American Press Founded at Boston April* 1704* Spans Two Hundred Years. Two hundred years ago, with the appearance of the Boston News-Let ter in the week of April 17-24, the American press was founded. Before that time but one paper had appeared in the colonies, and that but once. The News-Letter “came to stay,” and for fifteen years was the only newspaper on this side of the Atlantic. Philadelphia was the sec ond American city to establish a paper, in 1719, and New York was third, in 1725. The American newspaper press for the first three-quarters of a century after the appearance of the News-Let ter developed only slowly. In 1783 there were but forty-three newspapers in the United States; in 1801 there wete 200 weekly and seven 7x11 inches, printed on three pages, with the fourth blank, entitled “Pub lick Occurrences, both Foreign and Domestick.’’ In the week of April 17-24, 1704, there appeared Boston’s first perma nent paper. The Boston Newsletter. It was printed by Bartholomew Green and edited by John Campbell, post master, being modeled on the news letters that the postmaster of Boston had been in the habit of preparing and sending to the governors of the other New England colonies. In 1719 Editor Campbell lost the Boston postoffice, and his successor, following the custom of the time, founded a newspaper organ of his own,’ the first Boston Gazette, the new postmaster and new editor, Will crease Mather, in which the Courant was denounced as “a wicked libel,” and the wrath of God wras called down upon the head of its editor. About this time James Franklin in timated in his paper that the Massa chusetts government was dilatory in sending an armed vessel in search of pirates who were then infesting the coast, and for this he wras put in jail, where he remained about four weeks. On the imprisonment of James Franklin the editorial management of the Courant fell to Benjamin Frank lin, who, since the paper’s first issue, had been “devil’’ in the offloe, and had distributed the edition to subscribers on publication days. He had been fired with a desire to write, and his communications to the editor, written Q\ Xoyalcfoi/.o/Masj.u/Aen Zts U/-Guj peuSj-letierie/ajpublicrhecL. L ^he youth Fr&nklin / <3t the printing pre&r teen daily journals. In 1530, 85? news papers were published (50 dailies); in 1840,1.631; in 1850, 2.526; in 1860, 4.051; in 1870, 5.871; in 1900, 9S0 daily. 9,71 S weekly and 1,075 other newspapers and periodicals; in 1903 the number of newspapers published in the United.and Canada was 21,451. In the early days of the press in Boston the printer and the editor were often the same. There were few editors for the first fifty years tjf American newspapers who were not able to set type and work a press. The development of newspapers and the means of printing them has been one of the most interesting and re markable phases of the advancement of civilization in America in the 200 years that has passed since the American newspaper press was estab iisned in Boston, in the month of April, 17G4. The Worcester antiquarian society, which possesses the most nearly com plete file of American newspapers, iam Brooker. making his editorial bow Dec. 21, 1719. Dining the twenty-two years that this original Boston Gazette existed Boston had five postmosters, and each one in succession was the Gazette's editor. In 1741 the Gazette went, into a ••merger"—The Boston Gazette and New England Weekly Journal. This disappeared from mortal vision in 1752. The News-I.etter survived for 72 years, the longest life of any Boston newspaper save two on record. In 1721 James Franklin, the broth er of the philosopher, who had been printing the Gazette at his office on Court street, losing the job. began the publication of Boston's third newspa per, or fourth, as we may regard it, the New England Courant. The Cour ant made its first appearance Aug. 7. and began its career by attacking the News-Letter, calling it “a dull ve hicle.” secretly and put under the office door at night, had been unsuspectingly printed by his brother. When the editorial toga fell on the shoulders of Benjamin Franklin, his ambition for the moment was real ized. He ably edited the paper while his brother was in jail. and. owing to the irresponsible character of James, the name of Benjamin Franklin in February, 1723, was given as the Cou rant’s publisher. „ One Boston weekly above all others deserves to be especially mentioned, the oftentimes unfortunate and al ways misunderstood Liberator of Wil liam Lloyd Garrison, which, from its very inception down almost to its death, manfully stemmed the current of a strong and prejudiced public opin ion. Sometimes its office was aemol ished. Once its editor was dragged through the streets of Boston with the rope ready for execution about hi? neck. He was subjected at all times to the