Evening star., 1915-05-16
ORIGIN OF TERM eeEDHT0RR''
CAUSES A DISCUSSION

m HE old newspaper. especially the
newspaper which is so old that
its contents have become new
again, possesses rare charm for hosts
OF people aud especially for those who
have come to the reminiscent period of
life. In the Library of Congress are
many old newspapers and they present
pictures of their times which give to
a man glimpses Of world that is
only dimly and vaguely familiar.
In line with the matter Of the con-
sideration of old newspapers is a dis
tween James Melvin Lee, director Of
the department of journalism in New
York University. and Roscoe c. Z.
Brown of Columbia University as to
when the term editor was first ap-
piled in America to the man who CON
ducts newspaper.
In some historical references to
newspapers has been printed the fol-
lowing. which purports to be quota
tion from the Boston Newsletter of
4th instant. died here. at the age of
seventy-five years. John Campbell,
Esquire. formerly director OF the post
of this town, many years editor Of the
if carefully made, would show that
the term editor was understood in
its present sense as early as 1923.
But Mr.. Lee wrote to Horace G. Wad-
lin. librarian of the Boston Public Lii
brarv. asking for an exact transcript
of the announcement in the Boston
New s-Letter of the death of John
Campbell. and from him received this:
The following notice appeared in
the Boston Newsletter for March :,
l12s, page >: On Monday Evening
last, the 4th Currant al a-clock, died
John Campbell. Esq. Aged 70 years,
former Post Master in the place. Pub
Usher of the Boston Newsletter for
many years. and One OF His Majesty's
Justices Of the Peace Tor the County Of
Suffolk" In the authentic Transcript
the word publisher" and not editor.
is used
Mr. Lee has turned back to an arti-
Gle which was written a good many
wears ago by Thomas r. Lounsbury Of
Yale. lately deceased, and which ap-
peared in HarperS Magazine. in which
the origin of the word editor was
discussed. Prof. Lounsbury wrote:
AT last the word editor came to be
hit upon apparently in the first years
of the reign of George III. In the early
part of the nineteenth century 1t mad
practically come into universal use me
first instance of its occurrence in TINS
sense, noted in the New Historical DC
tionary, belongs to the year 1903 but
II had certainly been more or less en-
ployed a full third Of century before
The earliest examples which have come
under my own observation are in the
oxford magazines conducted by "A So
ciety of Gentlemen. Members of the
University of Oxford This periodical
began in July. 1863. and lasted until
1916 An examination of the communi-
cations appearing in it during the first
wear of its existence is interesting as
showing how unsettled was usage in
this particular matter. The vast ma
jority were addressed to the editors.
but to a much less extent to the edi-
tor But besides these two more COM
mon expressions there was found in
few cases the author or the printer.
and in nearly half dozen instances
the proprietor"
1t has been pointed out by investi-
gators along the lines indicated that
Isaiah Thompson writes of himself as
the editor of the Royal American
Magazine In 1873. and in a newspaper
called the Boston Post-Boy. printed in
1861. there is a reference to the editor
of the Lloyd's Evening Post"
The reference to the Boston News-Let-
ter calls to mind earlier regular
publication, though often that paper is
written OF as the first in the territory
Of what is now the United States. In
$40 a newspaper called Publick Opin-
ion was published at Boston by Rich
ard Pierce II was suppressed by the
British authorities on its first issue,