CAXTON COMMEMORATION DINNER.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5041, 21 May 1877, Page 2

CAXTON COMMEMORATION DINNER.

The Caxton quar-centenary was celebrated by the printers and pressmen of Wellington on Saturday evening, in a manner which showed that though sixteen thousand miles from the stage whereon William Caxton played so important a part in the history of the British Empire, they are not less appreciative of the hero of their craft than those who are about meeting to commemorate his life and works on the very spot on which the printing press of England was first raised. Considering that participation in the proceedings was confined to those who are, or have been, connected with the Press in some capacity or another, an attendance of nearly XSO must be considered exceedingly large for such a small place as Wellington, and it is not too much to say that the dinner passed off with a success scarcely to have been anticipated. His Worship the Mayer occupied the chair, having on his right the Hon. 0. C. Bowen, Messrs. W. T. L. Travers, M.H.R, J. M. Perrier, and others ; and on his left Messrs. H. Blundell, jun., E. T. Gillon, H. Anderson, and others. The vice-chairs were occupied by Messrs. G. Didsbury and John Waters respectively ; the former being supported by Messrs. H. M. Lyon and LeCren, and the latter by Messrs. Costall and Chatwin, The Odd Eellows’ Hall was gaily decorated with flags, &c., and when the company sat down to the well-laden tables the appearance of the room was exceedingly bright and festive. The caterer, Mr. Joseph Ames, of the Star Hotel, performed his part admirably. The bill of fare was lengthy and most tempting, and the quality of the repast was amply testified to by the zest with which it was attacked.

Dinner over, Messrs. Cemino and Gray (piano and cornopean) gave an excellent selection of music, after which the Chairman read a note from Mr. G. Hunter, M.H.R, regretting that indisposition prevented him being present. The Chairman then gave “ Her Majesty the Queen and the Royal Family,” which was heartily drunk. Baud—National Anthem.

The Chairman, in proposing the health of “ His Excellency the Governor,” said he asked them to honor his Excellency not only as the representative in this colony of her Majesty the Queen and of Imperial interests, but also as a gentleman who had done the State service in various capacities, and was entitled to every respect.

The toast was drunk with enthusiasm. The Chairman said the next toast he had to propose was that of “ The Ministry and Parliament of New Zealand.” All were aware that Ministries were very important institutions, and that the New Zealand Ministry was the most important institution we have in this country; and we must make the most of it. He was not going to talk politics, but still he might be permitted to say that he thought the country had reason to congratulate itself upon the present Government, composed of gentlemen, as he believed, of administrative abilities of a high order. (Applause.) Of course Ministries make mistakes, and for such mistakes they should be brought to book ; and it was quite proper that their political morality should be canvassed if there were fair grounds for criticism ; but he submitted it was not a very proper thing that any unfounded rumor should be made a cause of accusation against them. Do as they would, they would be sure to have abundance of criticism, and come in contact with numberless persons declaring that everything was out of joint and going wrong ; Ministries therefore required a great deal of moral support to assist them in administering the affairs of the country, and he thought the present Ministry certainly deserved every support. Speaking to the next part of the toast, “ The Parliament of New Zealand,”, he said he thought we must be proud of our Parliament as a whole. The British Parliament was an institution at which every Englishman looked with pardonable pride, and he thought no Englishman could possibly read Macaulay's description of that grand old institution, as lie has given it in his essay on Warren Hastings, without feeling his pulse quickened with enthusiasm ; nor could a man contemplate unmoved the deeds of the long line of illustrious characters who had taken part in the councils of the State for the past few centuries. It was an example to colonial deliberative institutions, and we could only earnestly hope that the Parliament of New Zealand would have as honorable a record in times to come. Our representatives were, he thought, taken as a whole, a credit to us. Sometimes we heard of gentlemen who were inclined to talk too much, and doubtless that was a misfortune ; but we could not expect to get rid of misfortunes altogether. There were gentlemen who would talk on every subject, and talk loudly too, which was said to be objectionable ; but he remembered that there were many printers in the room, and he was not going to say anything about the gentlemen who talked too long. These gentlemen who talked so long were real friends to the printers, so that he should say long life to them; may