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 138 ADVERTISEMENT thing like a resemblance to the present form in ' 1652, in a paper called the "Mercurius Po- liticus." It needed but a short time to pop- ularize the idea, and those notices which are still called "hue and cry advertisements" for thieves and runaway apprentices soon became prominent features in the papers. Books were the earliest articles advertised, and were followed by groceries tea (or, as it was then called, "tcha") being the first article of merchandise announced. By 1688 Eng- land had added a sufficient number of news- papers to her meagre list to cause advertise- ments, especially those of popular amusements, to be eagerly looked for. The plague brought the first medical advertisements. Under Wil- liam and Mary a gratuitous journal was started devoted solely to advertisements. It lived but two years. A similar enterprise a few years afterward succeeded. In 1700 advertising had become very general, and in 1710 we find Addison reviewing the advertisements of his time, " printed with little cuts and figures " this being the first we hear of pictorial adver- tisements. In 1800 a crude system of classify- ing and arranging advertisements was adopted. The further progress of advertising up to the time when the enterprise of the United States pushed it onward may be followed out in the history of the London "Times," which was established in 1788. The "Times" did little to reduce advertising to a system, but it demon- strated its value to the public, and its impor- tance in the economy of newspapers. In 1865 a single number is said to have con tamed 2,575 advertisements, and other numbers are cited containing still more. The first printing press was brought to America in 1629. In 1704 the first regular newspaper, "The Boston News Letter," was established. This was often without a single advertisement, and had been published 40 years before its circulation reached 800. It needed 15 years after the establishment of the first paper to add a second and third. With the increase of ship- ping interests newspapers appeared in larger numbers, and advertisements began to multi- ?*.y- In 1725 the first newspaper in New ork, the "Gazette," was commenced; and in 1728 Philadelphia founded the journal which at its 40th number passed into the hands of Benjamin Franklin. At this tune the country contained but seven newspapers. In 1775 there were 34. Then came the war of independence, which put journalism back again ; but after its close the country steadily advanced in periodical literature. In 1787 the first daily journal, the "Independent Gazette," was commenced in New York, and in the following year (the same in which the Lon- don " Tunes " was established) it contained 84 advertisements. It seems from these facts that England and America made advertis- ing a serious business more nearly at the same time than is usually supposed. England had largely the advantage, however, in population and in developed resources. Some of the larger tradesmen in London soon learned that those who advertised most liberally received the most custom. Competition among dealers created a large advertising business, which certain special advertisers carried so far as to astonish the world, until the growth of Ameri- can advertising enterprise developed the fact that heavy advertising was not so much a bold as a strictly legitimate operation on the part of business men. Various food and medicinal preparations and many fancy articles were advertised in England until the yearly amounts paid the newspapers on account of a single article sometimes reached $100,000 to $150,000. Cuts became almost innumerable, and, with crests and monograms, appeared in every, paper which would admit them. The advance, of journalism in America can, up to a certain time, be best given in its statistics, it being understood that advertising fully kept pace with it and to a considerable extent made it possible. In 1794 the "Commercial Adver- tiser " was commenced in New York, and in 1801 the "Evening Post." Both journals had considerable influence and grew rapidly. The year 1810 found 32 papers in the state of Massachusetts, and 10 years afterward there were 690 in the United States. In 1830 there were 1,000, and in 1840, 1,401. The New York " Sun," founded in 1833, the " Herald," in 1835, and the "Tribune," in 1841, had in- troduced some new ideas, which not only enlarged the power and influence of journal- ism, but greatly popularized advertising. Transient advertising was encouraged, it being discovered that a regular run of small adver- tisements, at fair rates, continued the year round, paid better than contracts for the same space devoted to long advertisements at low rates, and which lasted only during the busi- ness season. A variety in the classes of adver- tisements was also introduced, and is almost peculiar to American newspapers. For in- stance, the advertiser could insert, if he chose, amusing "reading" or "local" notices, in which matters interesting the public mind were ingeniously joined with the goods for sale. "Business Notices" and "Special Notices" are other varieties of early adoption, for which higher prices are obtained than for the ordi- nary advertisement. In 1860 the United States contained the surprising number of 5,253 newspapers. The art of advertising was growing into something like system. Ex- pedients of all kinds were used. Odd and startling cuts were adopted in spite of the newspaper rule (not always enforced) of double prices for such figures; while the old-fash- ioned, simple style of advertising grew to very large proportions, and enabled almost every village in the country to have its newspaper. As the business became so extensive and the territory to be covered so large, advertising agencies became necessary. These exist to-day in England and continental Europe, but have