The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1913-07-29
EarIy Vermont Prints

The Spirit of the Age of Wood
stock, which has gone out of exist
ance, was published in a small com
munity, but its loss may mean much
more for it's region than would the
dropping out of one of the many
strong papers of a great city lik>
New York, for the metropolitan dis
trict especially if we regard its long
period of varied service.
That Charles G. Eastman, the
founder of the Spirit of the Ages,
was well qualified by nature ant
acquired sympthies to put and keep
ION guard" the old Wing party of
his time is indicated by his course
in the national campaign of 1914
In addition to his regular issue of
the Age in his support of James X.
Polk for president Editor Eastman
printed a campaign edition called
the Coon Hunter" and he also is
sued against the Wing candidate a
quarto publication entitled Henry
Clay's Duels."
At the end of the third year of
its existence the name of the paper
was changed to the Woodstock Age.
but when Mr.. Eastman was succeed
ed by A. f. Kimball in 1916 the old
name was resumed, continuing I'M
changed TO the present time. In
lS47 Mr. Kimball was succeeded by
f. NJ Brown and the latter in turn
by w. d. McMaster who conducted
it for "a years. making it a political
power in that region.
Edward G.. Dana, the present editor
has made a gallant struggle in the
face of competition which constant
ly narrowed his field, and in an
nouncing the suspension of the Spir-
it of the Age and the substitution of
In this connection ii may be well
Monthly, he yields to conditions
which are being felt in many of the
the rural regions, not only in Yer
mont but also throughout the nation.
In this connection it may be well
to recall the birth of printing in the
Connecticut Valley. the cradle of
Vermont Journalism not many miles
distant from the home of the Spir-
it of the Age and almost coincident
with the Declaration of lndepend-
ence and the beginning of the Amerl.
can Revolution. According to f. p.
Walton. former editor of the Mono
pelier Waterman, the first printing
press in Vermont was probably
brought here by Samuel Gale, an
| Englishman, who was married in
Brattleboro in 1913 and appointed
county clerk of Cumberland. now
| Windham county. In the Westmin-
ster massacre he was of course on
the court side. and the State con
| iscated his property. the owner after
long Imprisonment finding refuge in
Canada.
The first newspaper in the Green
| Mountain region was started on
| June II. 1873. in Dresden which
| with various other towns on the
east side of the Connecticut was
then included in Vermont Legislature
| which in the year named, Voted and
| resolved that Judah Paddock and AL.
den Spooner be and are hereby ap-
pointed printers for the General AS
sembly of this State"
The printing Office In question was
| moved In 1779 to Westminster from
| Dresden which with other New
| Hampshire towns was set off from
| Vermont for the first time in Feb
ruary of the year named the mani
| fest purpose being to put the office
| within the boundaries OF the State
for which the firm were public print
/ serg.
| The first newspaper printed in
what is now Vermont, The Vermont
Gazette or Green Mountain Post
Boy. was issued from the Westmin
5ter office on February L.. 1881 and
a copy OF volume one of this paper
dated Monday. April 2, 1881. is now
| preserved. together with the press
on which it was printed, in tbs
| rooms of the Vermont Historical So.
| ciety at Montpelier
| It is believed that this press was
| the first one brought TO New Enc
land having been set up in 1899 in
the house of Henry Dunster. first
| president Of Harvard college. II was
used by Samuel Green, a printer in
Cambridge, Mass, one of whose des-
| cendants, Timothy Green, was a parl
ner with Spooner in the publication
of the PcstBoy.
Well may the newspapers of the
| goth century live up TO the motto of
| the people "Pliant as reeds. where
streams OF freedom glide: firm as the
| hills to stem expressions tide -
Burlington Free Press.