Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-11-15
HOW NEWSPAPERS BEGAN.
Some Interesting Facts About the
Birth of the Modern Press.

A record free from all mere gossip
ing or trivial anecdotal taint is Mr..
Reginald Lucass volume of Lord Glen
esk and the Morning Post" (The
John Lane Company Mr.. Lucas has
excluded reference to the royal family
with rare exceptions, rightly feeling
that in view Of the position Of Lord
Glenesk and his family as neighbors on
Deeside of the late Queen Victoria at
Balmoral and as trusted friend for
many years it would be violating the
obligations of hospitality and good
taste to record their doings and utter
ances. This restraint will no doubt be
regretted, though thoroughly respected
and approved Of, since the glimpse
which is afforded us of the simple and
intimate relations makes us feel that
many very endearing traits of the
sovereigns might have been revealed to
us. The same is true with regard to
the long friendship between the Borth-
wick family and the Empress Eugene.
A natural introduction to the per-
sonal history Of the Morning Post, so
to speak, from 1772 to 1S49, when it
came under the management of the
Borthwck family, is a sketch history
of journalism, beginning with the Acta
Diurna of Rome, of A. U. c. 5S5, where
we find if not the form of modern
newspapers at all events a good deal of
their spirit. Modern journalism may
be said to have had it's origin in the
fifteenth century, when news sheets
were common enough in Germany, al
though the application Of printing to
the purpose does not seem to have oc-
Cured to any one. The official Noti-
l...e . f,, tIa of
the next century was only circulated in
manuscript. 1t was either exhibited or
read out to audiences, who paid a gaz-
zetta apiece for the privilege Of hear
ing the news; whence came the word
gazette" In England the composing
and circulating of news letters had
long been practiced, but it amounted to
little more than public letter writing
on a large scale, until printed sheet
called the Weekly News was issued in
1922. Through the rest Of that century
and for a long time afterward the
pamphlet was the favorite channel of
communication between the publicist
and the public. Instead of writing to
the papers as we do our ancestors
when they had anything to say printed
it independently. 1t will be remembered
that George Sand wrote political pam
phlets in the middle of the nineteenth
century, for example. In 1873 the idea
Of inserting advertisements was con-
ceived, and in 1896 one ingenious pub
Usher recommended his journal by
suggesting that gentlemen could oblige
their country friends with the news
and write their private affairs on the
half of the paper which was left blank
for the purpose. In 1903 the first daily
paper appeared; but while there were
already writer's of admitted excellence,
the plight and status of those who
would now be in an honorable position
as leader writer's was deplorable. In
1898 a member of parliament spoke
contemptuously Of the "bla'guard news
writer's" and the Duke of wellington
wrote, in a phrase which would have
astonished and enraged the gentlemen
named, of Croker and the scribbling
set" In 1908 the Benchers of Lincoln's
Inn proposed to exclude from the bar
all persons who had written in the
daily papers, and twenty years later
Lord Chancellor Lyndhurst offended
his supporters by inviting the editor OF
the Times to dinner.
The relations between the press and
parliament have never apparently been
quite cordial, except under the COM
monwealth, when reports Of its pro-
ceedings "a practice which had begun
in small way in the reign Of Charles
- were encouraged. From the first
parliament viewed any project Of pub
licity with jealousy and apprehension,
and as late 1875, when Lord Hart
ington moved to rescind all rules of
restriction on publications, his propo-
sal was not accepted. Consequently
the prohibition still remains and might
conceivably lead to prosecution in
case of misrepresentation or abuse.
The usual manner of showing disap-
proval in the olden time was to have
the published speech burned by the
public hangman, and this method OF
suppression was used as late as 1744.
The usual way of reporting speeches
was that employed by DR.. Johnson for
the Gentleman's Magazine, where the