their shadow never grow less. (Applause.) As to the conduct of the Parliament of New Zealand for the last three or four years, he thought the contests had mainly been actuated by the jealousy of parties, and he thought the colonists hoped that in the coming session more real work would he done —that the representatives would take heart of grace, and consider that educational and commercial and social progress is of incomparable moment to the triumph or failure of any individual party. With the toast he was proposing he wished to couple the name of the Hon. Mr. Bowen, Minister for Justice. They had been honored with his presence, and they esteemed it a very high honor, but they could not wonder that he was present; for, considering his literary tastes and his high classical attainments, he must feel a great interest in a meeting of that kind, which must be considered as a sort of epithalmitun of the Press and the printed literature which emanated from it. (Applause.) The Hon. Mr. Bowen (who was loudly cheered on rising) said ; Mr. Chairman and gentlemen,—His Worship the Mayor has certainly managed to put these toasts in such a way, that they must be well received, because there must be something to suit the tastes of everyone in the room when he put the Ministry and the Parliament together. I think it was a very judicious conjunction J but still I should not have had much fearfor the result it the toast of the Ministry had been put by itself. For this reason, that I am quite sure_ it would be natural for a company like this, where there are so many gentlemen who are connected with the Press, to drink the toast of the Government with pleasure. I should like to know what editors could possibly do without the Government ? Why, it is their raw material—(a laugh)—and I can even imagine that editors would toast with pleasure a very had

Government, as it would be still more prolific of food for powder. Those who know tie troubles that editors have to go through in searching for subjects will quite understand that a subject ever recurring—a-cut-and-come* again kind of a subject—must be a very pleasing sort of a toast. But, sir, I imagine that the toast of the Government would be well received by a meeting like this, for the reason simply that under our Constitution the existence of a Government which is dependent on the will of the people is the best guarantee that the Press can have for its freedom and its power. I think no one in these days will deny that though that liberty has been sometimes abused, and that power sometimes misapplied, upon the whole it has been exercised for the welfare, for the en* lightenment, and for the advantage of mankind, and therefore I am confident .here is no country in the world in which the deliberate opinion of the people is not more favorable than in Gr-,at Britain for every possible freedom being accorded to the Press. Gentlemen, lam not going to enlarge on the subject of the Press, because there is a toast coming after this the proposer of which will very ably deal with that ; but I should like to say this, that although so much is said about the conduct of the Press, the Press after all is but a reflection of the Hews of the people themselves, and that there is no machinery more adaptive, whether in an old country or in a new country, for expressing the views and feelings of the people than the Press. In a Little Pedlington the Press deals with trifling matters, because trifling matters are most thought of; but where the interests are larger we find the Press, with an enlarged influence, treating only of large subjects. In America, whore news is everything, a newspaper spares no exertion to obtain news ; but in the absence of a philosophical and critical audience, they fail to supply that philosophical and careful writing which is to be found in the English Press. In Prance you find the Press brilliantly epigrammatic and pitilessly logical; and that is a very fair reflection of the tone of a society which absolutely does not understand political compromise, or, as we are apt to call it, political common sense. However, perhaps you will think I am wanderiug from the subject of this toast. (No, no.) The Mayor was good enough to say that I should be sure to take an interest in a meeting like this. The Mayor was right, and I take an interest in such meetings for the very good reason that X was connected with the Press for some time. It is no breach of etiquette to say that for some years I was connected with a paper which is well known in New Zealand, my partner at that time being a gentleman whose name must be familiar to most in the room, Mr. Crosbie Ward. (Hear, hear.) Having said so much on behalf of the Ministry, I must tender you my thanks on behalf of the Parliament. It just strikes me that I might take a rather mean advantage of the Parliament, and tell you that it is very well satisfied with the present Government. (A laugh.) But I am not going to take that advantage. I will merely say, in reference to it, that I think the Parliament of Mew Zealand may be said to have done its duty. Song—Mr. J. Fisher.

