The St. Andrews Standard (1833 - 1880)
The Standard (1833 - 1888) was the longest-running of St. Andrews newspapers. It was begun by George N. Smith and after a decade taken over by his son Adam Smith, who continued on, rain or shine, in sickness and in health, until his retirement in 1888, and only shortly before is death. It cannot be said that the Standard was the liveliest or most entertaining of the local newspapers, but it had the advantage of longevity and solidity. The old weeklies were provincial papers; they contained a summary of world and Dominion news, with a section on New Brunswick and, with Adam Smith's advent, the novel item of a page on local happenings as well. It might be said that St. Andrews makes its first appearance on the public stage, almost, in the pages of the Standard. Editor Smith and Smith shepherded their beloved newspaper through some very important times in the history of the Town. The idea for a railroad to connect with Quebec first made its appearance in its pages, and the subsequent history of the project was reported on, and defended against all covers, assiduously in its columns. For this the reader may refer to "The Railroad," excerpted from various papers on this site. The Standard saw the decline of the New Brunswick timber trade and ship-building industry. It reported on the Saxby Gale, the Fenian Scare, and the first beginnings of the rise of tourism in St. Andrews and Passamaquoddy Bay. It its pages we first see life as it was lived on the street: its dinners, tramps and mountebanks, fires, hotels, celebrations, crime, drunkenness, and a sprinkling of interesting local characters as well. We see the influx of the Irish emigrants; we see disease visit not just the Town, but also Smith's own family: a great deal more than is extracted here, but I include some of my highlights, and others for the period can be found at other locations in this site under the relavant titles.
- Prospectus of the New Brunswick Standard, 1833
- Adam Smith's Farewell to the Standard
- Death of George Smith and Adam Smith, Standard Publishers and Editors
- Death Visits the Editor's Family
- Death of James Storey, Standard Compositor
- "A History of Journalism in St. Andrew"s by R. E. Armstrong, 1910