The White Pine news. [volume] (Ely, Nev.) 1906-1910, 1908-12-31
LOOK TO THE
NEWSPAPERS

ton about Revolutionary times es-
peciallv, was pointed out by William
/ Nelson. of Paterson, secretary of the
New Jersey Historical Society in his
paper on The American Newspapers
+ of the Eighteenth Century as Sources
of History" Mr.. Nelson quoted the
+ famous historian George Bancroft as
having acclaimed to him: But you
cannot write history from the news
papers" 1t was his own opinion.
Mr.. Nelson said. that the historian
+ who ignores that field will miss a
great and invaluable mass of
material
The Colonial press was hamper
ed Mr.. Nelson said, by what was
practically an official censure. Never
theless the newspapers of the time
wildly mirror to the popular life of
their day We can trace i'll their
pages. too. the gradual evolution of
the press toward broader freedom
as their news items expand from the
merest mention of ship news, run
away servants and foreign events to
chronicle the movements of the gov
ernors. the doings of the Legislature
and finally aspire even TO criticism
(at first in the cautious gulse OF
communications upon the ruling
powers.
Mr.. Nelson went on to describe the
papers of the early part of the
eighteenth century beginning with
/ the Boston News Letter" of 1904.
i The growth of these publications
f into something like real mirrors of
the social life was dwelt upon with
a considerable degree of detail and
Mr.. Nelson drew an interesting pic
ture of the developing industries and
methods of communication as set
forth in newspaper advertisements.
news articles and communications.
Coming down to the Revolutionary
period. the speakers point of view
was strikingly set forth in the fol-
lowing:
What a vivid picture of everyday
life during the times that tried mems
souls is presented by the news
papers of the day. The official re-
ports of events carefully written and
revised at leisure have pruned out
of them the little human touch that
appeal to the heart. But your news
paper accounts of skirmish, battle
or a raid. written currents calamo,
HIS Il udSH anu IL Vi toioi
that stirs the blood of the reader.
Here you shall find accounts of the
same event published in royalist and
in patriotic. newspapers. presented in
such opposite language that it is
difficult to realize that they are des-
criptions of the same occurrence.
Was il from a desire to be impartial,
that the same papers would often
publish The account of both sides; or
was il merely a desire to get copy
with the least excuse of time and
labor? A newspaper published in
New York would frequently publish
story. crediting it as from rebel
newspaper and journal of the OPP
posite side would as frequently pub
fish an excerpt from "a late Troy pa
per. The reader could take his
choice which story to believe, and
thus was cultivated species of
higher criticism whereby all the
probabilities were carefully taken
into account and there was sifted out
an approximately accurate narrative
of the events narrated by the news
papers of opposite faiths, or perhaps
should rather say profession, as it
is doubtful if some of these news
paper publishers had any faith--if
they We're not mere Journalists
whose sole function was regarded as
that of a purveyor of news to the pub
lie You will recollect that Hugh
Game attempted at the beginning of
the Revolution 10 serve both sides
in publishing Troy edition of his
paper in New York, which lauded the
king and his army and all of his
servants and fittingly berated the
patriotic cause; while at East New
ark he issued for some weeks pat
riot edition of his Gazette, which
heaped scorn and contnmely on the
British cause.
One of the most soul stirring
episodes OF the outbreak of the
Revolution was the carrying of the
news of the cattle of Lexington
by relay of swift messengers from
Boston to Savannah account of the
battle being receipted for by the sue
cessive messengers. Ii was like the
bearing of the firery cross through
the Highlands of Scotland, with its
summons to arms Even yet it stirs
the blood to read the story in the
newspapers. from week to week, and
10 trace the progress of that soul
stirring appeal 10 arms. as it swept
from north 10 south, through the
country.
The official reports are generally
silent. too, regarding the raides made
by parties from the opposite armies
into exposed territory. or the daring
expeditions of attacking parties on
/ outlying posts. The brutal savagery
which characterized the British
march through New Jersey in the
fall of 1875 in nowhere detailed in
the official reports, but in the news
papers of the time you shall find it
set forth in all its bare and hideous
cruelty.
Here. too, is chronicled. as you
cannot find it elsewhere, the intense
bitterness between the patriots and
/ the Tories, the latter frequently act
/ ing as spies upon their neighbors, and
leading parties of British soldiers to
attack them treacherously by night
with cruel slaughter What wonder
that the patriots adopted policy of
confiiscation and expulsion, insisting
upon driving out these recreant citi-
zens, with their whole families?"