The Chairman on rising to propose the toast of the evening was loudly applauded. He said;—Mr. Vice-Chairman and Gentlemen, — This gathering, under the auspices of the printers and gentlemen of the Press of Wellington, as I understand it, i i partly of a commemorative and partly of a professional character, hence, at this stage, I bring before you the name of William Caxton, who somewhat moie than four centures ago introduced the art of printing into England. All honor to the memory of that sagacious old man. The country needed such a mighty civiliser. England, I daresay, was as much “ Merrie England” then as it is now—perhaps more so ; although one is apt to suppose, at least at first sight, that it would have required a more robust philosophy than that of Mark Tapley to make merry, even with one’s friends, at that era. English history then appears to furnish the student with little more than a succession of wars, tyrannies, and wrong-doings ; so that the marvel is how people could have, year after year, endured such a state of things. I do not blame Jack Cade for raising an insurrection ; his conduct seems to me perfectly meritorious; and had he proved successful instead of the reverse, I doubt not he would have come down to posterity as a veritable hero, and not simply as Jack Cade—a name, and little more, to frighten succeeding reformers withal. It was at this time that the houses of York and Lancaster contended with each other for regal power, and scarely a knight or squire but set lance in rest for one or other of the rival Boses. Deeds of bravery and endurance meet us at every turn ; Warwick, the kingmaker, I am sure was a noble fellow ; and doubtless some of those grand and unobtrusive virtues which walk the earth in shady places were not unknown; but as a whole the period was one of perpetual internecine war and rapine. Yet, when one does look beneath the surface, and peers into lowly records here and there, you come, ever and anon, upon traces of a lustihood, and even mirth, among the people, indicative of the wonderful fact that they not only lived .but enjoyed live. How was it ? They had a rude plenty, and the perennial happiness, common to the human race, of home and family and kindred—the prattle of childhood and the love of woman ; and I doubt not they appreciated the sparkling glances of bright eyes just as we do to-night. (Applause). For them, as for us, the suu lay warm upon beck and fell and wold—the moon showered upon them her mellow radiance—the far-off burning stars gave them of their mysterious glory ; a»d the unchained wind blew the scent of the daisy and the cowslip and the gorse around them in the spring and summer days. Consequently they appear to have laughed and hoped and gone either to working or fighting with about equal zest and equal indifference, taking the good the gods sent them, without greatly troubling themselves about those coming events which were likely to oast their shadows before. It was at this particular era, and amid this seething “tumultuous moonstruck Atlantic" of discordant elements, that William Caxton set himself down one day, in or about the year 1471, to give to England the benefits of one of the greatest discoveries of these later ages. (Applause.) Although an Englishman by birth, coming, he tells us, from the Weald of Kent, Caxton had spent the best portion of his life engaged in commercial pursuits at Bruges, then one of the largest and most flourishing cities in Flanders, although now a poor and deserted place enough—so much so, that you will remember Wordsworth's remarks of it— In Bruges town is many a street Whence busy life hath fled, Where, without hurry, noiseless feet The grass-grown pavenfcnt tread. Caxton carried on business so as to make his mark in five city of his adoption, and he had the honor of being appointed an ambassador from the Flemish Court to England, with the view of arranging a commercial treaty between the two countries—such another confidential trust as Richard Cobden undertook, when he acted as plenipotentiary between England and France in 1860. I fancy these two men (although four centuries lie between them) to have been, mentally at least, very much alike ; and any of you who can call up the latter to yonr remembrance will have, as it seems to me, a fair idea of the former. I picture Caxton to myself as a far-sighted, shrewd, practical, kindly, somewhat reticent, and rather conservative old gentleman—conservative, that is, in the sense of being cautions in plan, and thereafter firm and orderly in execution ; and such also was the great apostle of free trade, as those of you will know who have had the pleasure of meeting him. In moving about on the Continent, in connection with the requirements of commerce, Caxton had pi’obably met ‘either with Laurence Coster at Haarlem, or G/uttenburg at Mainz, to one or other of i oil* (or both, more likely) we owe the first use of movable types ; and the Englishman, with intuitive sagacity, realised at once the importance of the discovery. Here was something at last fitted to revolutionise the world, and EngDud should have the benefit of it. I daresay Caxton had been fairly successful in business, and could retire with a moderate competence. In these circumstances he returned to his na» tive country, and, when considerably over