ridicule and denunciations of THE [ N® 80 New-England Courant Frofti M o n o a v February 4. to M o r d a r February n..z 7 2 ZL Contemporary 0/ttie //eutrZetter in/JZ/. Fir/tftnfitiJfiect Zy zJamea _Fran ft tin, Benjamin Fran ft tin u/aa /ora time its editor. Nums. 944* the Bofion Gazette, Weekly JOURNAL TUESDAY November 3. t 7 4 1 flnother Contemporary of th*ffeu&r-Z.etter. from <9 copyou/nedByBestoniancrociety gives a list, in its catalogue, of 156 Boston publications, monthlies, week lies. semi-weeklies and dailies, living and dead, which at one time and an other since the appearance of the News-Letter, April 24, 1794, have been set adrift upon the uncertain seas of popular approval. The first English newspaper printed In America was issued from a Boston press in 1690. It was a little sheet, Then Benjamin Franklin’s big brother began to pitch into the gov ernment and criticise the clergy. His differences with the clergy had to do with vaccination, a practice which Franklin opposed by argument and by ridicule. The Mathers, father and son, were lampooned with a virulence seldom, witnessed in the press of the present day, and the result was an “Address to the Publick’’ by Dr. In % his professional contemporaries, to strong words from the leading pulpits of New England, and to satire and venom alike from speakers upon the public forums. But Garrison’s “I will be heard” prevailed, and the Libera tor’s editor had the satisfaction of see ing the principles for which he so stoutly contended through long years of persecution and suffering become incorporated in the law of the land. IGNITION OF PILES OF COAL. How Danger of Spontaneous Combus tion May Be Reduced to Minimum. The tendency to spontaneous com bustion of coal when stored in bulk id masses of, say, 1,000 tons or there abouts—may appear to be a some what unusual point to make in favor of the gas engine as a large-size pow er unit for central station work. It was, however, made as such recently by ar central station engineer, whose contention was that the nearly al ways present danger of spontaneous ignition in the large reserve stock of coal expedient for a power station of any considerable size to carry, to tide over possible temporary interruptions in the supply, from strikes or other causes, was entirely eliminated by the use of gas engines which took their gas from central gas plants. Curiously, however, the fact ap pears here to have been overlooked that with the large gas engine plant will come, as an almost inseparable adjunct, the gas producer, taking the place of the steam boiler now ac cesao'v to the steam engine instalia tion, so that the large coal pile will remain in evidence, as before, and the spontaneous ignition troubles as well, even with certain precautions against them, in the way of selecting and storing the coal. Experience in some cases has dictated the safe height to which coal of certain sul phur percentage may be banked, but this height will vary with some oth er governing conditions easily enough imagined. The gas engine, therefore, will, after all. have to depend for favorable consideration upon its sev eral ether well-known good points rather than upon the one mentioned in the opening lines of this para graph. Gigantic Boring Scheme. The Chamber of Commerce, at Den ver., Colo., is considering a proposi tion to bore one and an eighth miles into the earth at a point fourteen miles east of the city, in search of nat ural gas, oil and coal. The cost is es timated at $30,000, but the plan is con sidered feasible by experts who have investigated the geological forma tions. HARP OF UNHAPPY QUEEN. Musical Instrument of Mary of Scot land Recently Sold. The harp of Mary, Queen of Scots, was sold by auction in Edinburgh the other day. It fetched 850 guineas, and passed into the possession of the Scottish Antiquarian society. Anoth er harp, too, was sold—that of a wan dering minstrel. The minstrel was probably a little better musician than Mary, but his harp fetched only 500 guineas. It wanted the queenly touch. At the same sale there was knocked down a lock of hair from the pate of Bonnie Prince Charlie, together with the broadsword that he swung at Culloden. An enthusiast gave 32 guineas for the hair and 75 for the blade. It seems that a Scottish laird’s estate had gone to pieces. Last rep resentative of an old family, his death dispersed his large collection. But the spirited Scottish Antiquarian society is keeping them all on Scot tish soil.