Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1914-02-25

Oaks
EARLY NEWSPAPERS
PRINTED WANT ADS
Help and Situation Wanted"
Advertisements Found in Ger
man Publications of 1891.

Not long after the first newspapers
were printed the want ad was born.
1t did not take ingenious men long TO
see it's value. but it did not come into
general use for many years.
What is said to have been the first
newspaper published In England was
the English Mercurie. 1t Is doubtful,
however. whether the copies preserved
In England are real ones or forgeries.
This paper was published in 1893. but
newspapers did not become at all CON-
mon until the Cromwellian war start
ed
The first paper In America was the
Boston Newsletter. published In 1704
Pamphlets or small books OF news ap-
peared In Vienna and throughout Ger
many as early as 1924 The French
men, although they had no newspa-
pers until the Journal General DAT
fiches was started on October IA. 1912.
saw the value OF want ads before any
of the other nations.
The English Mercurie appeared dur
Ing the Armada panic and was by au-
thority imprinted at London by Chris
topher Baker, her highnesses print
err to calm the fears of the peo-
pie. 1t was not in a strict sense a
newspaper.
During the war both sides had
their party organs. The Weekly
News, which was founded In 1922. was
the first to appear on the scene. but
1T did not contain ads
Mercury seemed to have been the
popular name for the papers that be-
gan to spring up on all sides during
those troubled times. There was a
Mercurius Acheronticus which was
supposed to contain weekly news gath
cred in the Internal region, a Mer-
curry Democritus containing news from
the moon. and Mercury Mastix which
contained nothing but criticisms of
any other newspaper with the name of
Mercury
Among the titles of enterprising
sheets at that time one finds the Dutch
Spye, Scots Dove, Parliament Kite.
and the Screech Owle.
Early Newspapers Came High.
The Daily Courant, the first number
of which appeared in Queen Anne's
reign, was the first of the dailies, and
for long time had the field to itself.
but in 1924 the Daily Post and the
Daily Journal blossomed forth as RI
walls. During the reign of George /.
publications in England increased rap
IDLY and in 1853 over 100000 papers
were sold, which number was increased
to over 100000 in 1892.
In the meantime the north country
was entering the journalistic field.
During December of 1917 the town
council gave to James McEwen the
exclusive privilege to publish a news
paper three times in Edinburgh upon
condition that the said James should
give ane cope of his print to the
magistrates" before publication. This
paper is still being published, and ap-
parently the publisher still could be
held to this condition.
The first OF the English provincial
papers was the Norwich Postwar.
which contained the Naive statement
that the price OF the paper was a
penny, but a half penny could not be
refused
In 1713 the English government laid
stamp tax OF half penny on papers
or a half sheet or less, and one penny
for larger publications, in spite of
the loud outcries OF the literary men
and journalists of England. This duty
was increased from time to time, I'M
til at It's highest point it amounted to
four pence, but the tax was abolished
in 1856.
The natural result of such a tax
was that the price of the papers was
high and few people were able to buy
3 IA
for book sellers to rent out the Times
for penny an hour and a newspaper
TWO or three days old was considered
a luxury.
German Paper Had First Want Ad.
Meanwhile advertising had been
growing, and not 10 let such a good
chance get away from them, the gov
eminent officials laid a tax on adver-
tisements. In 1888 this tax amount
ed TO three shillings six pence for each
advertisement, and the revenue from
this tax paid by the newspapers was
over SS50,000 Four years later the
tax had been reduced to one shilling
six pence an advertisement. but I'm the
first six months OF that year $50 pa
pers in England paid more than S275.-
600 for 27O14,529 stamps required by
769,0S8 advertisements published In
1853 the tax was taken OF OF adver-
tisements.
The Journal General 'Afiches-cail-
ed commonly the "Petites Afiche"-
ran real want advertisements almost
from the start. In It's columns were
found advertisements Of domestics
looking for employers and OF en-
ployers looking for servants, OF public
and private sales. legal notices, and
similar advertising. The title Of this
newspaper never has been changed,
and today IL contains many help" and
LII L.