fifty—probably nearer sixty—years of age, set up his humble printing press within the precincts of Westminster Abbey. Here is a fact sufficiently notable : The King taking an afternoon airing with Jane Shore would excite far more interest and gossip among the London mercers and their apprentices than Caxton at his press. Yet the one was a great event, the other the poorest of ephemeral exhibitions. The world often judges so poorly. You wonder perhaps at a man no longer young changing the traditions of his life. You forget that age is not to be counted so much by years as by a man s feelings and capabilities. There are young men already old—blasd, worn out, with no noble ambition, hopelessly commonplace 1 meet them every day much older than 1 am. And there are men old in years hut young in heart and feeling-men who will never grow old, who can romp with children and do a good day’s work after other people have gone to sleep. Nay more, there arc opportunities in some men’s lives which bring all the glow and enthusiasm of youth along with them Sir Charles Napier, for example, was sixty before ho held any great command—before, indeed, his rare abilities were at all recognised How mnch he did after that to augment and consolidate a »reat empire is sufficiently well known. In thi/spirit, I take it, Caxton set to work, lam sure you would find him pottering away among his types at all hours. He would not have been ashamed if you had caught him either sotting up or distributing a forme. Certain work had to he done, and, late or early, done it should be. You will remember another distinguished member of our craft who, having toiled all day at case, had the mortification to o-et the whole of his work reduced to pie m the evening. He simply commenced it over amiin, and kept at his post until he had retrieved the disaster. One ceases to wonder that Benjamin Franklin afterwards stood before nucl not before me<in men. Xhus it is that brave men live in the performance of duty, be it great or small- Caxton pursued his trade for a number of years. His first book—" The Game and Piaye of jthe Chesse, a fac simile of which was printed by Mr. Vincent Figgius, a London typefounder, some years a"o—appeared in 14/4; his last book, so far as known, “ The Folycrouycon, bears to have been imprinted by William Caxton in the twenty-first year of the reign of King Edward the Fourth, that is, 1482. It took quite a century longer before the newspaper had its rise, and yet another century more before it attained to anything like what we now regard as a good newspaper. But the work begun by Caxton went bravely on, and was telling year by year upon English life and English trade, and ever sustaining the ceaseless sober struggle for freedom against its many foes. (Applause.) Hallara speaks of the difficulty of tracing the progress of society. It is easy to make up a pedigree of kings and give a list of battles, but to find out how the bulk of the population —the hone and sinew of a country—has emerged, step after step, unnoted by drum or trumpet, into the light of modern, civilisation, eludes the grasp of the historian. We know, however, a little of what England was in the fifteenth century, and we know a good deal of what it is in the nineteenth. Loudon, in C’axton’s time, had a population of probably between 30,000 and 40,000, about as much as this city of Wellington will have in ten years hence. The houses had no wooden floors, not to speak of carpets, but the earthen floors were strewn with rushes and made the receptacle for bones and household debits ; they had no glass, and consequently no windows beyond rude apertures ; they had no chimnies, and the smoke found its way out by a hole in the roof, or more frequently did not find its way out at all. They had no steamers or railways, no coaches, because there were really no roads—no mails, no hooks, no newspapers. Farming was of the poorest, and when a crop turned out to be more than usually thin, the farmers, instead of digging and manuring, contented themselves with having two or three witches burned. Sir John Fortescue, one of the Judges, exulted that more Englishmen were hanged for robbery in one year than French in' seven. (A laugh.) It seems dreary enough. Printing came, and, ere long, in its wake, a new spirit seemed to breathe over the face of English society, and to quicken alike all the pulses of intellectual, political, and religious life, until England has become what the poet laureate describes it to be— It is the land that freemen till, That sober-suited freedom chose — The land, where girt with friends or foes, A man may speak the thing he will. A land of settled government, A land of just and old renown. Where freedom slowly broadens down

