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Show PRINTING INDUSTRY WEEK COMMEMORATES 300 YEARS OF PROGRESS AND SERVICE Printers' week began Monday. This is the tercentenary anniversary anni-versary of the American beginning of an industry that has had a greater influence on civilization than any other trade or profession. pro-fession. Upon its inception, development and employment, civilization civili-zation has made its greatest strides and risen to its highest levels. In disseminating facts, spreading the influence of religion, educating educat-ing the masses, exposing infamy and turning the light on tyrants, the art of printing has performed services no other mortal agency could have accomplished in a million years. Printing with a flint, a piece of charcoal or a stylus was practiced by primeval inhabitants of the earth when ideas first began to clamor for expression and preservation. In the course of time wooden blocks were carved and impressions "squeezed" therefrom. But it was not until movable types were invented that printing, as it is now recognized, was born. Johann Gensfleisch, or Guttenberg, cut a crude font of letters from which public documents docu-ments were printed in 1454, although experiments had been carried on for at least 10 years before notice was taken of the matter. Machinery for making impressions was finally "perfected and utilized by William Caxton, who issued several books from his press but gave it up, because "material returns did not justify the necessary outlay." Three hundred years ago the first printing press set up in the American colonies was put into operation by. Stephen Daye, an Englishman who came to Massachusetts in 1638 and started running off psalms and almanacs the following year. He was America's first printer, but his work was so crude the publishers put Samuel Green in his place, who subsequently employed em-ployed Daye as "a journeyman." President Birkinshaw and Secretary Hendrik Romeyn of the "Printing Industry of Utah" have arranged a program and engaged en-gaged speakers to participate in the national observance of the event. Likewise, in virtually every city and town in the state, printers and newspaper publishers will join in the observance which honors a profession of which they, as members, are proud. |