—Boston Evening Transcript Tact is deceit in its dress suit REAL OCEAN MONSTER NO YARN OF IMAGINARY SEA SERPENT IS THIS. Authorities of the British Museum Can Testify to Existence of Vam pire of the Deep—Can Drag Vessels from Moorings. With the possible exception of the basking shark, the “Sea Devil" or ‘Ocean Vampire” is the largest of all the monsters of the deep. An unborn ocean vampire, taken from the moth er, preserved at the British Museum, is five feet broad, and before mount ing weighed twenty pounds. The mother measured some fifteen feet in length and quite as much in breadth. It is at all times a dangerous under taking to attempt to capture one of these monsters, says the Sunday Magazine, but particularly so in the case of a mother accompanied by her offspring. She is quite capable of re versing the role of hunter and hunted, attacking and capsizing the boat con taining her would-be captors, ar.d of seeing that none of them escapes alive. “Imagine,” writes the Hon. William Elliot, in describing the exciting sport he had in hunting ocean vampires, “a monster from sixteen to twenty feet across the back, full three feet deep, possessed of powerful, yet flexible flaps or wings with which he drives himself furiously in the water or vaults high in the air, through which he skims like some enormous bird; his feelers (commonly called horns) projecting several feet beyond his mouth, and paddling all the small fry that constitutes his food into that ca pacious receptacle—and you will have an idea, though an imperfect one, of this extraordinary fish.” The so-called ‘"horns,” to which allu sion is made are a singular feature in this animal. The pectoral or breast fins, much elongated, pointed, arched in front, concave behind, stop short at the head, to reappear as frontal ap pendages projected on each side of the head. These appendages take the form and character of limbs, being flexible and capable of grasping prey and carrying it to the mouth. The ‘"feelers,” as they are called, are sometimes three feet or more in fcmgth, and are curiously articulated ft the ends so as to resemble the fin ders of the human hand when clench ed. In this way fishing boats and ves sels of a much larger size have been dragged from their moorings, and in some cases capsized by the ocean vampire’s having laid hold of the an chor. An instance of this kind occur red in the harbor of Charleston. A schooner lying at anchor, suddenly and seemingly of Us own volition, to tne a:, azement and alarm of those on board, started at a furious rate across the harbor. Upcn nearing the oppo site shore its course changed so ab ruptly as to almost capsize the vessel, and it recrossed the harbor to its former moorings. These mysterious flights across the harbor were repeated a number of times in the presence of hundreds of astonished spectators, who were utter ly at a loss to account for the phe nomenon. The migrations ceased as suddenly as they began. Not till then did the back and undulating flukes of an immense ocean vampire, appearing above the water of the harbor, dis close the motive power that caused it all. Chinese Smuggle Opium. "Chinese seamen are the only people I ever heard of who repeatedly defy United States customs officers and make good,” said an officer of the Sikh, a British steamship that has ar rived in port with a cargo from the Orient. “We tell the officers that we believe they have opium, they search the ship, but find nothing. 1 may call one of them to do something and find him so ‘dopey’ that he is use less. I know he has used it within five minutes, but when I make a search the result is nothing. “Where they hide it is the mystery to all of us; we, who knowr every bolt, plate and link in the ship, have never yet uncovered their supply, and this crew has been with us nearly a year. The entire crew, except the officers and engineers, are Chinamen, and I never saw a better crew. Opium is the only trouble.—New York Globe. Reforming Colorado Boys. Hundreds of boys from the Denver Juvenile Court will be sent into the sugar beet fields near Longmont, Colo., to work. The boys will be sent out in parties of twenty-five each, in charge of a probation officer, and will be equipped with tents and camping outfits. They can earn from $1.20 to &2 a day each. Mineworkers’ Wages. Five hundred and fifty thousand dol Jars were distributed to the men who work in and around the mines of the Cripple Creek district, in Colorado, ?n a recent pay day. These men re ceive an average ot $3.44 a day. a very aigh average compared with the wages paid in the East. Train Up the Parents. The child’s salvation must be won from within out and not from without in. All the laws and restrictions in the world cannot make a good man or woman cut of the individual that is determined to seek the disreputable and the vile. What must save the boy or the girl is the principle instilled from earliest years by faithful love and authority, line upon line, precept upon precept. We must reach the wayward and reckless parent some how before we can make much im pression on the character of children that live at home. How this can be done is a problem that almost baf&es solution.