From precedent to precedent. (Applause.) The chief adjunct of the printing press has been the newspaper, which is now one of the greatest political forces of the world. Singularly fair and comparatively free from personality are the English newspapers. Voltaire, in one of his novels, brings his hero to a place where there is a very successful literaly journal. He asks the editor for his secret. The editor says that when a work is to he reviewed, he looks out for the personal enemy of the author to write the review. That is French ; it is, happily, not English. But my object does not lead me into any criticism of the literature of the printing press ; I deal rather with its mechanism. One of our greatest meu has said that he who first shortened the labor of copyists by device of moveable types was disbanding hired armies and creating a whole new democratic world. Even with Carlyle the wish was somewhat father to the thought. The latter result, at all events, comes more readily than the former, which is perhaps only natural. England is now largely democratic. Serfage no longer exists in any part of Europe. The United States are one great democracy. The British colonies are the same, save in name ; and we, in these islands, carrying with us the traditions of the old country, are the heirs of all the ages. But hired armies still continue. Russia makes war on Turkey, and the Orescent fights against the Cross. Still, the time is coming when the printer, as he has raised the serf and the slave to the dignity of freemen, will also be the means of putting an end to war and helping to bring on the reign of universal brotherhood. In this belief, I ask you to pledge me to the memory of William Caxton, and to join in the aspiration of the Scottish poet— Then let ns pray that come it may. As como it will lor a’ that, That sense and worth o’er a’ the earth May bear the (free ami a’ that. For a’ that and a’ that, It’s coming yet lor a’ that. That man to man, the world o’er, Shall brothers be for a' that. Mr. Travers : I have been asked to propose, as the next toast on the programme, “The Press,” coupled with the* names of Mr. T. McKenzie and Mr. H. Blundell. Now, gentlemen, in proposing this toast, I intend to adopt a course Which may be assumed to be a little ■unusual. But it is one, gentlemen, which I think you will consider appropriate on an occasion such as this, and which I think will commend itself more to you than if I were to make a speech of my own on a subject which has exercised the powers of some of the greatest speakers of the age. I have thought that it would be interesting to you, seeing that a very lame number of you are associated with the newspaper Press, if I put together, in the form of a very short paper, some notes upon the origin and history of newspapers. The notes are of a very interesting character. X have been obliged to compress them, because I knew the time would not admit of their being much extended. But I have endeavored to put together some valuable notes, illustrative of the origin of newspapers and the circumstances under which they have assumed the extraordinary development which we see at the present day. With your leave, gentlemen, I will read this paper before I make a few remarks of my own in reference to the newspaper Press of New Zealand. In investigating the history of newspapers, I have naturally first considered, “What, properly speaking, is a newspaper ?” and it has been agreed that the term should be restricted to publications having the following characteristics, viz., a treatment of news from various parts of the world, —a common title for every issue,—a series of numbers applied to them all, a date to each number, and a regular period between the issues. Mr. Leigh Hunt, in his « Fourth Estate,” says:—“ There is no reason to

doubt that the puny’ancestor of the myriads of broadsheets of our times was the Weekly News, published in 1622, and that the most prominent of the ingenious speculators who offered this novelty to the world was Nathaniel Butter. He seems to have had several companions in the work, whose names appear in the early imprints of this the first English newspaper. What appears to be the earliest sheet beais date the 22nd of May, 1622.” About 1663, there was a newspaper called the Kingdom's Intelligencer, more general and useful than any of its predecessors. Sir Roger L’Estrange was connected with it;. but its publication ceased in 1665/ when the Zondon Gazette (first called the Oxford Gazette) was begun. A few years before, this, during the stormy period of the Commonwealth, several newspapers were published in England, the chief writers in them being Sir John Birkenhead and Marchmout Needham; and there are still several newspapers published in England, under their origimd titles, which have existed for upwards of a century and a half. It is strange, however, that no newspaper was established in Edinburgh, on a permanent basis, until 1718, and none to the north of Edinburgh until 174 There are many newspapers ou the Continent, and especially in Holland and Germany, which have lived two hundred years and more, and hi-centenary celebrations of such newspapers have been frequently held—one in especial at Haarlem on the Bth of January, 1856, when the Haarlem Coumnt completed its 200th year of publication. The first number had appeared on the Bth of January, 1656, under the title of Dt Weekelycie Coumnt van Europa, and a fac simile of this ancient number was produced, at considerable expense and trouble, for exhibition on this occasion. Lord Macaulay, when in Holland, made much use of the earlier numbers of this newspaper for his History. The Gazette of Leipsic is more than 200 years old. A newspaper was established in Russia in 1703, which Peter the Great helped to edit, and to correct in proof. At the assumption of power by Cromwell in 1683, the Uollandsche Mercurius hoisted a woodcut title (a fac simile of which I have in my possession, representing various English matters, including