Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-08-08
A GREAT PRESS CENSOR.
Roger L'Estrange Dealt With No
Light Hand in Printing Shops.

From the Christian Science Monitor.
For just 800 years, the little town OF
Hunstanton. in Norfolk, England, look
ing west across the Wash, has been
able to reckon amongst its great sons
Sir Roger L'Estrange. Sir Roger has
many claims to remembrance in the
present age and the present hour. He
was not only one of the most autocratic
press censors the world has ever
known. he was the first Englishman of
letters of any distinction who made
journalism profession. He was. more
over. notable in other ways. He was
considerable scholar. really great
translator, and an energetic politician,
even for those energetic days of revolu-
tions and restorations 1t is. however.
as journalist and a press censor that
he makes his strongest bid for atten-
ton today.
Perhaps the most notable characteris-
tic of L'Estrange. in all that he did or
thought, was his persistent versatility.
Inaction was. above all things, appar-
emily impossible to him. When he was
not engaging in royalist plots. he was
attacking nonconformists, defending
Charles !, attacking Milton. defending
Charles ii, posting on to Scotland at
the behest Of James ii. from the fastness
of Holyrood pouring out an intermin-
able volume OF writing to secure from
the Scottish parliament the repeal of
the test act. He was. OF course.
royalist Of royaiisss;; ~ neve h ne was
travail or expense. within the compass
of my nature or power. in reference to
my duty to the royal interest" And
so it came about that after suffering
many things in the cause of Charles ];
after being captured near Lynn on the
failure Of his great plot to recover the
town for the king: after lying in prison
for three years in distressing condi-
80 ~ 0r n M
more plotting in Kent. a flight to Hol-
land q return to England under Crom-
wells act of indemnity; after all these
things his services were. on the restora-
August. 1863. appointed him surveyor
of the imprimery." or in other words.
Of the printing presses.
And so Roger L'Estrange was in
stalled censor Of the press in the strict
est meaning of that term. and never
was such a censor before or since. All
the printing offices in England were
under his control: and he exercised his
night raids on printing presses. with
many arrests and many trials; while a
large army of fnformery was paid regu-
larly by the ubiquitous LEstrange at
his office, The Gun in Ivy Lane. And
vet, according to his lights. he was
careful censor. The thoroughness with
which he read all the manuscripts COM
ing under his notice was. indeed: little
short of amazing. and his emendations
OF and expungings from many famous
writings were as remarkable for their
frank craftsmanship as for their con-
scientiousness.
Sir Roger had no great approval for
newspapers. He was strongly OF the
opinion that they tended to make the
multitude too familiar with the actions
and counsels Of their superiors. too
pra ematical and censorious" and gave
them mot only a wish but a colorado
right and license to the meddling with
the government" And yet he was the
editor and publisher of more than one
newspaper Indeed. The Intelligencer.
published for the satisfaction and in
formation of the people," appeared
shortly after he assumed ONCE in 1868.
though Sir Roger felt bound to
apologize for its appearance. in the
reflection that the people Of the times
were disturbed in their opinions, and
required prudent guidance"