Page:History of Journalism in the United States.djvu/270

244 has said, is that of a living thing, altogether aside from the men who made it.

Its founder, Benjamin H. Day, had learned the printing trade in the office of Samuel Bowles the elder, owner of the Springfield Republican. After working at his trade in New York, in the offices of the Evening Post and the Commercial Advertiser, he decided to print a penny paper. He hired a room, gathered or clipped all the news or advertisements, and by sitting up all night, brought out, on the third of September, 1833, the first issue of the New York Sun. In its treatment of news the paper differed little from the six-cent papers. It contained a few police items, which showed an endeavor to follow out its ambition as announced at the top of the first column of the front page:

"The object of this paper is to lay before the public, at a price within the means of every one, all the news of the day, and at the same time offer an advantageous medium for advertisements."

After two months Day announced that its success was assured, and that it had demonstrated that "the penny press, by diffusing useful knowledge among the operative classes of society, is effecting the march of independence to a greater degree than any other mode of instruction."

The Sun at once took an active part in the life of the community, as can be seen in its announcement that the manager of the Park Theater, with whom Day had had a quarrel, was to appear, the announcement being phrased in this delicate fashion:

"DAMN THE YANKEES—We are informed by a correspondent (though we have not seen the announce-