Cromwell seated in Council.) In the original there is a copy of verses by some Hutch poet describing the various subjects on the carved page. It has been observed that it is indeed interesting to think that these publications still survive to our own times, and have appeared regularly during so long an interval, amid wars, tumults, plagues, famines, commercial troubles, fires, and disasters of innumerable kinds, public and private; and that we may look to them for a record, humble and imperfect it may be, of the history of the civilised world during that long time. I have hitherto spoken, of course, of printed newspaper’s. Before these the general communication of news in England was not effected by printed sheets at all, but bv a written sheet called a “ news-letter, ’ prepared in London, copied by some process, or by hand, and so circulated from a recognised centre. And even long after printed newspapers had been established in England the written news-letter continued to be used, its more pretentious rival being looked upon as the privilege of lords, esquires, and men of official importance. It was, indeed, by means of the written news-letter that the intelligence of the tragic death of Charles the First, the restoration of his son, the landing of William at Torbay, and other events of those days became known in the remote parts of the country; and the reader of our national history has to hear in mind how slowly and imperfectly intelligence of public matters was conveyed in past times, and how much false news was circulated, in order properly to comprehend it. In the case even of an insurrection the whole surrounding circumstances might be changed before a fourth of the nation was apprised of what had taken place, or was prepared to move. Many interesting accounts are extant of these news-letters, which I could not refer to without trespassing upon your patience. In connection with the history of old newspapers it is curious to learn the origin and meaning of the term gazette as now applied. During the war between the Venetians and the Turks in 1563, the Venetian Government, being desirous of communicating news on public affairs to the people, caused sheets of military and commercial intelligence to be written, which were read out publicly at appointed places, a fee being paid by those who desired to hear them. The fee thus paid was a small Venetian coin called a gazzetta, and by degrees the name of the coin was transferred to the written sheet; and it is singular that, since then, in almost all European countries, an official or Government newspaper has become known as a gazzetta or a gazette. The first British journal entitled to the description of a daily paper was the Daily Coarant, commenced ou the 11th of March, 1702, by E. Malet, against the ditch at Fleet bridge, a site not far from that of the present Times office. It is described as a single page of two columns, and professed solely to give foreign news the publisher assuring his readers that he would not take upon himself to give any comments of his own, “ supposing other people,” he says, to have sense enough to make reflections for themselves.” The Daily Cov.rant passed into the hands of Samuel Buckley, at the sign of the Dolphin in Little Britain, who afterwards became the printer of the Spectator, and pursued a useful and respectable career. As a curious instance of the practice of the Government of George I. we are told that Buckley was entered in a list of persons laid before a Secretary of State (1714) as, “Buckley, Ameu-corner, theworthy printerof the Gazelle’, well affected,’ that is, well affected to the Hanoverian succession, a point of great importance at that time. In 1735 tire Daily Courant was absorbed into the Daily Gazetteer. But rapid as we find the progress of newspaper literature to have been prior to November 1314, the 29th of that month forms an important date in the history of printing, and consequently in that of human progress and civilisation. It was on that day that a newspaper was first printed by steam instead of by manual labor, and it lias been observed that it seems appropriate that The Times, the newspaper which, of all others, may be considered the most influential in the world, should have inaugurated this vast improvement. It was the second Mr. John Walter (son of the first and father of the late proprietor) that gave so immense an impetus to rapid printing. Previously to this it took many , hours to strike oil the 3000 or 4000 copies of which the daily issue of The Times then consisted; and although so early as 1804 an attempt had been made to substitute machinery for hand-labor in this process, the attempt had to he abandoned in consequence of the bitter hostility of the pressmen. John Walter, however, was not a man to be beaten ; and as his pecuniary means increased he was able to encourage mechanical invention directed to ttiis particular want. In 1814 lie consented that Kdnig's patent for a printing machine should be ti l d, and Kdnig and his assistant, Staner, worked quietly in promises adjoining those of The. Times for many months,” gradually perfecting his machine. The proceedings on the momentous 2flth of November are highly interesting. “ The night on which this curious machine was first brought intonso,” saysthebiographerof Mr. Walter,“was one of groat anxiety, and