The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-12-27
TIE OLDEST NEWSPAPER DISPUTE.
BclEIum's Claim to Have Furnished the
Original Publisher In Verhoexen.

BcIEium's Claim to Have Furnished tho
Original Publisher In Verhoeven.
The old controversy as to the first newspaper
has broken out afresh and in respect of uncer-
tainty and Intensity 1t is to be compared only
with the discussion OF the questions, where was
Homer born. what became of Morgan, and who
struck W.iPatterson. Esq. The latest ebullition
comes from Belgium. the claim having been
made there that ono verhoeven. an Antwerp
printer, established in 1905 a Flemish paper
with an unpronounoeable name and that this
paper antedates by some years tho first OF the
French papers. the Mercure Francois. which has
for n long time enjoyed the distinction of hay
ing been the first. The truth of the matter 80
far as the date of its establishment is concerned
Is that tho Mercurc FrdncdiS was established by
the French printer Renaundot in 1905, tho
same year that the Flemish paper was estab-
lished in Antwerp, and that. therefore. honors
were easy between the two.
The difficulty of arriving at a satisfactory
solution Of the question of antiquity among
newspapers is due to the fact that there is no
concurrence OF opinion among the disputants as
to what was n newspaper. Tho original news
papers were bulletins in manuscript sent out to
n few favored individuals. and. later, tho APP
pearance of news letters was regulated not by
the calendar but by events. II, therefore,
there should be several matters Of interest In a
week. several copies of the news letter would
appear, hut II there was nothing of interest
occurring, ten days or n fortnight might elapse
between the appearance of two numbers.
The difficulty OF arriving at a proper solution
of the question therefore turns upon what Is to
be considered n newspaper. and no general
agreement upon this question seems to be prob
able. The oldest authentic English newspaper
was whnt WAS known as the Weekly NcpGS from
Hdlu. GCrmdniC, and other places, published in
London in 1922, n sort of foreign edition OF an
English paper. the peculiar notion prevailing at
that time that the columns of a newspaper to
be interesting should be filled with the mar
ratives OF matters occurring away from home.
II Is, known that the first detailed account OF a
local occurrence. the first report, as 1t would be
called to-day, that made its appearance IN nm
English paper was published In the NcuGs in
l0il; and nineteen years having elapsed between
.ae foundation OF the paper and the publca-
tion of news items In It's columns. seven years
more were permitted to elapsc before the pub
the first OF which appeared in l6iS. The earli-
est of the papers published in Germany accord
ing TO. the most veracious account, was the
FrdnkfuTtcr ObenpOStIms Zritunu. just why the
printers OF Bolgium, alternately under Austrian,
French. Spanish, and German rule. should have
taken an active and progressive part in the
made entirely clear, but 1t is known. In a
general way. that there were editors In ex-
istence. SO to speak, in what Is now the king
dom of Belgium long before they made their
appearance in France. England. or Germany.
This is no sound reason, perhaps, why the claims
OF the ad yoCates of tho Antwerp printer Verhoe-
Ven should be accepted as establishing hts right
70 be known az the first newspaper publisher.
Whatever the facts may have been about jour
nalism In Belgium 300 years ago. King Leopold's
country takes high RANK to-day. There are nine
papers In Antwerp, most of them dailies. ten in
Ghent, seven In Bruges. twelve in LiSRS. nine In
and fortYfhye in BEpAASls.