Page:A Hundred Years Of Bengali Press.pdf/4

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A HUNDRED YEARS

love for the Bengali Press and consequently his deep scholarship in the Indian tongue, but also his impartial judgment and high faith in the future destiny of the Vernacular Press.

Without the advent of able and successful writers, the literature of a nation cannot improve. The genius and extraordinary capability of great writers also give rise to many newspapers and periodicals. Able writers alone can accelerate the progress of the Press. The periodical in England saw its birth shortly after the golden age of literature—the Elizabethan Age. When the field of literature was crowded with the best intellect of the country, a healthy Press grew up under intellects like those of Joseph Addison. The Spectator—the first daily paper—had a most celebrated and successful career under the guidance of Addison and Steele. Encouraged by such a worthy example, the Guardian and the Freeholder were started. Men like Hawkesworth, Chesterfield, and Horace Walpole identified themselves with journalism and won repute as writers. Dr. Johnson, who attempted every thing, founded and edited two periodicals—the