even alarm. The suspicious pressmen had threatened destruction to any one whose inventions might suspend their employment destruction to him and his traps." They were directed to wait for expected news from the Continent, It was about six o’clock in the morning when Mr. Walter went into the press-room and astonished the occupants by telling them that The Times was already printed by steam ; that if they attempted violence there was a force ready to repress it ; but that if they were peaceable their wages would be continued to every one of them till suitable employment could be procured, a promise which was duly redeemed. Thus was this remarkable enterprise carried through, and printing by steam, on a gigantic scale, given to the world.” Now, gentlemen, when we recal the fact that less than thirty years ago the average cost of a newspaper was from fourpence half-penny to sixpence, and less than fifty years ago its average cost was sevenponce, the greater part of which went into the public Exchequer, wo may consider that the circulation of this groat civilizing agent has almost reached perfection, when a penny can buy the sheet, and another penny will insure

T its"quick’ and"safe*transmission to any part of a dominion on which the sun never sets. I might, gentlemen, by dwelling vpon the many peculiarities in regard to the management of newspapers in earlier times, have enlarged upon this theme—X could, for instance, .have pointed out to you the time when what is now termed an editor was unknown in connection with press literature,; and it is remarkable to watch its development since printing by steam was established through the enterprise of the London Times in 1814. Many of you are of course familiar with the enormous circulation of some of the larger and principal newspapers both in England and America ; and it certainly seems singular, when we reflect that less than sixty years ago three or four thousand copies of The Times were published daily, while now its circulation reaches something like 120,000 or 130,000. From this, gentlemen, some idea may . be gathered of the immense acquisition that improvements in printing machinery and the utilisation of steam power have proved in forwarding the interests of the newspaper Press all over the world. I now propose to offer a few observations in reference to the Press of New Zealand. I was aked to couple the names of Mr. 11. Blundell and Mr. T. McKenzie. Mr. McKenzie, gentlemen,_ as you are aware, is associated with the earliest establishment of- a newspaper in the district of Wellington. He inaugurated the establishment of a newspaper called the Independent, This, however, was not the first newspaper started in New Zealand. The earliest was one published at Nelson, and long distinguished for the high character it maintained, under the direction of Mr. Charles Elliott. I think, on the whole, that we have reason to be proud of eur newspapers. Mr. Bowen, in his speech, remarked that the people themselves 1 made the character of their newspapers. I j was very much struck with that remark, gen- | tlemeu, because I happen to have in my possession an extract, which I clipped from the Pall Mall Gazelle, in reference to the newspaper literature of America, which is preguant with meaning; and, if I am not trespassing upon your time, I should like to read to you one or two passages, because they enable us to draw a striking contrast between tire newspaper literature of America and that of New Zealand ; and, moreover, because it helps us to draw that contrast in a light favorable to New Zealand. It is pregnant with suggestions regarding the mode in which the newspaper literature of the country should be conducted, if it is to be conducted to the end for which it was designed—namely, to disseminate truth and virtue, and guard against falsehood aud superstition ; the grand object of the institution being thus carried into every home and every corner of the country. I suppose that for one book that is read ten newspapers are read, and people learn all that is passing among them from the columns of their newspapers. People now are apt to take, to a very large extent, their opinions from the columns of newspapers ; and when we consider, therefore, what an important engine it is in guiding the opinions of the country, and in conveying information to the masses of the people, we are justified in taking a lesson from that which we see has affected the Press, the great Democracy mentioned by the Chairman. "With reference to the growth of dishonesty in the United States, the Pall Mall Gazette says Whether the enervating influence is soaking upwards or downwards — whether political immorality has inoculated commerce, or vice versa —are questions which I do not propose to touch at present. I merely repeat what thinking Americans admit with sorrow, that the country at large is getting dishonest. If any doubt, let him examine the average American newspapers. He will find every man of prominence who disagrees with it in polities set down as a knave in esse or in posse. Either lie has been a rogue or lie is a rogue, or he will become a rogue for an adequate consideration. Of course much, very much, of this is false ; but it would not be published unless a great number of persons thought it probable and wished it to be true. Here, as elsewhere, those who support a