Worcester County, Massachusetts - Chapter 185, 1889

The Newspaper Press By Charles Augustus Chase, A.M.

In the history of American journalism Worcester has been conspicuous from the beginning. Of the large number of newspapers which have been published here at different times,. many have perished because they have either outlived their usefulness, or because they were never of much use at all. Most of them have been conducted by gentlemen, and many of them by ripe scholar.-;, so that their tone, except in a few cases,' has been elevated.

On May 3, 1775, between the battles of Lexington and of Bunker Hill, the Massachuseth Spy, which the sturdy patriot, Isaiah Thomas, had started in Boston on July 17, 1770, made its first appearance in Worcester, where it h:is been published to the present time. There are probably but three newspapers in the United States which can claim to be older than the Spy. The life of Mr. Thomas - patriot, printer, publisher and antiquarian - was one of exceeding interest, and constituted an important part of the history of Worcester. He arrived here on the day following the battle of Lexington, in which he had

1 William Lincoln, in his history, thus alludes to a paper of the baser sort : " A paper borrowing its descriptive appellation from the worat of reptiles. The Scorpion, came out July 2G, 1800. without the name of printer or publisher, resembling those abusive periodicals serving as wfety valves to convey away the fermenting malignity of base hearts."

taken part, and with the type and press, which had been secretly forwarded from Boston, resumed the publication of his paper. It was the organ of the Provincial Congress, and printed the documents required by that body until presses were established at Cambridge and Concord. The paper was published, under a lease, by Daniel Bigelow and William Stearns from June, 1776, to August, 1777, and by Anthony Hasvvell to June, 1778, when Mr. Thomas resumed the reins. Isaiah Thomas, Jr., became a partner with his father in 1799, and was sole owner from 180() to 1814. Succeeding publishers were: William Manning to 1819 ; William Manning and George A. Trumbull to 1823 ; John Milton Earle and Anthony Chase to 1826; Earle & Chase and Samuel H. Colton to 1835 ; John Milton Earle alone until 1850, and with Thomas Drew until 1858. Since July 22, 1845, the Massiichusclts Spyha& been made up from the columns of its offspring, the Worcestrr Daily Spy.

Party spirit never ran more high in this country than at the beginning of the present century, The Spy held the views of the Federalists, and on the election of Thomas Jefferson as President many prominent gentlemen of Worcester and Boston subscribed a fund with which to start the National jEgis as the organ of the " Republicans " - soon to be called Democrats - of that time. The Hon. Francis Blake, a most able and gifted lawyer, was leader of the movement, and first editor of the paper, which appeared December 2, 1801. Able writers sent in frequent spirited communications to its columns, but its list of regular editors has been a most brilliant one. Following Francis Blake, the great chieftain, came Edward Bangs, Levi Lincoln, Samuel Brazer, William Charles White, Enoch Lincoln, Edward D. Bangs, Plinj' Jlerrick, William Lincoln, Christopher C. Baldwin and William N. Green. All of these gentlemen were members of the bar, but found recreation and gratification in preparing the labored and thoughtful essay which served as the editorial for a weekly paper in the first half of this century. It suffered absorption into the Massachusetts Yeoman in 1833, but on January 24, 1838, the National ^EgU again appeared, published by Henry Rogers, who had been the publisher for twenty-one years in the early days of the paper, and with William Lincoln again as editor. Mr. Lincoln was succeeded by Samuel F. Haven, and later by Alexander H. Bullock. Edward Winslow Lincoln was editor from 1846 to 1849, rounding up the very brilliant galaxy of writers for the jEgis while it was exclusively a weekly paper. As the jEgis and Gazette it is still printed as the weekly edition of the daily Evening Gazette.

The Massachusetts Yeoman, started September 3, 1823, was the organ of the Anti-Masonic party. It was founded by Austin Denny, who was its editor until his death, in 1830. Emory Washburn aided Mr. Denny in 1829.

