The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-01-28
HISTORY OF NEWSPAPERS.
Had Their Beginning In Rome Before
the Christian Era.

the Christian Era.
Gondon Standard)
The germ of newspapers is found in
ancient Rome. That government, some
stwo centuries previous to the Christ
ian era, is known to have promulgated
its edicts by means of written papers
affixed to pillars. Nor was there much
difference between the style of these
acta diurnia, as they were termed, and
that which now prevails, further than
that the former was more brief and
simple, and deficient in Introductory
phrases and the editorial we" They
generally gave the news or occurrence
in simply indicative sentences without
! introduction or comment of any kind.
Most of these acta, which have been
preserved are found to mention but
one or two events. They are headed
with the date in Roman fashion, and
the name of the then consul, and para
graphs such as the following formed
the staple: 'It Numbered, and an oak
was struck with lightning on that
part OF Mount Palatine called Summa
Vevia, early in the afternoon" "Mure-
ma, the consul, sacrificed early in the
morning in the Temple of Castor and
Pollux, and afterward assembled the
senate in Pompeys senate house" &c.
Caesar set out for his government in
farther Spain, having long been de-
tanned by his creditors" 1t will be
observed, too, that as these announce
ments were made at central part of
the city, only those persons who had
leisure to go thither were able to avail
themselves of the intelligence in its
authentic form; so that the utility of
such papers must have been very mar
row and confined.
LACK OF INFORMATION.
1t is hardly possible for us now, with
all the lights of science around, and
the shoals of newspapers with which
we are supplied, to form a proper
notion of the darkness which for want
of these involved the masses of the
people for many centuries after the
rail- of the Roman empire. We are
told that the crusaders were so ignor-
ant of geography that at every town
( they approached in central Europe
they inquired if it were Jerusalem.
When they at length reached their des-
tination their exploits would have re-
NAMED unknown for years to their
relatives and friends at home had not
at times some few struggling pilgrims
found their way back to the west.
Even bad news in those days could not,
contrary to the proverb, travel fast.
Every little community must then have
lived much within itself. Their own
town, or at most county would be the
IlIIlI Ol tuGlI little WOTlQ.
ORIGIN OF THE GAzZETTA.
1t was not until the sixteenth CEN
fury that anything at all approaching
even to the scanty Roman acta diurnia
can be found to have revived in the
modern world. The war which the
Venetian republic Waged against the
Turks gave rise in 1868 to the custom
of communicating the military and
commercial information in Venice by
written sheets, notizic Scritee, to be
read in particular place to those de-
SirouS of hearing the news, who paid
| for this privilege with a coin no longer
in use, called gazzetta, a name which
came in time to be applied to the
neWS-sheet itself both in Italy and
France, and subsequently in England,
when this mode of imparting news
came into use. The Venetian govern
ment eventually gave these announce
mentS in a regular manner once
month, but they were too jealous to
allow them to be printed. Only a few
written copies We're transmitted to such
as subscribed and paid for them.
Thirty volumes of these valuable
manuscript newspapers exist in the
Maglia Bechian Library at Florence.
About the same time advertising wants
commenced, the father of Montaigne,
the celebrated essayist, being credited
with the suggestion for making the
wants of individuals known to the
public in France. These were received
at offices established for the purpose,
and were firstly. posted on the walls
of public Places receiving the names
of afficheS. In time this led to q
systematic and periodic publication in
sheets. These were termed affiches, in
consequence of their contents being
originally fixed up as placards, though
t. f1,. Il
tisement.
ELIZABETH AS A PUBLISHER.
1t is to England, as represented by
Queen Elizabeth, that the honor of
commencing printed sheets of public
intelligence is to be ascribed. When
the Spanish armada threatened an in
vasion of this country that sage queen,
remar1ing the disadvantage of the
vague and alarming rumors which cir
culated everywhere, resolved to inform
her people truly of the impending dan
gers. She began to publish from time
TO time a sheet bearing the following
title: The English Mercuire, pub
lished authorize, for the contradiction
of false reports. OF this publication
three copies are preserved in the Brit
ish Museum, the earliest, No 80, bear
ing date the 23d of July, $685. The
first article, dated from Whitehall,
WalSingham that the armada was
seen in the channel, making for the en-
trance with a favorable gale. An ac-
count is then given of her majestys
heet, which consisted of eighty sail,
commanded by the lord high admiral
in the Ark Royal, Sir Francis Drake and
Admirals Hawkins and Frobisher. I'm
der the head London" there is an ac-
count of an interview which the mayor
and corporation had on the previous
day with her majesty, for the purpose
of assuring her of their resolution to
stand by her with their lives and for
tunes to the last. Under the same
head appears the following paragraph:
Yesterday the Scotch ambassador had
private audience of her majestic, and
delivered a letter containing the most
cordial assurances of adhering to her
majestie's interests, and to those OF
the Protestant religion, and the younge
king, James With, said to her maj
estes minister at his court that all
the favour he expected of the Span
iards was the courtesie of Polyphemus
to Ulysses, that he should be devoured
to the last" We wonder what would
be thought of ambassadors in these
days if they interlarded their oral
communications with such classical
references
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