The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-07-03

At the annual meeting of the Ala
bama Press Association held in Bes-
semer during last week Miss virginia
Clay, the talented editor of The Hunts
Vile Democrat, read paper which
made a happy hit with the editors.
The title of Miss Clay's paper was
Experiences of Two Women in Con-
Quoting a Weekly Newspaper. Inc
paper was as follows:
Friend Editors of the Alabama Press
Association, and Brother Printers
greet you gladly:
1t seems an age since l last met
with you. and we mingled our laughter
and jeers over the bathers at ASpury
Park nine years ago and il goodly
sight. and a blessed privilege to be
with YOU again. While l am with you
| shall take undue advantage (perhaps)
and embrace the opportunity to give
my sister editors an outline or Two
women's experience as typos, printers
devils and editors for score or years:
with a few scattering experiences OF
other women. who have set. writ ana
cried over newspaper work. If sta
tistics are true, the frs newspaper
ever published in the United states,
was edited by woman, Margaret
Cooper. who took editorial charge of
The Manchester Gazette News Letter,
after her husbands death, and fear
lessly kept 1t going for Two and one
half years. IT being the only paper that
was NOT SuSpPnutu III IppS'piA, " - -
the British beseiged the town. Mrs.
Anna Franklin and two daughters
owned edited. set the type and super
intended the press work OF the hrst
newspaper ever published in Rhode Is
land. which made its appearance in
173e' And these women di their work
so we'll, that they were given the job
by the colonv's government as public
printer. and published the official pam
phlets and colonial laws of $40 pages
winning praise and earning money tor
their services. Even the South was
not exempt. for in 1878 Charleston. S.
c. had a woman editor in the person
of Mrs. Elizabeth Timothy. and Anna
Timothy's name was at its head at
ter the revolution. and she was APP
pointed state printer for seventeen
years, holding the position on account
OF her ability and reliability. Charles
ton had another fearlessly political
female. Mary Crouch, who published
an antagonistic sheet to the stamp act
in 1865. and continued her paper In
Salem. Mass. for several years after
1t is a matter of historical interest
that the first printed sheet ever pup
lished in England, was founded by
Queen Elizabeth, in the sixteenth Cen
impending dangers threatened by ne
Spanish Armada invasion. In the
British Museum are three copies or TINS
paper: The English Mercurle. pup.
liShed by reports the earliest ~ "'
bearing date July %, 1883. This paper
was published as the false rumors AND
occasions necessitated. England ais
claims the first daily newspaper 10 Dc
= womanly production, with Elizaoetf
Mallott as editor and publisher over
zoo years ago This was the first daily
ever published in the English Language
The Colonial cause was greatly ao.
vanced by the ready pen of women ano
a sensation created when their papers
appeared OF the thirty-seven news
papers published during the reNolutloi
several were successfully issued ah'
edited by women. Besides thos'
already mentioned. in 1I72 Clementln ~
Reid published The Virginia Gazette u
Williamsburgh favoring the colonia
cause and. two years later, Mrs IA
Boyle started n paper under the same
name advocating the royalty.
But all the good newspaper womei
are not dead yet, there are rev lei !
Paris has over $500 women in TN
newspaper business and London claims
Is 900 women members to press cluo'
and authors societies, Edinburt
boasts of $50 women COmpositors. wh'
are efficient. but only command one
half pay on account of their physlch
inability to lift heavy forms
Alabama has many gifted women II
the editorial chairs of the womeni
department of the most successful
and popular dailies and weeklies, WIN
can as ably report political conven