As the National ^gis was originally started as an organ of the JeffersoniaQ party, so the accession of General Jackson called forth the Worcester County Republican to support his views. Jubal Harrington was the editor, and was in due time appointed post- j master by General Jackson. The paper was merged : in the Palladium in 1839. Ma-jor Ben: Perley Poore, who afterwards acquired a national reputation, was an apprentice in the Republican office. '

The Worcester Palladium was established as a " National Republican " or Whig paper, January 1, 1834, by John S. C. Knowlton. In 1838 it espoused the cause of the Democratic party, but in 1856 it sustained the nomination of Fremont for the Presidency, and for the remaining twenty years of its existence it was conservatively Republican. Mr. Knowlton was a man of noble character - a forcible and able writer. He died in July, 1871. The paper was continued for four years by his daughters, when they sold it to Charles Hamilton, who had printed it for many years. Mr. Hamilton sold it to J. D. Baldwin & Co. in February, 1876, and it was merged in the Massachusetts

Jesse W. Goodrich, an able but somewhat eccentric lawyer, started the Worcester Waterfall and Washing- Ionian Delegate, February 26, 1842, and for more than ten years did excellent service in advocating the principles of "moral suasion" for both dealers and drinkers of ardent spirits. A difterence with his publishers led him to establish the Worcester County Cataract and Massachusetts Washingtnnian, March 22, 1843. The old paper was merged in the new in January, 1844, and the paper was published under a variety of names until 1854.

Elihu Burritt, known afterwards, all over the world, as " the learned blacksmith," came to Worcester in 1838, and on January 1, 1844, began the publication of the Christian Citizen, which was continued for about'seveu years. As the advocate of universal peace it attained a large circulation. Mr. Burritt was assisted by Thomas Drew, who was proud to be called the blacksmith's " striker," and also by James B. Syme, a brilliant Scotchman.

The foregoing notices include the most prominent of the numerous papers which were published here previous to the last decade. The subject has been treated in an exhaustive manner by William Lincoln in his " History of Worcester," and by Caleb A. Wall in his " Reminiscences of Worcester" (1877). To the pages of these works the reader is referred for further information on the subject and a more complete list of newspapers and magazines.

On June 23, 1845, when the population of Worcester was something over 10,000, the first daily newspaper appeared, the Daily Transcript. It was published and edited by Julius L. Clarke, who was afterwards State Auditor and later the Insurance Commissioner. May 1, 1847, the subscription list was sold to the publishers of the Spy, who retained

In April, 1851, the publication of the Worcester Morning Transcript was resumed by J. Burrill & Co., with Mr. Clarke in the editorial chair. Silas Dinsmore, Fiske & Reynolds, William R. Hooper and Caleb A. Wall were subsequent publishers. Messrs. S. B. Bartholomew & Co. (Charles A. Chase) bought the paper January 1, 1866, enlarged its size and changed the name to Worcester Evening Gazette. May 3, 1869, Charles H. Doe and Charles H. Woodwell, graduates of the Boston Daily Advertiser, purchased the paper, and since the death of Mr. Woodwell, January 30, 1871, it has been published by Charles H. Doe & Co., with Mr. Doe as editor and manager. The Transcript and the Gazette, like the weekly edition, the old National jEgis and the J^gis and Gazette, have had a succession of brilliant writers, including such men as Charles E. Stevens, Edwin Bynner, John B. D. Coggswell, Z. K. Pangborn and William R. Hooper. It is Republican in politics, but is independent of dictation from any quarter.

The Worcester Daily Spy first appeared, from the office of the Massachusetts Spy, July 22, 1845. In December, 1858, both papers were purchased of Messrs. Earle & Drew by Moses Fariium, of Blackstone, and S. S. Foss, of Woonsocket, R. I. The business was not congenial to Mr. Farnum, who had been trained as a banker, and as Mr. Foss became homesick, they sold out in March, 1859, to John D. Baldwin, who afterwards took his two sons, John S. and Charles C, into partnership. Mr. Baldwin had previously conducted a free-soil paper in Hartford, Conn., and for five years before coming to Worcester had published the Daily Cummonwcalth in Boston. He represented this district in Congress from 1863 to 1869, and died in 1883. Delano A. Goddard, afterwards editor of the Boston Advertiser, was for several years associate editor with Mr. Baldwin. His place was taken by J. Evarts Greene, who is now the principal writer for the editorial columns. On July 16, 1888, the Spy adopted the quarto form, and gave an illustrated history of its career, with portraits of Isaiah Thomas, John Milton Earle and John D. Baldwin. A Sunday edition of the Spy was inaugurated with the beginning of the following week.

The Worcester Daily Times was started in 1879 by James H. Mellen as a Democratic evening paper. It is also the organ of the labor organizations, and is a spicy sheet. lis editor has been for several years a conspicuous member of the Legislature, and is also prominent in the Common Council.

The first Sunday newspaper in Worcester, the Sunday Telegram, appeared in November, 1884. Its publisher was understood to be Austin P. Cristy, who had been known as assistant clerk of the District Court and as an active politician. A daily edition followed in 1886, called the Worcester Telegram.

