- Newsboys - "Devils In Training"
- "Shrill and high, the newsboys cry, the worst of the city's infamy."
- -William Vaughan Moody (1869-1910)
- They were Horatio Alger's heroes; street urchins on their way to success by hustling newspapers on the street corners. Many printers and newspaper writers started their careers in the harsh world of the newsboy.
- The rigors of eighteenth and nineteenth century childhood labor were common to all but a privileged few. Rough as the newsboy's and carrier's lot was, it was better than the factories and mines that consumed young lives, fingers, and limbs. The newspaper route or corner offered a small amount of money, prestige, and the opportunity to catch the eye of an editor or publisher and gain a newspaper career.
- The first newspaper publishers delegated the distribution to the apprentice. After the regular shop duties of cleaning and fetching were accomplished the young devils were sent out to distribute the latest edition. Benjamin Franklin had this early duty while serving under his brother. "My brother had, in 1720 or 1721, begun to print a newspaper . . . and after work in composing the types and printing off the sheets, I was employed to carry the papers thro' the streets to the customers. . ."
- Later, the work became more specialized. In New York, The Mercury carried this 1761 advertisement for a "nice" boy to deliver papers. ". . .he will not be employed for more than two hours every Monday morning." As the circulation increase the need became greater and in 1772 another ad was run for "a clever honest fellow to carry the New York Gazette and Weekly Mercury to part of the customers in the city, four hours every Monday will do the business."
- Thomas Edison had an unusual newspaper route. He delivered his papers by train during the Civil War. There was great clamor for news at each stop. Seeing how rapidly his papers sold sparked an idea in the young inventor. He acquired a font of type and press and printed his own news sheet on the train. He got the news from the regular paper. He sold these to his customers, thus becoming editor, publisher, as well as delivery boy.
- Newspapers in the early 1800's regularly sold for six cents. These massive broadside sheets were expensive to print and had a limited circulation. These large papers considered it unethical to sell newspapers anywhere but at the newspaper office or by subscription. The "penny paper" was a smaller condensed paper that needed mass circulation to be successful. The penny press delivery boys had a monopoly on the streets. Newspapers ran ads to employ large numbers of carriers.
- "WANTED 20 boys neatly dressed and excellent deportment to sell
- The Daily News - None need apply except those who intend to engage
- permanently. 30¢ for every 100 sold."
- Gradually, most all newspapers depended on the newsboys to circulate the paper to regular subscribers and to hawk to the passersby on urban street corners. Their cry, "Hot off the press!", indicated the paper was still warm from the press drying ovens and was therefore the latest news.
- Publishers began to show appreciation to the boys who were sometimes from the poorest families. Efforts were made for their betterment. Education and recreation began to be provided. This is when some made their way off the streets and into the pressrooms and newsrooms. The Denver Post had a marching band of newsboys which also proved to be a popular promotion gimmick.
- At the first of each year, the newsboys were usually treated to a dinner where a toast was made by a newspaper official. The address was often reprinted and passed out by the newsboys in solicitation of a tip. The Rocky Mountain News delivery boys gave this address to customers in 1860.
- "King Patrons, good morning! A Happy New
Year
- To you all! May peace and prosperity cheer
- Your lives and your labors through all coming time'
- May you always be "flush," not lack the dime---
- Or the quarter, or more ---to gladden and
cheer
- The Carrier's heart at the dawn of each year."
- As the saying goes "nothing happens until somebody sells something." Without the news carrier, the editorial offices, composition and press rooms would cease operation and loose a valuable proving ground for their future colleagues.
Copyright (C) 1997 by Frank Granger
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