Page:History of Journalism in the United States.djvu/29

Rh the great organ of modern civilization unnecessary.

But the printing press came to awaken man to his possibilities—the philosophies of the ages sweeping down into the great under mass to awaken them to manhood—and one of the first evidences that the apparently inert majority, lying under the governmental impact, were shaking off the lethargy of brutedom, was the interest in "Newes," itself a new word.

As early as 1561 we find references to doggerel reports of recent events that were being printed under the title of "Newes out of Kent" and "Newes out of Heaven and Hell," and during the reign of Elizabeth, papers were printed giving news of the time in order to keep the people interested in the defense of the realm. This was a development of the written news-letter, which had its origin in the idea of keeping the wealthy informed, just as the wealthy Romans were kept informed by letters from Rome. But we must look to the end of the reign of James the First, says the Harleian manuscribe, for the time when "news began to be in fashion." The first attempt to treat of the general "newes," in a regular series of newspapers, issued weekly, was when Nathaniel Butters, acknowledged father of the newspaper; brought out in London, on May 23, 1622, the first issue of the Weekly Newes. This was followed by the establishment, here and there throughout Europe, of the Gazettes, intended in the beginning for the merchants and courts, but soon to pass into the hands of those far removed from Kings and Courts.