The New England Home Journal, a quarto weekly, is in its seventh year. Its numbers have contained several papers of historic value. W. F. Lockwood is the present publisher and E. P. Kimball is editor. Since the Civil War of 1861-65 there has been a large migration hither of French Canadians, who now constitute a considerable percentage of the population. As early as 1869 L'Idie Nouvelle, a newspaper printed half in English and half in French, appeared, with Mederic Lanctot editor and publisher. It continued but three months. In October of the same year Ferdinand Gagnon brought out L'Elendard National, which was published here for a year and then removed to Montreal, but was dated at Worcester. In October, 1874, Mr. Gagnon established Le Travailleur, which has been very successful and influential. Since his death, some two years ago, it has been published by Charles Lalime, with Emile H. Tardivel as editor. It appears semiweekly and is Democratic in politics.

Le Courrier de Worcester, now in its fifth year, is published by Belanger Freres. It advocated Republican principles until about a year ago, when it embraced the Democratic faith.

The Swedes, who now number some thousands, have two weekly journals in their own language. Scandinavia, published by the Swedish Publishing Company, is now in its fourth year. J. Forsstedtand Helge Sandberg are editors. Some of the ultra temperance men among the Swedes have recently started the Fostirlandet, published by the Northern Publishing Company, with Frank L. Malmstedt as editor.

The Amateitb Press. - It seems proper here to give some notice of the juvenile newspapers which have been printed in Worcester. Of these the first was probably The Evergreen, Thomas Chase, editor. Its four pages were about two and a half by three inches, and it was printed by Albert Tyler, then an apprentice in the Spy office. Vol. I., No. 1 (the only one printed, we believe), was dated January 8 [1840], and contained a notice of the three lectures which George Combe had just given, by invitation of Alfred D. Foster and Anthony Chase, on Education and Mental Philosophy. It also recorded the recent arrival of Daniel Webster and family from Europe, after a tedious passage of thirty days.

A friend has exhumed from oblivion a copy of The Joher, printed by Charles A. Chase in 1845; type form about three by five inches, of which but one number was issued, for the amusement of his schoolmates.

In April, 1845, appeared The Minute Gun, Vol. I, No. 1, a two-column paper about eight inches in length, edited by Samuel Foster Haven, Jr. Young Haven's gifted father, for many years librarian of the American Antiquarian Society, was then editor of the National JEgis, and the little paper was probably put in type and printed by some of the compositors on the .Egia. The first number of that series was apparently the last. But on September 11, 1845, young Haven, having secured from the ^Egis office a font of old type and a condemned card press, began the regular publication of The Minute Gun, with another Vol. I, No. 1, doing all the work with his own hands. It was a four-page paper, with single columns, two and a half inches wide and three and a half inches long, with the motto: '' Tandem fit sureulm arbor. The shoot in time becomes a tree." The whole number of the series was twenty-nine, and in the last five the vignette of a field-gun supplanted the peaceful motto. The paper was printed once a fortnight at first and afterwards weekly, the last number, of which only the outside was printed, appearing July 2, 1846. Young Haven was graduated at Harvard College, in the class of 1852, and, having studied medicine, began practice in Worcester. August 8, 1861, he left the city with the Fifteenth Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteers as assistant surgeon. He afterwards became full surgeon, and at the battle of Fredericksburg laid down his noble life.

The writer of this sketch, paying a visit to the printing-office of The Minute Gun, in a corner of the old Antiquarian Hall, was urged by his senior friend to embark in an enterprise of the same nature, and on January 1, 1846, The Humhte-Bee first saw the light. It was of about the same size as its contemporary- The imprint announced that "The Humhle-Bee is published every Thursday at No. 182 Main Street, Worcester, Mass. Terms : 3 cents for 4 numbers, payable in advance. Charles A. Chase, Editor, Publisher, Proprietor and Printer." In July the name of the sheet was changed to The Ber. In place of the former motto, "mulhim in parvo," now appeared the vignette of a bee-hive and the motto: " hinc dulcia mella premes." Of The Humble-Bee, under both names, thirty-six numbers were printed. The work was done by the youthful printer, not then in his teens, with old type and an old press, in the office of the Spy, of which an uncle was the proprietor. The Minute Gun and The Humble-Bee met with much favor, and contained many brilliant contributions from the friends of the young publishers.

