Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1903-01-07
ANNOUNCEMENT.

OF Two lncneS. Inc SuDScrlptlOf
, price and advertising rates, how
ever, remain unchanged.
Our growing circulation and in
creasing business made this change
necessary. As we stated when We
first got possession of the paper,
we intend to make THE GAZETTE
one of the best country weeklies
in Virginia, and not only give the
current local news of the town and
county, but also the State and
general news of the country as
well.
1t will be the policy of THE
GAZETTE in the future, as in the
past, to advocate that which makes
for temperance, for good morals
and for better government. There
fore, it will be Our aim to help in
crease the efficiency of the public
schools, to create sentiment for
better roads, to urge the establish
ment of manufacturing industries
and to encourage in the diversified
products of the farm.
AS will be seen by the adver-
tisement in another column, this
journal has entered upon its Goth
year. There are but few things
in Lexington today that were here
at its birth. It's files are the only re-
membrance we have. What a great
change has come about in the max
ing of a newspaper in this century,
nearly, of its existence! Aided by
electricity and steam, the news of
one day can be laid before the
whole world that night. To hear
from Europe when The GAZETTE
came into existence, required three
months; now we can hear in a few
seconds by the cable. To get a
New York paper in those days
required weeks journey on the
stage coach; now we get these
papers in twelve hours after they
are printed and the same day of
publication. A great change has
come about in the mechanical
appliances to get the newspapers
out in time before the people.
Type-setting n achines have taken
the place of the nimble and deft
fingers of men. The hand-press
has been relegated to the past, and
is only memory to the live-awake
printers of today. 1t has been
supplanted by the Hoe and Webb
perfecting presses which print
and fold over 100,0 900 copies of
"a pages in the short space of one
hour.
Ever since we have become the
owners of The GAZETTE, we did not
place much faith in the claimed
antiquity of the paper. Every
newspaper has to stand for what
it is worth today. Our predecessor
claimed that The GAZETTE would
enter its Doth volume on January
LIST, 1908, and his contention is
partly proved by an extract from
the "Union" of 1885, of which the
late lamented G.. G.. Baldwin was
editor. Our attention was attracted
to the edition of July 18th, 1885,
by mourning border and inverted
column rules, announcing the death
of Chief Justice John Marshall a
week previous in Philadelphia. In
the editorial columns of that edition
appears the following, which sub
stantiates the claim of the
antiquity of THE GAZETTE.
"Our readers will observe that we
have changed the title of our paper.
We don't like your high-sounding
names to papers scarcely known
outside of the limits of the county. |
They are in extremely bad taste,
it seems &c us, and besides SAVIOR
too strongly of self-conceit and
arrogance. We have, therefore,
hauled down the name of the
"Union" and run up The LEX
INGToN GAzETTE-a title which
describes much better the character
of our journal and makes a decided
improvement in our sheet. We
profess to be nothing more than
humble gazetteers of the events of
the day. To most of our subscribers
our paper claims what little value
they are pleased to attach to it,
simply because it is vehicle of
the local intelligence of the
county"
The Unions" predecessor was
the "Intelligencer." Up to 1889
there was but one paper in Lex
ington, and in that year the
valley Star was established.
The late Mrs. James r, Jordan had
in her possession II copy of the
. Intelligencer" bearing date of