The Jersey Press

image 1image 2image 3image 4cropped image 1

THE JERSEY PRESS.—

The editors of New Jersey have been holding a convention to discuss ways and means for increasing the reputation and profit of their journals. The address of the President, Mr. Naar, proves that a very great improvement is capable of being made in both respects. He remarks that we should “as soon expect to find a hyacinth blooming in a field of snow, as a file of Jersey papers anywhere out of the State—how then can New Jersey be valued at her real worth.” With regard to this, we are happy to be able to correct the worthy President, by assuring him that there is a file of Jersey papers outside the State. We have for some years preserved a file of the Jersey City Telegraph, which is justly regarded in these parts as the greatest curiosity of newspaper literature extant.—Another remark we quote from the address, as an evidence of the intimate connection between the prosperity of the State and the character of its newspaper press:

By a hasty glance at the census of 1850, I find that whilst New Jersey issued an annual circulation of little over four millions of periodicals of all kinds, Massachusetts, with only about twice the population, issued over sixty-four millions; and I need not say that in commerce, navagation and active industry, that State exceeds ours perhaps in an equal proportion, although her geographical position and advantages are not as good as ours.

From this the deduction is made, that if a Daniel Webster¹ arose in New Jersey, he would never be able to lift himself from the plow tail, for want of a press to give him a reputation wide as the Union. The fame of Webster Mr. Naar attributes in the first instance to the publicity accorded to his merits by the Massachusetts press; and intimates that there are doubtless many embryo Websters in Jersey, who for want of a press to call them from oblivion, will go down to the grave unwept, unhonored and unsung.

---