The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-01-19

was taken of, and when it was certain loss to
sell paper for q penny, no such thing was
known as the sale OF Journals in the streets.
You could only obtain one at the place at which
it was published, or at the newsdealers' shops,
which were comparatively few. When papers
were brought out at q penny, the London boy
conceived the idea that his time was come
and began to cry out the new wares. The op-
position was great. The Engllsn are IN al
such things conservative, and hate with oil
their hearts any novelty about which they are
not formally consulted. Pursy old gentlemen
tried to stop tile trade. and complained to the
magistrates that the boys were nuisance:
The police were called upon to Interfere, and
at one time it seemed as II the shopKeepsers sa,s
would have all the trade to themselves. But
the public want was imperative, and everything
had to give way to it.
THE NEwsBoIs =.
At the present moment the proportion of the
circulation of the penny daily paper, which IS
in the hands Of the boys, Is large. Some OF
them commences with half dozen copies,
find out good standing place, and soon in-
crease their business. have known some 10
get t'good will" at aparlicular corner, which
in years time they have sold for twenty
pounds These boys fetch the papers from the
various Offices themselves. In the business
parts of the metropolis members OF the news
brigade" us they are termed, are daily at
work. These youngsters wear red jackets,
and carry brass badge on their caps. They
are provided with the needful capital by body
of benevolent gentlemen, who have opened
premises at which they can board and sleep at
the charge Of one shilling week. The custom
is to allow the boys three pence on the nrSt
four dozen sold. and one penny on every ooZ-
en- Afterwards. They get, in addition, the other
advantages I have named, and some good
schooling besides. When the thirst for news
Is exhausted, they oftel take to selling cigar
lights.
little known establish house-to-house con-
nectlon and leave the higher priced papers ut
the doors from day - day; but the great bulk
of their dealings is with the penny press. The
profit allowed them Is this: For every dozen
selling at a. penny each they pay eightpence.
They are not allowed TO relurn any, so that
when the stock is slow in getting of, the boys
get frantic and almost force the passcrs to
purchase. They hang on to the door steps OF
the omnibuses and shout the names OF the pa,
pers, together with the latest bit OF sensational
intelligence: "Evcning Star Second edition
of the Express Frg6tful colliery explosion
Bursting of balloon in the air y In some
cases-not many, am glad to say-the papers
are cried in this way by women. The experl-
ence Is o bad one for them. have seen Wo-
men take to it to keep their children. and have
noticed deterioration going on from week
to week, until they become as slangy and
coarse % the boys.
Each Of the lads taking certain number OF
comics has the right to handbll setting forth
the leading contents. This he either carries
in his hand, or lays In the gutter, or hangs
from recess of window. But too frequent
ly the stand is at q rubllc house, and the boy
in that case is allowed to use any recess that
NAV be there. What an ung0vernable race !!
The office OF penny paper, between the hours
of five and six O'clock In the morning anu
three and four o'clock in the afternoon, Is
pandemoniuin. 1t is impossible, they tell me,
n,,thi In
And vet they are as shrewd as any beings That
live. l went lately through an office ull of
them There had been a hitch with the ma
chine, and they were passing the time
in sporting, Jumping over each other
backs, and other similar horse play.
was amongst them unexpectedly aru
could not retreat. With hnmor which moved
me to burst ont laughing, despite an attempt
to look pretcrnaturally grave, they made Il
path for me and offered mock bows i'll score
OF ways. One uf them preceded me like Il
master of ceremonies. Nov, you young,
wild Arabs" said he, 'where arc your man
ners % Yet the publishers tell me they are
honest. They manage somehow to read the
papers, and know the characteristics. they
have learnt, zoo, the peculiarities oil the pub
lie taste, and can tell to nicely what amount
OF extra sale o particular piece Ut uneXcep-
tional intelligence will give. 1t is curious
study. They estimate the public just as the
caterers at Entertainments do, and know when
fees will be in demand and when the sherry
and Sod. water. They are sharpened oy their
life, and when they grow up the early lrain-
ing shows itself.
NEWSPAPERS 1t THE RAILWAY STATIONS.
The blight Of monopoly Is on many branches
of trade in England, and it is specially so with
the newspaper trade ut the railway stations
To save themselves trouble, the various rail
ways running out of London let out the news
stalls at the railway stations all along their
line to one frln-MesSrs. W. Fl. Smith & Son.
Consequently this firm IL a.ilpowerlul. They
can almost dictate their own terms. Inelr
profits are higher than those OF any other
agent You must pay them to sell your paper
at penny, or they will ask three half-pcEce
for it. For the Times they always ask half
penny extra. can hardly descriOe to you the
position this gigantic firm occupy In the nc
tropOlis. There Is an immense sale OF news
papers ut the railway stations, where people
waiting for u tram are almost certain to be-
come purchasers. Thus the smaller newspa-
pers court the Mcssrs. Smith Every new
journal goes hat in hand to them, and oilers
specially advantageous terms, in order that the
new prints may bc duly posted. Smith,
senior, who wls ! plain, Woodworking man,
is dead. Smith, junior, who rcgns, Is Il smart,
ambitious man who goes in for politics A few
wears ago he was u Liberal; but, Oh being
black bacd ut the Reform Club, he went over
to tue "o.ieS. AT The last election he opposed
MI. y. SllllrL MIL VI thC loIiVS
ut Westminster, and he intends, | understand,
irving his late again. All this time ne keeps
in the Dll5llleSs aud management OF the de-
tails. No wonder his firm are suspected " III
vortisn. The Tory papers, by some strange
coincidence. are always uppermost ut hls stalls,
and the Il tiiculty in the way OF getting The
others Ia never iutcrposcd i'll getting them.
Thus the Standard is believed to ne L pct pa
per, while the Telegraph is kept in the back
groun Sifch is the common talk.
Another side oflhe monopoly is in the print
ing tr.ue w!.ich this lir.n has lately cDnin"'""d.
The large pl.lcards which it is now the <assas
to use c,n be printed by McssrS. Sia:l'i, ne
Journals ARE informed, anu somehow Or other
the papers nearly all consider it wise 10 get
tLrn nowhere else.
TIE NEWS vENDERs.
The news venders shopin London is a popu-
lar gossip llacr Very often it is tllep 'siol'i,e
of The dlsliic, and besides newspapers, pcri-
odicas ;nl stationery are sol on the steel.
Eoys tu nol hurt them, which is due, take 1t,
tu Inc iarsr increase i'll the number oi buyers.
Tic E,Ws.N Ncl drIs for Il iGng while SET their