—Portland Oregonian. Work of the Indians. Samples of basket work made by the pupils of Indian schools and interesting relics of the red men, have be3n sent to the world’s fair from the Indian Territory. Eyes of British Queen. Queen Alexandra’s eyes are deep blue, and retain the mingled softness and fire of youth. _ — J Old Bay state TownsWh^se CUUens^ ^ Revolutlon “Tell your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation,” is an injunction honored by age, but which every true New Englander is prompted to obey on each anniversary of the memorable battle of the open ing of the revolution. A glimpse at the battle map gives the reader some intimation of the ter ritory stirred to action and from which came the embattled farmers, and suggests the spirit of gratitude shown in bronze and granite set up by those who now consider that sig nificant uprising in connection with its consequences to the entire world. Although years have passed, evidence of the yeomen’s determination con tinue to accumulate. Of all the towns that responded to the Lexington alarm, none has a grander record than the town of Acton, and from the old Robbins garret in that territory has come this very spring a yellow manu script which reads as follows: “We, the subscribers, do solemnly agree and promise that we will ob serve and conform to the association of the continental congress, and do hereby make it our own particular act and convenant until we obtain an ample redress of our grievances, as is specified in the said association, as witness our hand this fifth day of December, 1774.” Of the twenty-seven signatures to this paper, one autograph most im pressive is that of Isaac Davis, who fell at Old North bridge on the 9th of April. The alarm sounded by Paul Revere was carried on by courier to the bor ders of the county and beyond, while Ebenezer Dow, who left Boston about the same hour, disguised as a country man on a marketing trip, gave the alarm to the towns in other directions. wounded wh.Ie pursuing the enemy, and at Fisk’s hill James Hayward was mortally wounded. The heaviest fighting of the day was on Lincoln soil in the afternoon when on the retreat. Here companies from more distant towns met the en emy and gave fight. Ten of the Brit ish fell and several of the Americans were engaged near Fish’s hill. The king’s forces were so hotly pur sued that their dead lay unburied un til the next day, when the bodies of the enemy were given Christian burial by the people of Lincoln. Three found graves by the side of the king’s high way, and two in a field near where they died. Five were taken up and carried in an ox cart to the burial yard of the town and given a common grave. Lincoin has erected a memo rial stone over the resting place of the unknown foet. Chelmsford, a mother town, was in with supplies on Its way to join The British at Lexington. This was the first concerted action on the part of the Cambridge men and by those who were too old to do full duty. They were headed by Rev. Mr. Pason, of Chelsea, It is thought, and David Lamson, of Cambridge, took a leading part. The fight was about 5 in the afternoon. The Cambridge men. with others from a distance who had arrived, entered a walled inclosure and piled up bundles of shingles for a breastwork, but it proved to be their pen of slaughter. The retreat ing enemy came down the main road and the watchers were surprised by a flanking party of irritated British, who wreaked their vengeance on the provincials. Not less than 22 Americans fell on that April afternoon in Monotomy (Cambridge), and fully twice as many of the enemy perished. Many of th>> dead were carried back to tbe towns whence they came in the early morn ing. So urgent were their country's needs that the villagers had no tirm for funeral rites and the carpenters were too busy to make the coffins, so that these martyrs were committed to a common grave with their clothes for shrouds. Charlestown, although only across the river Charles, saw none of the fighting until the return of the enemy, yet her men were out in pursuit of the British, with whom they were fa miliar. James Miller was killed an l a son of Capt. William Barber, 11 years old, lost his life. It was at Phipps’ farm, Cambridge, that the en emy landed in the morning when starting on their excursion, and there by the house of correction is the tab let that tells of the fact. There were four companies from the towns of Groton and Pepperell. Thy THE TOWNS SHADED WERE THE CONTRIBUTORS TO THE FORCES OF 19th OF APRIL, 1775. Hence it is that more than thirty towns are found represented on the roll of honor of April 19, 1775. Lexington was on the line of march of the king’s army, hence here oc curred the first clash of arms. Here, too, were peacefully sleeping in the parsonage John Hancock and Samuel Adams, whose capture was greatly de sired