New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-01-21
MAKING A NEWSPAPER.
THE MEN AND THE MACHINES.
ADDRESS RY MR. CHARLES A. DANA EDITOR of
"rur NETWORK SUN" At CORNELL
UNIVERSITY on JAN. II. 1874

ADDRESS BY Mr.. CHARLES A. DANA HD''O'' 20
THE NETWORK SUN" At CORNELL
UNIVERSITY. on JAN II. 1894
FOUNDERS DAY).
Mr.. President. Ladies and Gentlemen: esteem
myso,, verv fortunate in being permitted to be here
nm this dav in this famous university ana III inc
nresence of Its officers and its students. 10 Io''
with Won heartily in the celebration OF TINS ANN"
versary. ,. -
Every age and every stage OF social eVoiu"oi
ouires and produces new exemplars ana ne" ""'
ers men better suited than others 10 'he VIZ '.t"
age has 70 do TO the business it has In mana III ''V
vast drama Of mans existence upon eaitn,
men, two kinds OF men. seem to me espe''ail! .,.
guides the leaders. the servants the pe"e' ~
of the present day; and the hrst OF '"eso "
man OF thought OF science. the man VINO trd'r'
the secrets of nature and who brings OUT Hc"
methods and new appliances by when 'heE ar
converted into agents "f human use. Co's'ue''
instance what such Il man as kulsoh "oos ~ -,
world or a man like Tesla. who is penu'''7 q" W
faculties OF original genius TO give us "'
and new powers so that the abilities an" 'ne ~
sources % humanity are doubled or quntupied' anu
man become able 10 live better upon TINS pa''
and TO leave behind them the faculty OF sum ''''N
living for those who are to follow al'er' 49,
That Is one class of men that refer w. w
thinkers the men of science. the nVen'o's'' az.
the other class is that OF those whom "ol mas p"
aou.a with \ genius for saving. for getting r'V",
for bringing wealth together. for accountants ''
concentrating money men against "hu'" - "
fashionable 10 declaim, and against ""o., &C.
,hn is sometimes directed. And yet j. ''eio "'''
be,efactor OF humanity who is to be ehNleu J." MS
acf .evements aud in the memory anu ''e U IN,
vets he has left behind him. more than EZRA
Cor,e,l? tApplause) or. to take announcer eN"''1r'
that ia here before our eyes, more IMAM heHiS "
sage, These are men who knew how 10 se' ',0''
,aesrso ,bev had been endowed with that faculty
,ic hoy IL
for treat public enterprises. for uses tha' VIII ~
Main living immortal, long as man remains
upon the earth The men OF genius az" we - !,
money those who prepare new agencies "a 49,.
those who accumulate and save the money io' ei."
or,srnr,ses and great public works these are INC
,,ecuI;ar and the nesmable leaders OF 'ie "0'i'' a.
,ha twen,ieth century is opening upon US
II 10 exnected that | shall say something mere 'o
day about the newspaper ana the ART % '.
H. The newspaper is an article OF primary "' 80,
Won must have your breakfast. but you must ~
,our newspaper too. Without II we ooh NM"
what has happened In the world. we uoh NJ
r,hat new ideas we don't know what shochins
events we don't know what well-founued VI ","'
fantastical hopes are looming before the hi'N"e "a ~
masses OF men. We don't even know WHO l. ma
r,eJ Now in these remarks that sha" a'e''i''
"a make there will be necessarily great man,
details and a great many small circumstance, an
sbau ne indebted to any one who does NOT see
exactly the fact that I am stating OF WIZ
some further explanation of IT, II ne VIII me- '
ma and get ND and put his question Inc result "'
not be exactly a lecture. but kind OF aCa'e"IO
conversation that may be more livery anu ~
useful than a formal discourse
Tho newspaper profession is certainly a iedine'
rrofsssion In one sense. 1t is profession III "i0
the utmost amount Of learning can De pun !" u
Tut AT the same time ] am sorry 70 say 'i"' 80,
are newspapers in which learning Is very 80 -.
ann,,ed and more facts and better logic "ou'u oe
Pint
ike human nature; IL is right sometimes anu - "
wrong pretty often. Gaushter) But on '"e "io ny,
there Is no question that the newspaper Is no, OILY
a needful institution, but that II Is use'O' "'
yantageous and beneficial institution
THE MODERN PRESS
Tue. NOW the business Of making newspapers IS
going through a revolution 1t Is passing '''ious"
oharges of a very radical and remarkable h@'u' e..
THESE changes are due first. TO the lH'eh''o' VI
new printing machinery which makes II p
10 publish the large editions ana the Ia'ee "e
papers that we see all around us Before 'nese mo
chimes were invented 1t was not possible " w '''
and a machine, o.d-fashioned press 'nd' .o''.
turn ont 600 or 200 copies day from the hahds Vi
the operator was the bes; there was IN the "oi -
Now the mos. improved presses and' say '','
" that the best that we have, are 'hose ''a'' ''
Hoe in New-York. can turn out al one lihpi 80,
large sheets OF eight. ten or twelve pages, anu ue-
liver 10000 finished papers in an hour. we ne"
sometimes figures more surprising but that IS apou'
the maximum of safe and good work one Pc
cularty Of these machines is that the papers are are
r To,da3 SSv the machine and what is more they
are counted and laid out in piles OF certain nunns
70 The Office 10 get his papers. he does not neeq -
count them: they all counted ana iedu! io
Years ago we had to employ men to count the
papers after they were printed ana IL Tas any
fmnortant duty. II they made MISTAKE % any
moment there would be trouble But now mere rs
no mistake possible The papers are so tbat
the dealer picks out his pile and goes AWAY certain
TYPEsETTING BY MACHINERY.
Next TO the press comes the typesetting machine
We who have reached a certain maturity oi NE
grew up in the impression that machine 70 set
type was something impracticabie' IN iac', ever
since was a boy, have known men trying 70
make them and not willing TO set their FAILURES
down as real failure. But. as a matter OF idct, II
IS not more than ffeen vars , Ike @ piano was
actually Invented that could set up type ny me-
aSenic.l means and furnish matter set up and cor
rnc,sS and read to be put upon the press There
are a good many of these machines OF very OIL,
ferent nature and operation. The one that Is now
most in use Is the invention Of a man OF talent
named Mergenthaler BY that msch,nee ths me, G Sp
line at a time, and then. with melted Inetal. a
cast Of that line is made. so that instead OF mass
ers cali slug; and then they, 90 on and make
another until the whole article ana ne .he ON the
presses' Then there is another MACHINE when a
certain literary gentleman named NSI Isr Twain
presume most OF you have heard OF MAIN Wdii,
1auehter)-ls interested in. He has spent goou
deal OF money the invention, ana am gao 10
Say that ne has II to spend all created from
the brain OF a man of genius 1t Is machine OF eN-
ceedng dclicacy and il does exactly what me hu-
man fingers do 1t picks up the type, ana pu,s IL IN
the box and secures It there so mat hnamy ,ns
column the article, can be put into the form ana
tpa irnresson be made. 1t seems TO do all that a
man can do by mechanism 49, =, ,.r
' ehoaiId have said that with all the modcii
.-,D,ina MACHINERY no types are put upon the
press to be printed stereotype plate usually 81 s
shave that will fit the press. ana from that th,
printing is done But this gentleman TINS ,a'eh h,
his machine and that is put into the form, anu
the stereotype plate of the whole page IS maze e,
frou, that Then there ara half a dozen other IN
ventions but the most successful one so lar me
one that is In use in n great many ne"tpaper Oh