Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-11-18
OLD NEwspAPERs.

The ST. Louis Republic has just is
sued pamphlet containing brief his
torical sketches Of newspapers in this
country. a hundred years. or more. old.
There are eiahty-two Of them in tho
list Pennsylvania has is New York.
10. ohio, p. and Massachusetts. T. The
oldest papers are the Philadelphia
North American, ana Saturday Evening
Post both founded in t72S Two Ger
man papers arc m the list. The
Reading Adler. and the Lancaster
Volksfreund und Beobachter
Germany. Sweden Holland. England.
France. and Scotland. an claim to have
older newspapers than this country
The Frankfort Journal was established
in 1916 the Antwerp Nieuwe Tiiding-
hen. IN 1916 the London Weekly News.
m 1922 the Paris Gazette de France.
in 1881 and the Stockholm Post och
Inrikes Tidende. iu 1913 But 10 is only
natural that the older countries should
have the older newspapers
tinotion Of having invented newspa-
pers Is claimed for China. as Is almost
every other invention OF Importance.
Gunpowdcr and printing. and even the
telephone is claimed for that country.
The PelSin News, It IS said was first
published moro than / 400 years ago.
IN every civilized nation there must
have hecn a demand for current news.
concerning the doingz OF the members
OF the ruling families, or other plomi-
nent persons, concerning battles. or
calamities by natural causes, etc. and
some way OF meeting this demand must
have been devised. But newspaper.
proper was not possible until the in
yention of cheap paper and printing.
Engraved plates and handwritten docu-
ments would do for historical archives
and a limited circle of readers. but gem
ersl circulation could be obtained only
after the art OF making paper had been
developed Printing followed, natural
~. as soon as there was material t.
print on
The press has exercised an immense
influence for good and for evil There
is not a step forward IN human prog
ress that has not been ably supported
by the press. wherever We find ad-
vancement there we find the press. II
has fought tyranny and oppression; II
has championed the cause Of liberty. II
has sympathzed with those in mourning
and has rejoiced with those whose lot
has been east in the sunshine OF happi-
ness. II has helped building up COM
munitics and states, and exerted an
influence upon the fate OF nations. on
the other hand. Il has become the tool
Of consp,Iators against nations and in
dividuals. II has lent Itself to the plots
OF traitors and assassins. II has be
come school Of crime dissemination
uf the germs OF moral poison. and an
enemy Of free Institutions. There Is not
"a crime. there is not a folly. that has
not found its defenders In a newspaper
Papers have sold themselves 10 the
highest bidder. and thereby prostitutcd
themselves.
But on the whole, The influence OF the
press has been Tor good The opposite
H. the exception.
The American century club OF news
papers has number of vigorous mom-
beers They have not grown old with
the years They are stronger today
Than they we're a hundred years ago
Thoy are better equipped and more
widely read May they continue &,
prosper And may the ciub be added
90 from time 10 time.