Franklin High School - Tolo Yearbook (Seattle, WA)

Page 13 text:

,mi I 9 40 opinion through magazines and newspapers. It has made possible the dream of universal educationg it has maintained freedom of the press and public opinion. Printing is the basic tool in the maintenance of our democratic way of life. It is no accident of history that the mechanical reproduction of man's ideas by books and the con- sequent spread of knowledge, close- ly parallels the rise of the common man to a fuller share in his own destiny. Among these pioneers of thought, Benjamin Franklin stands out as both an original thinker, and a craftsman in the art of printing. So it is with double homage we pay tribute to this anniversary to the art of printing and Benjamin Franklin. We pay tribute to those illustrious leaders who lit the torch of greater understanding among men-to those whose facility preserving the accumulated dom of the ages makes it for us to learn-and learning on the torch to you who May you keep the Hame clear and true.

Page 12 text:

440 A BOOK, until live-hundred years ago, was a powerful, semi-magical weapon of the very few who read. Books fostered the tyranny of the privileged few over the ignorant many. Then about 1440, Johann Gutenberg and his contemporaries, first made books available to the common man, unlocking the mys- teries of the past, disseminating knowledge and opening to man's mind, vistas of increased knowl- edge and power. The story is told that Dr. Faus- tus, a contemporary of Gutenberg's, appearing in Paris with a parcel of printed bibles to sell was seized by the authorities and accused of witchcraft. Certainly it seemed like witchcraft and some faint aura of magic still attends the production of books and newspapers. You can sense it as you watch the huge presses thundering out miles of newspaper or thousands of books that man may read and know. European development of by moveable type made millions of books for the has spread information and . infill .-'. , ki-'E -. .G -23.2 T I 0 'fees

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THE ART UF PRINTING PRINTING is an art that dates back to the year 175 A. D., when the Chinese discovered that by carving figures and characters in wood, inking them, and applying them to paper or parchment, lasting impressions could be obtained. From that early beginning, printing has advanced to the stage where today, modern newspaper presses turn out sixty-four page newspapers at the rate of 100,000 copies an hourg and other presses print books, magazines and pamphlets at a tremendous rate of speed. Printing, it can safely be said, has made the greatest single contribution to the cause of education. During the fifteenth century, there was a revival of learning in Europe, and the desire for knowledge was widespread. The develop- ment of mechanical printing under such leaders as Johann Gutenberg and his fellow craftsmen, made possible the production of books cheaply and quickly. More people began to learn how to read, and printing came to displace hand- writing as a method of preparing books and documents to spread ideas. Today, printing is more than ever a means of educating people. To show its educational value: the daily newspapers give us news of current happenings all over the world a few hours after their occurrenceg magazines and books present a wide range of topics of educational value clearing up the mysteries of science, art, and literature. For that matter, books are the chief means of educating school children today. So before criticism is cast at the evils of the machine age, it should be remembered that the development of the printing press is one machine- invention that has worked only for the benefit of mankind. FRANK OKITA. 'ff ,W . :LQ ' ni,---11 '-. '- r 32.-42-435,3 A -' - R 0-.I-FS' ' 'z Hs'-if xx 1-aww. 2. -