The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-11-04

fret and chafs at the limit OF their hori-
ron. The course of empire was spreading
westward; our shipping was in the as
cendancy--well in the lead of the worlds
maritime procession; the vast resources
of the Republic were daily becoming
more apparent; the pulse OF American
life was beginning TO beat faster and
faster. While the nation and its affairs
were developing, business of every de-
scription increasing, opportunities oi
bonundless magnitude presenting them
SELVES, the newspaper world found the
problem OF securing quick and reliable
information of the worlds doipgs daily
growing more complicated and the neces-
sity ana Importance OF united action and
combined effort more and more apparent.
Electricity had not yet been bridled and
tanned; steam was yet in its infancy and
an unfeared rival OF horse or sail power.
Therefore, what more natural than 10 thy
. and utilize--ss in the days of old the
carrier pigeon Tho thought was
acted upon and this fleet little carrier
bore a useful and interesting part In
transmitting messages within certain linn
Its. So the pigeon cotes that received
and sheltered this unique flock still stand
as eloquent reminders of one OF the char
acteristic traits of Americans, that of
adapting and utilizing the means at
hand. The swift carriers OF Persian kings
and Turkish sultans were trained for
this special service OF message bearing.
This was the embroyo of the present AS
eociated Press.
The expense of the service was Jointly
borne by a number of leading New York
journals of the time that had banded to-
gether for mutual benefit and in the in
terest of the public.
But news was at first received through
comparatively slow channels. Stages.
canal packet boats. steamboat ts and, only
too often, sailing vessels were the media
relied upon. Travellers were interviewed
then as now.. The first question, how
ever. would not be as TO personal opinion
upon a country aud inha bitsnts that had
been observed only from the vessels deck.
But the traveller who had not something
interesting to impart in those days was
rare exception. The blase globe -trotter
was not then known. He is a product OF
lster-day civilization, whose reason for be-
ing has not yet been satislacto orily deter
mined upon.
Somewhere about this time, the elder
Bennett, with MS small tugs and steam
ers, esta blisned system of going out TO
meet all incoming vessels for first news.
The Pony Express was also one of the
important media in receiving and dis
patching news, and was widely used un-
I'll the Introduction OF telegraphy. Prior
TO these rather crude though energetic
efforts news-gathering was largely mat
ter Of individual effort. While dispatches
of Importance were still being rushed
through from town TO town, across wild
and haif-broken country; while swift but
tough and shaggy, mud bespattered pom
les, with equally mud-soied riders, were
daily received and dispatched while
stages with their prom scuous and adven-
turesome occupants-with naughty or
loquacious driver, rs the case might be,
weil-braced amid great mail pouches
were esgerly watched for and welcomed,
the great forerunner Of our present civili-
zation was emerging from its embryonic
state, stretching out its web-like strands
across the hills and valleys of New York
and Pennsylvania, westward bound
The year 1916 found this marvellous
piece OF mechanism actually penetrating
as far into the "wilds' as Pittsburg.
Penn. Here ii rested for a time The
messages received over the wires were
once more handed over TO fleet couriers
and were carried "a far West as Cincinnati
and neighborirg towns. The less fortu-
nate papers still farther West relied upon
the less rapid method OF stage and boat
On the advent Of telegraphy. the press,
as matter of course, was he first insti-
tuition TO show the marked change and
benefit. Thence on, the world-st least
the part of T. that represented progress
and civiiization-was to enter new err.
III the press was the first to adapt itself
to these NV conditions, and show It's
powerful and civiIizing influence. aud
to be itself lifted out of rut-, yet never
fer moment did ii shirk its duty in full
Filing the exacting requirements OF these 1
new conditions
Individual direction has erred from
time TO time, as II doubtless will err in |
all time; but the press as a whole has not /
only moved forward with the times, but
Tor tbs most part, has proven the fore
runnsr ~ progress