Pliny Earle (2d), the son of John Milton Earle, printed from the Spy office, in January, 1852, the first number of The Carrier Pigeon, a two-column paper of four pages, about seven and a half inches in length. The paper was issued monthly at twenty-five cents per annum. The May number bore the imprint of Earle & Brown as publishers, J. Stewart Brown being the junior partner. The paper was prepared for the press by the two partners, but the September number and those following were printed by " Rowland & Alexander," two apprentices ontheSpy. The December number contained the valedictory.

The publisher of The Carrier Pigeon brought out, in January, 1855, The Heart of the Commonwealth, a semimonthly paper, about half as large again as its predecessor. Boch papers were full of jokes, with a few advertisements. Mr. J. B. Syme, a writer on the Spy, wrote most of Master Earle's " heavy editorials," and some of his friends sent in communications of some merit.

Journalism at the High School began forty years ago. The compositions or theses in the classical departments were handed to one of the boys and one of the girls, who, as editors, selected such as suited their fancy and copied upon foolscap paper and read to the school. The journal thus formed was called The Excelsior. Four volumes are preserved in the High School Library.

The first printed newsi)aper issued from the High School was the Tliesaurus. Thirty-two numbers appeared between November 1, 1856, and May 3, 186G.

Two numbers of the Worcester Student appeared in September ami October, 1879. This was the organ of the schools generally, but contained a High School department, conducted by .J. H. McNamara.

The High School Argus appeared April 1, 1885, and eighteen numbers were issued between that time and June 20, 1886. Frank R. Batchelder, the editor, printed the paper with his own hands.

The Academe, the present organ of the school, started January 1, 1886. It was issued monthly during the first year, and was then changed to a semimonthly.

The Senior Critic, established by the class of 1886, appeared January 25th of that year. Twelve numbers were printed. It had occasional illustrations, and was a spicy sheet.

TIte Lilliputian ' was issued March 6, 1856, by Geo. E. Boyden and James Green, Jr. (afterwards Green & Oliver), a semi-monthly of eight pages. It was published four months, and was followed, July 24, 1854, by the Pathfinder, a four-page semi-monthly, printed by Master Green, the organ of the "Boys' Rocky Mountain Fremont Club." Four months later Charles ¥. Blood became the owner, and published it until March 28, 1857. Young Blood had printed four numbers of a second Humble-Bee in the summer of 1856.

The Young American appeared on December 18, 1858, edited by Edward Gray, but printed by E. R. Fiske, a professional printer. It was published semimonthly for something more than a year.

From 1859 to 1872 we find no trace of juvenile papers except that about the latter year a few numbers of the Boys' Stamp Oazette and a second Young American appeared. In October, 1872, John I. Souther started the Starry Flag, which waved about six months.

Some twentyyears ago special outfits for young printers were put upon the market. In December, 1875, Philip M. Washburn issued the first number of the Philippic, which was continued for six months.

June 11, 1877, John H. Starkie issued the first number of the Amateur Press, and is styled the father of the fraternity called " amateurdom," as far as Worcester is concerned. With the fifth number Arthur A. Wyman was admitted as associate editor, remaining two months.

The Amateur Gazette, J. G. Oliver and Charles A. White, November, 1877. A. A. Wyman took White's place in the following year, and G. E. Davis was admitted as a partner.

The Bay State Pearl (afterwards called the Planet), Frank S. C. Wicks, July, 1883. He published two numbers of the Caduceus in the autumn of 1888.

In 1883 and following years appeared the Union, L. E. Ware and Arthur C. Smith ; Mayflower, Walter L. Brown ; Scrap-Book, Alfred D. Flinn ; Golden. Star, H. and W. Holmes and Frank Cutter ; Ruby, Harry A. Plympton ; Avalanche, Frederick Cowell ; Worcester Amateur, Miss Edith May Dowe.

a very enthusiastic newspaper man, has had some experience on the Evening Oazette, and is now in charge of the advertising department of Messrs. Denholm, McKay & Co.

Among the recent amateur publishers are: Harry Chamberlin and Joseph Sargent (.3d). Several amateur organizations have been formed - local, sectional and national - in which some of the amateurs of this city have taken a prominent part: notably, Frank R. Batchelder, Frank S. C. Wicks, Alfred D. Flinn, Charles A. Hoppin, Jr., and Edith May Dowe. Complete files of most of the the AYorcester papers are to be found at the library of the American Antiquarian Society. There is a marked contrast between the earlier and the later issues. The former catered to the general public, while many of the more recent seem to have looked for readers chiefly in the ranks of " 'dom," as the fraternity is styled. But the friendly rivalry among the members, scattered throughout the country, served to bring out their best efforts, and cul tivated their diction and stimulated their thought.