newspaper edit it to a great extent. If gross personalities and flippant remarks upon public men were distasteful to the masses, the journals which provide such pabulum would go to the wall ; whereas the fact is that, with the exception of a few New York and Boston papers, and one in Cincinnati, the sheet that is not scurrilous, vulgar, or violent goes into bankruptcy. I think the character of a people may be fairly judged by the character of its Press. If one of your papers were to publish a statement that Lord Salisbury or Mr. Forster stole an umbrella from his club, the libel would fall dead. If such a one were printed here, say, of Mr. Conkling, every Democratic paper from Maine to Florida would repeat it, and there would be ‘ further particulars ’ as to the color of the corpus delicti, and what it cost. If, say, Mr. Tildeu were so outraged, the Republican Press from California to the Rio Grande would chuckle over the scandal. Again, you never hear both sides iu the average American paper. If Mr. Gladstone makes an 1 atrocity ’ speech, the Daily Telegraph will report it verbatim. If Lord Derby comes out with a telling reply, the Daily News will not suppress it. This is hot so here. The people do not care to hear the other side—not like the Irish justice who thought it would disturb his judgment, bat because they hate to hear anything good from their opponents. In some places a Democrat would lose his political character if he were known _ to subscribe for a Republican paper, and vice versa. This proves, I think, that truth is at a discount.” Now, gentlemen, that is the character given to the great majority of American papers by an American writer, aud I believe it to be substantially true as regards’ the ordinary Press of America. But that is not the case in New Zealand ; the Press ou the whole is conducted fairly, and although at times public men are made, to a greater extent than they consider desirable, the butt and object of attack, aud their feelings iu some degree outraged, yet, ou the whole, I have no hesitation inlaying that, in that respect, even the conduct of the Press is not much to ho deprecated, (Applause.) I believe, and I am now echoing the words which fell from Mr, Bowen, that the character of the people might be judged of by the character of the papers, and it may he said that there is no more independent body of men in New Zealand than those engaged in editing and publishing the newspaper literature of the colony. I believe it to be the reflex of the feelings and understanding of the people themselves, and it is doing one of its duties in the great battle now going on in the world, with knowledge on the one side, aud ignorance and superstition on the other. I have much pleasure in proposing the toast of “ The Press,” and in coupling with it the names of Messrs. McKenzie and Blundell. Mr. -McKenzie was very early engaged in newspaper literature in this province, and Mr. Blundell’s name, as wo know, is associated with what I believe to bo a very excellent undertaking, the Evening Post, both as to its conduct and also from a commercial point of view. But these two are not the only newspapers published in Wellington, and I think we may congratulate ourselves that it possesses other sheets, one of which is advocating what I believe to be the cause of morality, I allude, gentlemen, to a paper called the Reformer, which I believe to be engaged in a very good work. The fact that I have a glass of wine before me to drink the health of her Majesty and the other toasts, and for the purpose of adding to the conviviality of the meeting, does not in any degree prevent me from advocating the cause of temperance, ami in many eases of teetotalism ; and therefore X think honor is due to those who are advocating the cause in the city of Wellington. Although I am not prepared to go the whole length that they think we should go, still the cause shall always receive from me the fullest possible support, because of its great moral tendency, and because it is conducted in that temperate and respectful manner which is characteristic of the whole Press of New Zealand. I have much pleasure in proposing the toast of “ The Press." The toast was responded to by Mr. H. McKenzie, in the absence of Mr. Thomas McKenzie, and Mr. H. Blundell, who apologised for the absence of Mr. H. Blundell, senior, on account of indisposition. The remaining toasts were disposed of as fol-

"iovn-'r~— “The Wellington Typographical Society,” proposed by Mr. J. M. Perrier, and responded to by Mr. C. Monaghan, President of the Society ; “ The Employ era,” proposed by Mr. Plummer, Secretary to the Wellington Typographical Association, and responded to by Mr. Didabury and Mr. H. Blundell; “The Overseers,” proposed by Mr. E. T. Gillon, and responded to by Mr. J. Costall and Mr. Chatwin Prosperity to Wellington,” proposed by ,Mr. Henry Anderson, and responded to by the Mayor ; “Mr. Samuel Revans,” proposed by Mr. C. Bannister; “The Eadies,” proposed by Mr. J. Waters, and responded to by Mr. G. Capper; “The Chairman,” proposed by Mr. H. Eisher; and “ The Promoters,” proposed by Mr. E. T. Gillon, and responded to by Mr. W. A. Parkinson. The speeches were interspersed with songs by Messrs, Edwards, Gamble, and Vincent, and Mr. Hoskins played a very excellent violin solo. The company broke up at about half-past ten o’clock.