nd printed in
a small volume. Other clever features were supplied by writers, doubtless college-bred, and were signed, "The Rural Wanderer," "The Medler," "Peter Pencil," "The Hermit," etc. The most popular department in the paper was the one which had for its caption "The Lay Preacher." For it Joseph Dennie wrote lay sermons which went the rounds of the rural press and even found their way into the columns of the city newspapers. Such was the demand of readers for these lay sermons that editors were sometimes forced to insert them even when pressure was so great on the newspaper columns that advertisements had to be omitted. For some reason, possibly because his associates were so fond of showing their scholastic attainments, Dennie went out of his way to lampoon both Harvard and Dartmouth Colleges. More and more these special features crowded out the news until the paper finally became almost a satirical weekly. Because of the popularity of The New Hampshire Jour- nal two extra post-riders had to leave Walpole in order to dis- tribute the paper.
TWO OLDEST DAILIES IN NEW YORK
Two dailies founded in New York with political backing de- serve special mention. Both papers were founded as Federal organs and were inspired by Alexander Hamilton, who was en- deavoring to strengthen the grip of his party on the City of New York.
NOAH WEBSTER AN EDITOR
The earlier, The Minerva, now The Globe and Commercial Advertiser, was established on December 9, 1793, and induced Noah Webster, the lexicographer at Hartford, to become its editor. It was published "every day, Sundays excepted, at four o'clock or earlier if the arrival of the mail will permit." Webster, in outlining the editorial policy of his paper, said that it would be "The Friend of Government, of Freedom, of Virtue, and every Species of Improvement." His editorials were undoubt- edly on the highest plane of any of the period and the paper was the ablest edited of any Federal daily. He was the first editor to advocate no entangling alliances. "I have d