by the enemy, and whose doom was fixed. Other guests at Parson Clark’s that night were Mme. Lydia Hancock, aunt of the patriot,, and Dorothy Quincy, his betrothed. The alarm brought to Concord by Dr. Samuel Prescott, who had been at Lexington paying court to his loved one, was quickly passed along to Ac ton. A horseman galloped to the home of Capt. Joseph Robbins and without dismounting at the house, cried out: “Capt. Robbins! Capt. Robbins; the regulars are coming.” The Acton companies were not long in assembling and were soon on the road to Old North Bridge, leaving the women to prepare food which the boys were to bring on when ready. The minute men took up the line of march to the stirring notes of the “White Cockade.” Luther Blanchard was flfer, and Francis Barker drum mer. Both companies from Acton were at the bridge and had a prominent place in the engagement. Capt. Davis had said in the hasty discussion that took place before the engagement: “I haven’t a man that’s afraid to go,” and the Acton minute men were in the front in the opening fight. Capt. Davis and Abner Hosmer were killed and Ezekiel Davis ' was eorporated in 1655, and at the time the provinces shook off the yoke of op pression included the present city of Lowell, then East Chelmsford. There were brave, determined men here from the days of King Philip's war, and there was bold action here in 1775. They agreed upon a great stone wear the center of the town as the rallying point, and when the news from Con cord reached them they made haste to the place of duty. The Westford men were among the first at the bridge. The company reached Concord just as the firing be gan, and joined in the pursuit. Capt. Bates was mortally wounded. The old town of Billerica had a score to settle against the king’s troops, for during the winter of 1774-5 one of the men of the town had been seized in Boston and treated to a coat of tar and feathers. Hence they had sharpened their bayonets and loaded their muskets to be ready at a mo ment’s notice. They received word by way of Woburn and the Minute men were at Lexington ready to balance accounts with the regulars as they retreated. The militia company inter cepted the enemy at Merriam’s corner, under Col. William Thompson. Na thaniel Wyman was killed. Although claimed by Billerica he is recorded in Lexington. John Nicklen and Timo thy Blanchard of Billerica were wounded. In Arlington, once Cambridge, stands a stone on which is the follow ing: At this spot. April 19. 1773. The old men of Menotomy Captured a convoy of eighteen soldiers WORSHIP IMAGES OF STONE. How Chinese Show Belief in Doctrine of Reincarnation. Francis H. Nichols in his journey through the Chinese province of Shen si saw a temple where stone animals were worshiped. He says: "In rows of heavily barred brick cages are stone images of animals. They are all life-size and are remarkably well exe cuted. Among them are elephants, tigers and monkeys, whose sculptors must have secured their models a long distance from Shensi, where the originals are not found. The stone animals stand for the Buddhist idea of reincarnation. They are worshiped as sacred and are supposed, in a vague way to be endowed with life. It is to prevent them from escaping and running away from their worshipers that the cages have wooden bars in front of them. Between the two tem ples was a pond where fish were fonged, or set at liberty. In its work ings the system of fonging animals has very much the effect of a humane society on the western side of thp world. On the theory that any of the brute creation may be the dwelling place of the soul of a former human being, lame and sick animals become the care of the priests; in some of the larger temples special provision is made for caring for sick cats and dogs. To fong an animal of any kind is considered an act of supreme vir tue. To obtain good luck a pious Chinaman will sometimes purchase a live fish and have a priest fong it. This is done by placing it in the pond reserved for the purpose near the temple.” Cannot Speak English. In Wales there are about 508,000 people who cannot speak English, Welsh being their only language; in Scotland there are 43,000 persons who can speak nothing but Gaelic; and in Ireland there are 32,000 who can ex press themselves only in the Irish tongue. Theater Fire Tests. Theater fires are to be studied ex perimentally in Austria by building a theater one-fifth the normal size and subjecting it to various tests. women were on duty at home, under command of Mrs. David Wright. They captured Capt. Leonard Whiting, of Hollis, a friend of the enemy, who was bearing treasonable dispatches from Canada to Boston. The men of Shirley were equally determined. Old “Will, the Miller.” who was bowed and crippled from age, declared he would go when the . -- ii Monument <9t i Che. £sn