Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-12-29
TREASURES OF FACTS
Value of Newspapers as Orig
inaI Sources.
THREE PERIODS DISCUSSED
Papers Read Before American His
torical Association.
JOURNALS OF COLONIAL DAYS
Narratives Not to Be Found in Of
fetal Reports-Problems Before
Political Science Association.

Political Science Associa ton.
The American Historical Association
and the American Political Science AS
ISOLATION held simultaneous meetings at
the Willard Hotel this morning.
The members of both the associations
finished their sessions at noon today and
last of their series of meetings will be
afternoon for Richmond. Va, where the
lost of their series of meetings will be
held. The speakers a today's meeting
of the Hist orical Association were Joseph
\. Hill. chief of the division of revision
and results of the census bureau, on The
Use of Census Materials in American
Economic and Social History: William
Nelson. corresponding secretary of the
New Jersey Historical Society, on The
American Newspapers of the Eighteenth
Century Sources Of History: James
Ford Rhodes, THE Use of Newspapers
for the History of the Period from 1850
to 1877. and Talcott Williams. of the
Philadelphia Press. The Use for His
torical Purposes of the Newspapers of the
Last Thirty Years.
Revolutionary Times Portrayed.
What a vivid picture of everyday life
during the times that tried Ii ms souls
is presented by the newspapers of the
day. said Mr.. Nelson. referring to the
press of revolutionary times. THE official
reports of events. carefully written and
revised at leisure have pruned out of
them the little human touches that APP
peal to the heart But your newspaper
account of a skirmish, a battle or raid.
written currents calamO, has a dash and
d touch of local color that stirs the blood
of the reader. Here you shall find &C
counts of the same event published In
royalist and in patriotic newspapers. pre-
scented in such opposite language that it
is difficult to realize that they are descrip-
tions of the same occurrence. Was 1t
from d desire to be impartial, that the
same papers would often publish the &C
counts of both sides, or was it merely
desire to get copy with the least ex-
pense of time and labor? A newspaper
published in New York would frequently
publish a story, crediting it as from
rebel newspaper. and journal OF the
opposite side would as frequently pub
lsh an excerpt from a late tory paper
The reader could take his choice which
story to believe and thus was cultivated
a 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 newspapers of OPP
posite faiths. or perhaps l should rather
say profession. 1t is doubtful If some
of these newspaper publishers had any
faith-if they were not mere journalists.
whose sole function was regarded as that
of purveyor of news to the public. You
will recolect that Hugh Game attempted
at the beginning of the revolution to
serve both sides in publishing tory edi-
ton of his paper in New York, which
lauded the king and his army and all of
his servants and fittingly berated the
patriot cause: while at East Newark he
issued for some weeks a patriot edition Of
his Gazette. which heaped scorn and con-
tumely on the British cause.
The News From Lexington.
"One Of the most soul-stirring episodes
of the outbreak of the revolution was the
carrying of the news of the battle of
Lexington by relays of swift messengers
from Boston to Savannah, the account Of
the battle being receipted for by the sue
cessive messengers. 1t was like the bear
ing of the fiery cross through the high
lands of Scotland with it's summons to
arms. Even yet it stirs the blood TO
read the story in The newspapers, from
week to week, and to trace the progress
of that soul-stirring appeal to arms as 1t
swept from north to south through the
country.
The official reports are generally
silent, too. regarding the raids made by
parties from the opposing armies into ex-
posed territory, or the daring expeditions
of attacking parties on outlying posts.
The brutal savasery which characterized
the British march through New Jersey
in the fall of 1916 is nowhere detailed in
the official reports, but in the newspapers
Of the times you shall find it set forth in
all it's bare and hideous cruelty.
1.-THE newspapers of the day showed
that the election and inauguration of
Washington were hailed by the newspaper
writer's as the inauguration of new
era for the republic. One can see an in
creased confidence in the stability of our
institutions, indicated by the exploiting Of
new enterprises in manufactures. COM
merce and in the settlement Of the from
tiers. all of which," Mr.. Nelson said.
were cleverly advocated by enthusiastic
and skillful newspaper correspondents
Birth of the Editorial.
The editorial, up to that time prac-
tically unknown, Mr. Nelson said. now
gradually made its appearance. at first
in the shape of a modest paragraph, sug-
costing some course of action or CRITICS.
ing what had been already done or pro-
posed. Toward the close of Washington's
second administration We find the news
papers taking opposing sides in politics,
indicating a positive and distinct cleavage
in party lines. Much of the partisan
warfare of the dag was carried on in
pamphlets but 1t Is to the newspapers of
the time that We must look for the his
tory of the growth Of parties: it is to the
newspapers Of the day that we must
resort If we would find the real iniQuities
of the party criticised and the merits of
that advocated by the writer's of the
times. In these exposures of the weak
nesses and foibles of the opposing par
ties we read OF the real difficulties and
dangers that confronted the young re-
public.
Newspapers in Recent Times.
Talcott Williams. in his paper on The
Newspaper of the Last Thirty Years as
Historical Material'' said i'm substance
The daily newspaper of the past thirty
years, considered as historical material,
is less valuable in its record of the formal
acts, events and measures of society and
more valuable than ever in recording the
public influences and environment which
create these acts. Debates. laws. Off