Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-01-20
toast, "The Modern VS. the Old Time

Newspaper" as follows:
Mr.. Toastmaster and members of
the Commercial associations:
THE toast assigned to me is one
of which know considerable, and also
of which know little. With your per
mission | shall transpose the toast you
ask me to respond to, and treat it from
the standpoint of the "Old Time VS.
the Modern Newspaper The nawspa-
per, as We understand the term first
came into existence in Germany, as
early as 1915. In London the Weekly
News appeared in 1922, and in Paris
the first paper appeared in 1851, the
| successor of which is still in existence.
The first appearance of a leading arti-
Gle, or editorial as factor in shaping
public opinion dates from 1704 to 1740.
1t was a Frenchman who first braved
public sentiment and whote: Suffer
yourselves to be banished, condemned;
suffer yourself even to be hanged, but
publish your opinions. 1t is not right
it is q duty Boston was the first city
of America to have newspaper, in
l6S9-S0, and up to 1925, Boston and
Philadelphia were the only two cities
in America having newspapers. The
great New York Herald was establish
ed in 1885 by the senior James Gordon
Bennett, the New York Tribune was
launched in 1871, by that gentleman
whom history records advised us all to
go west-Horace Greeley-who so
successfully conducted it until 1872,
and whose fame is wei known.
"The early recollections of the
Snpolynr nf tha fn1l
per- having been born over country
printing office. conducted in Ohio by
his father. When at the age of 8 or
10 years l used to do the rolling act,
and perform the duties of devil in a
country newspaper office, where the
motive power for an old Washington
hand press was plenty of elbow grease
and perseverance. AT the age of 10 /
apprenticed myself to the editor of the
Lorraine County News, at Oberlin, O.,
to learn more of the newspaper bust
ness, and though my life has been di-
rectly connected with the printing pro-
fession since 1868, yet it is only with
in the past twenty-five years that l
can speak of the newspaper from act
ual experience.
"The old time newspaper was a peri
odical publication supposed to appear
weekly and often it was quite weak
ly, when it did appear. Often it would
be styled tri-weekly, for it would try
to get out one week, but not get out
until the next. The editor of the old
time newspaper was generally the re-
porter, compositor, pressmand,e evil and
the whole business; cussed and dis
cussed by the community and thrived
on cord wood, pumpkins, potatoes, and
other produce his subscribers had to
spare at least until some irate citizen
whom he had offended in his columns
came in and pied the Office, or dump
ed it into the street.
But in all seriousness,to the old time
newspaper and the old time editor,
we owe the grand magificent, modern
newspapers of today, which are the
marvels of the age.
Among the most conspicuous news
paper men of the earlier days, l call
to mind in addition to Bennett and
Greeley. Wilbur F. Storey of the Chi.
cago Times, and later Scott, who es.
tablished the Chicago Herald, which
was up to it's time, an innovation in
| journalism.
From the small beginning, the pic.
neers of the 18th and 18th century
have developed the preat metropolitan
papers of today, with their illustrations
and colored editions. From the old
Washington and Foster hand presses
We have developed the wonderful
Webb perfecting machine which in.
stead Of printing 1000 in hard days
work, turns out it's thousands per
hour. The modern newspaper is a
power in the land. In the hands OF
honest, fearless. conscientious pub
| fishers, its power for good cannot be
estimated, but when in the hands OF
constituencies men, whose only aim is
the glittering gold, there is no estimat
ing it's power for evil.
This is reading age and the
people are looking to the modern news
paper largely for their information
The modern newspaper has a depart
ment for everybody, and is not only
the channel through which the people
seek the news, but the announcements
of the business men as we'll. The mod
ern newspaper has place in every
community, and the community which
appreciates its advantages, and from
which the most perfect modern news
papers come forth, are generally good
places to cast anchor.
There is much of interest which
might be said Of both the old time an6
the modern newspaper, but the time
allotted me forbids me saying more
Rev. Father O'FarrelI.
Rev. Father John O'Farrell. in his
toast, "The World, Is It Growing Bet
ter or Worse" made one of the hits
of the evening. He spoke as follows:
MIR. chairman and gentlemen: j
cordially thank the toast maker, the
toast master, and the Commercial as
ISOLATION for the honor of addressing
you this evening. | am doubly thank
full because of the subject assigned tc
me. am permitted to tell you wheth
er the world is growing better OF
worse To most people the work-a
day world is the world of their envi
ronment. 1t is the place and the cir
cumstances which confront them in
their daily struggle for their daily
bread. The world of many is bound
ed by their own feelings. Rejecting
on the pleasures of this banquet, the
dignity of this presence and the hon
| or, to me, in being here, to be partic