss to
know what to say in historical report
OF tho Weat Virginia Editorial Associa-
ton. So far as l know. tho task hae
not heretofore been undertaken. ],
therefore, have no example or prece-
dents to follow, but shall at least make
an effort to fill my place upon tho pro-
gramme. A study OF the development
and progress made in West Virginia In
tho past fifteen or twenty ycara will
chow that tho press has at least Kept
pace, ii not surpassed, most other en-
,erprises or industries, and tho prcss OF
West Virginia will compare favorably
in numbers and influence with that Of
states OF similar size and advantages.
According to the latca. and best in
formation at my command, thdro was at
the beginning OF this year. 1904, 1854
newspapers published in the state. Of