Page:History of American Journalism.djvu/31

Rh Newes first appeared, have come to light from time to time, but they have all proved to be forgeries.

In the case of China, however, the change from the written to the printed sheet was abrupt. Chinese publishers wasted no time by printing from movable type, but jumped at once from the hand-written production to the impression from a wooden block. The news was written on a transparent sheet, pasted face downward on a wooden block, and then, save where the Chinese characters showed, the wood was chiseled away. The block was then inked, pressed upon a sheet of white paper, and lo, a printed newspaper!

By way of conclusion, it may be noted that the English term "newspaper" was first used, according to the best information obtainable, in the year 1670, when it appeared in a letter addressed to Charles Perrot, the second editor of The Oxford Gazette. The expression was found in the request, "I wanted your newes paper Monday last post."