The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-09-09
EARLY DAY ADVERTISING
The Way in Which Merchants
First Addressed the Public.
A Period When Posters and Hand
bills Conveyed Notices of shop
keepers to the Public That They
Had Goods for Sale Peculiar
Styles of Addressing Communities.

The modern printed advertisement is the
successor of the public crier who. before
the invention of printing, was wont to an
nounce, for a stipend from the interested
party or parties. the time. place, and cons
ditions OF sales. When a salesman was
too poor TO employ the services of a crier
he performed that office himself on his
own behalf
With the invention Of printing came the
poster, the hand-bill, and the newspaper
advertisement. The first printed English
newspaper, published in London in 1912
and called Certain News of This Present
Week. contained no advertisements. These
were, in fact, not carried" in public prints
until the publication, ten years later, OF
the "Mercurius Politicus," which Journal
in January, 1862, gave notice of a poem,
then lately written. celebrating Cromwell's
return from Ireland, in the following man
ner: "Irenodia Gratulatoria, an Heruick
Poem; being eongratulatory panegyrick
for my Lord Generals late return, sum
ming up his successes in an exquisite
manner
The last adjective in this notice sounds
rather queer in this age. applied, as 1t is.
to the celebration of some OF the most
frightful outrages and massacres recorded
in history. The advertisement ends witt.
the announcement that the valuable work
in question was, ITO be sold by John Hoi-
den, in the New Exchange, London"
The newspapers printed on the CONT
nent of Europe almost a century previous
contained advertisements. The oldest of
these was found lately by a student In the
British Museum library. The publication
in which it was found is dated 1891. al
though the place of issue is not indicated.
This oldest printed advertisement known
is half in prose and half in verse, and. like
that previously mentioned is a puff for
a sixteenth century work Of literature.
Vendors of all kinds OF commodities.
however, soon came to perceive the value
Of the newspaper as an advertising me-
dunn. In the year 1857 a weekly news
paper was issued in England called the
"Publick Advertiser, which consisted al
most entirely OF advertisements. An
nouncements of books were still a promi-.
nent feature of this early day advertls'
ing. Among the curious advertisements 10
be found of this time are the announce
ments of the then newly-Started tea and
coffee emporiums
These now common beverages were then
a great novelty, and the wonders and vir-
tues of the "cophee" and that excellent
and by all physicians approved China
drink called by the Chineans tcha, By
others tay, alias tee were set forth liz
the advertisements OF the period at great
length. The greater part Of the adver-
tisements of the day, however, related to
fairs and cock fights, burglaries and high
way robberies the departure of coaches
and stages and what would now probably
come unuer the head of Lost, strayed, or
stolen"
The number OF runaway slaves adve--
tised formed a striking feature of Ameri-
can newspapers up to the very abolition
of slavery. The personal notices" found
in some papers of the present day wete
quite frequent in the papers OF the last
century In that age the advertisement
had become a medium for love making.
fortune hunting. swindling. as well as all
the needs of a large community
In the initial issue of the first news
paper started in this country. the Boston
News Letter" is found bid for adver-
Using in the following rather crude form:
"Ail persons who have any houses.
lands, tenements, farms, ships, vessels.
goods. wares. or merchandise, etc. to be
sold or let or servants run away, or goods
stole or lost may have the same in
serted at the reasonable rate CT twelve
pence to five shillings, and not TO ex-
eeed.''
The first daily newspaper printed IN
this country. the Independent Gazette. or
New York in its second year of pubiica-
ton Q7SS) contained as many as thirty
four advertisements in a single issue.
At the present time the American news
papers are perhaps. the greatest adver-
Using mediums in the world. although
marked advance has lately been made In
foreign continental periodicals.