The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1895-06-19
PRINTING IN YORK.
Remark able Career of Men of Pluck.
Tenacity and SterIiug WOrth-Af-
ter Repeated Failures n BOuntifuI
Success Came tO Them

Tenacity nnd SterIiuG WOrth-Af
ter Repeated Failures n BOuntiful
Success Came 10 Them.
Although we are impressed with the recent
remarks Of brother editor to the effect
that every man had right to publish a pa
per according TO his own notions, land con
seQuently should he free OF criticism>, yet We
will venture to remark on the issue of the
Iorkville Enquirer OF June II, in which is
given most interesting history of the print
ing business in York county. We quot as
follows from that issue of the Enquirer:
The present generation thinks that IT. has
seen some lively times politically. and IL has
but as compared with the generation that has
gone Immediately before, its experience has
been mild-decidedly mild. There are not
many people alive TODAY who remember It,
but the period of 1881 TO 1884 was OF the most
exciting, politically, that this State and coun.
try has ever known. Feeling ran high. II
was father against son and brother against
brother. There was no lnkewarmness and
but little conservatism. Every man had his
convictions, and if unable to uphold them by
argument, he was not slow TO resort TO physi-
Cal force.
There have always been, and perhaps al,
ways will be, those who believe in the power
OF the press Ms n mOuder Of public opinion
! During the first hall of the period just men,
toned, the Pinckney Whig, Of lorkyille, was
the only paper published in York county.
This paper was Tor NullItication. and kept
preaching that doctrine so persistently as To
crente the impression that it would finally
proSelyte the whole people to It's way OF think.
! ing. number of prominent Union men be.
came alarmed at the outlook, and decided
that their only recourse in the emergency
was to established newspaper OF their own
to uphold their side OF the question.
The establishment OF the new paper was
undertaken in March, 1888. under the auspices
Of w. c. Beatty, George w. Williams, DR.. E.
Jennings. and perhaps others, all deceased,
The necessary printing material was at hand
| they secured the services of John E. Grist, an
employe CT the Peudleton Messenger, the
first newspaper published In South Carolina,
outside OF ChuarlesiOn and Columbia. Mr..
John K. Grist came 10 Yorkville on the 10th
of April, 1873 and was accompanied by his
wife and oneson-Lewis M. Grlst-aged about
II months.
Newspaper organs are shortlived. They are
usually supported by the private funds OF
their projectors. and generally die either with
the removal OF the object for which they are
established. or with an exhaustion of funds.
Both the Yorkville papers had been estab-
IiShed as political organs. The Modification
died with the Clay compromise. There was
no longer any occasion for strife. No organ
grinding politician ever aspires TO the real
mission of the true journallst-the advance
ment OF the general welfare. The projectors
OF the organs saw no further opportunity for
personal advancement, and in the spring OF
1875, both papers were allowed 10 die. The
Modification "Whig" and the Unionist PA.
triot" were quietly laid to rest in the same
coffin.
There being no more work for the printers.
one by one they began TO seek employment
elsewhere. MIR. Grist liked the place, his wife
was satisfied, and he decided TO remain.
There was nothing for him TO do, however,
and the only thing that struck him as offer
ing an opportunity for livelihood, was TO es-
tablisheo newspaper. he was without
means, and without education except as had
been acquired in the prn ting office: but he
was master OF his trade, full Of determination,
energy. pluck, and was not appalled, by ordi-
nary obstacles. The material Of The Patriot
being idle, he managed to get possession of 1t
by lease, and on the 18th OF June, 1875, he got
out the first number OF what he called the
Journal OF the Times.
York county, in 1885, was not what 1t is now
by any means. There were no railroads here
then. The population was sparse. Local
news did not figure much, for then nothing
was admissible TO the columns OF The country
weekly except items of almost national i'm
portance. and to publish these items even be-
fore they had been weighed and considered
for weeks would have been rather too radical
an Innovation to meet with public approval.
| Under all the observation-disclosures circumstances,
! Mr. John E. Grist's venture proved a failure.
After something more than two years, he let
The Journal of the Times go to the wall.
A newspaper man, possessed Of the right
| the right kind of grit, and was not disposed u
give up his desire to establish newspaper.
Having In the meantime acquired the means
| Win WHICH 10 Duy, III SUluuUlH, SOme ola
and badly worn material, and secured in
Yorkville one OF the tamage wooden presses.
formerly used here. three years later, with his
son, l.. NJ. Grist, who then commenced to
learn the art of type.settipg-being less than
| 8 years Of age-on June |, 1910, issued the first
number of The York Vile Com pler. Mr.. Grist
continued its publication for two years, ami
then sold IL to Mr.. Thomas j. Eccles who
| came to Iorkville IN the summer OF lS4l, and
who had been helping to get it out. Mr. Ec.
cles published the paper for about IS months,
or until July ID, 1Si3. and then let it drop and
| removed to LlncOlnton, N. G..
| Though already having made two unsuc-
cessfu attempts, Mr.. John f. Grist was ready
| to try again. Shortly after the discontinuance
rial used in its publication. and on the 10th of
| August, lS43 he issued the first number of the
| Farmers Miscellany, a column folio. l.. NJ.
Grist, who was then nearly II years OF age,
had learned to set type fairly well, and was a
valuable help. The new paper was not a roar
ing success but proved sufficiently profitable
to secure moderate living for Mr.. Grist and
| his family.
John Z. Grist continued 10 published the
| Farmers MiScellany-afterward known as
the YorkvilIe MisceiIary-until 1851, when he
sold the plant and good will to l.. NJ. Grist,
| who increased the size OF the paper to six
columns. About this time another heated
political wave began TO roll over the country.
The parties were aligned under the name Of
Separate State SeceSSiOniSts and CO.oppra.
tioniSts The Yorkv Vile Miscellany was es.
tablisbed with, for that day and time a mod
erately good circulation among the best peo-
pie Of the county. The proprietor had no po-
litical aspirations, and o desire to mould po-
litical opinion; but as an individual, he was
opposed to Separate State Secession under
any Gil cumstances; and he thought that unit
ed secession was decidedly unwise. He had
never eSsayed TO rentilate his views In his
paper, however, and WnS not inclined to take
part in the fight. But his individual opin-
ION was known, and all of n sudden. he was
overwhelmed with voluntary assistance.
Fox populi and Pro Bono Publico made his
columns hot with fiery denunciatlons of the
Separate State Secessi0nis lists. AT length. the
other side, like the tnionstS some II years
before, found IL necessary and desirable to es-
tuDliSh an organ OF their own. Then, the
| light waved hotter and FOX Pnpui and Pro
bono l'ublico redDubled their efforts. Final.
Iy. the merits Of the isSue were tested in 81
State election tor delegates to a proposed
southern congress- 10 be held In Nashville.
| Tenn. Although more than - per cent. of all
the papers In the State had been advocating
separate State secession, in the election for
delegates, that party carried only one con-
sufficiently ground, NoX PopuI and Pro Bono
Iublico Withdrew their assistance, and left
the proprietor To adj just, as best he could, the
various enmiticS that had been incurred dui-
ing the fight
The proprietor of the Iorkville Miscellany
was yOungat the time; but he learned some
valuable lessons. Among other things. he
learned that the popularity bruIted idea that
newspapers "contrOl" public opinion Is all
boSii, Public OpiOniOn Is II power of itself be-
yond The control of any human agency. 1t
may be diverted for an instant: bul not con.
troed any more than the tide of the ocean
IN Gkrt dad l,