CHAPTER XIII
TRANSITION PERIOD
1832—1841
The penny press brought several changes in the manufacture and marketing of newspapers. Among these were the use of steam to turn the press and the employment of boys to sell single copies in addition to distributing papers among regular subscribers. The greater demand for larger editions, the competition to be first in news, the better facilities for gathering items, the deeper interest taken in civic improvement, the changes in the body politic, the expansion of the country, the increase of literacy among all classes with the introduction of compulsory education—all these things brought readjustment in the printing and making of newspapers.
These changes came gradually, however, and will be taken up more in detail as they appear. They were concomitant with other transformations of American civilization. Many reforms grew out of the agitations of the penny press. In New York, for example, The Sun advocated the installation of a paid fire department. Under the volunteer system the chief aim of fire companies was to be first at the burning building rather than to extinguish the flames. One company never hesitated to destroy the apparatus of a rival if thereby it could be first at the fire. Rival gangs which formerly fought on city streets put on the red shirts of volunteer firemen and fought their battles for supremacy as before. In securing the introduction of horse-drawn engines and the adoption of a paid department, The Sun rendered a most distinct service to the city. The Herald performed just as distinct a service when it fought for the adoption of uniforms for the city police. Previously, members of the police department had been distinguished from civilians only by the presence of a badge worn on the coat. In case of trouble, it was not uncommon for a policeman to remove his badge and with
