Loyola University Maryland - Evergreen / Green and Gray Yearbook (Baltimore, MD)

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THE LOYOLA ANNUAL 3 £mlntxm nf tijr Am riran ' mBpnpn. (A Competitive Essay: Adapted.) T? VERY one knows what a newspaper is. Every one from the smallest child who has just learned to read, to the venerable old patriarch in the evening of life, is a reader of the newspaper. But how many of us have ever stopped to think what the newspaper is, what is the history of this, our daily friend and companion? If we have never had this pleasure, then let us now examine it carefully and trace its life history from the cradle of its infancy through its various stages of development in the early years of its existence, till we meet it as it stands forth now in all its power and glory, one of the greatest enterprises of the American people. In the ancient Roman Empire, even before the coming of Christ, the newspaper was in vogue. Unfortunately, not a single copy of these papers has come down to us, and we have no authentic record of this oldest of the world’s news- papers. If only a few of these precious papers, which were prepared by Caesar with the assistance of many thousands of his men, could have been preserved, they would have been a source of intense interest and would have afforded us a far better knowledge of the daily life in the ancient eternal city. The oldest printed newspaper on record is the “King Pao,” which was published in China in the year 911 A. D., and remarkable indeed to say it is still printed and that not once, but three times a day. It is to Charles the Eighth that is due the credit of being a founder of the first newspaper in Europe, publishing it in 1494 in the form of a regular period- ical containing mostly news of his army which was then wag-

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2 THE LOYOLA ANNUAL And so they laid thy bases strong in Right And wrote thy largesses in words of love — The deed of knightly hearts: The Ark and Dove Again were messengers of life and light. The strife-tost worshiper at last was free, His rite no law compelled, no law forbade; The exile in thy haven was made glad. The toiler left his fathers’ graves for thee. And thy light sped unto the farthest bound Of continent and sea, O Maryland! Religion walked with freedom, hand in hand. And gave the privilege of sacred ground. O lift above their urns memorial domes! Engrave their names in blazonry of gold ! To listening senates let their deeds be told. And conned with loving zeal within thy homes. Thy Pilgrim sires ! their day has not gone by. If aught be instnct of heroic birth; Their deathless dust shall cry out from the earth. Though in its breast unrequiemed they lie! M. J. Byrnes, S. J. Fr. Michael J. Byrnes, S. J., was born in Baltimore and was a student at Loyola College in the years 1855-58. In the latter year he entered the Society of Jesus and was ordained priest about 1874. He died in Jersey City in February, 1907. Many years of his life were spent as professor in various Jesuit colleges and in exercising the functions of the ministry to the great good and consolation of souls. He was vice-president of Loyola in, the Jubilee year, 1902-03. By those who knew him he was considered a poet of superior excellence, as the above poem, we believe, will bear out.

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4 THE LOYOLA ANNUAL ing vv ar in Italy. In England the first newspaper appeared in 1622 under the title of the “ English Mercury,” and in 1631 France published its first paper, known as “ La Gazette de France.” Similarly newspapers began to spring up in almost every nation in Europe. With the coming of the American settlers came the newspapers. Every vessel that crossed the ocean brought with it the papers of Europe, acquainting the pioneers of America with the news of the land of their child- hood. For years the colonists were so few and were scat- tered over such a broad area that they were unable to pub- lish a paper for themselves. But as they increased in num- bers, and as the country began to grow more and more rapidly, an opportunity was offered for the publication of a news- paper. It was in the town of Boston, on the 25th of September, 1690, that the first newspaper in America was printed. Richard Pierce, its editor, was possessed of a rare sense of humour and originality, which would have done credit to the shrewdest, wittiest and most philosophical editor of our day. He was evi- dently a true business man, for he did not wait for opportu- nities to come to him, but he made his own opportunities. He was aware of the fact that mankind is naturally curious and also that people were often wont to exaggerate and to turn and twist facts until there was not the least semblance of truth remaining in them. In short, he knew that there were many gossipers in the city. Accordingly and in his very first issue, he stated that if his readers would acquaint him with the names of the people who were circulating false rumors about the town he would expose their names to the public in the subsequent issues of his papers. In brief, he proposed to advertise in his papers all the liars of the city. But, fortunately or unfortunately, as the case may be, after the first issue the authorities suppressed the paper, which