Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1882-09-08

.tiE OLDEST NEW Hsi'ipEV.


The Pchmg Gu:c't, is not unfrequent-
ly referred to, both i'll Europe and Amer
lca, IS HE oldest newspaper IN the world.
II is a missioner TO call it It newspaper in
the sense OF newspapers such IA ours,
which are essentially thn outgrowth of
Western civilization. When We speak Of
the press. either in Am erica or England
and even TO a p1eat extent III Continental
Europe, we ha,c in view that intellectual
energy which reaches for information to
the ends Of the EARTH rausi,css all ages
and countries $, and chronicles the world
in cpitomr each day.
The PrIng G0:,H' is inertia pcrsoni-
fed droway AMI prosy. Its columns are
embedded in the formulas of thepast, and
Mupefiei with the supcls,itiunl and rou-
tine OF antiquity.
Its great age is unqucstionnblr, aa it
can be clearly traced in II continuous line
t,A. u. 7l3. and it IL rrlcrrrd to i'll the
uotc., uu tire poetry OF the Tang dyn0sy.
The paper is designated by the Chinese
at "Mctrpulitau AMnuunr'm, 'ita, Cop
les OF The Capital, or "tnHr. Announce
mcnts.' is daily record oi imperial
drcreca and rcscripis, uiid Il reports or
memorials tu the throne, together with 4
brief notice of imperial ud "!cial move
m"Ats, forming sp"clca OF court clrcu-
lar. 1t is printed and Published hy per-
sons in official employ. vino are answcra-
hlc for their conduct to the police author
tiles OF the capital. The printing is
effected by means of wooden movable
types cut in willow or poplar wood :;
these are arranged i'll eases not unlike
those used i'll printing Offices i'll this
country. M average GG;cf'c consists of
per. measuring seven and half and
three and thrcc-iuurths inches, and en-
closed between leaves. front and back, of
bright yellow paper, to- form u species of
binding. The whole is roughly attached
or stitched by means OF two short pieces
Of paper rolled into Substitute for
twluc, The inside leaves being folded
double III the usual Chinese fashion give
some twenty OF more small pages Of mat
ter, each page divided 10y red lines into
columns, Each column couians four
teen characters from top to bottom
These are read down the column, begin
ming at the right and running to the LETT.
The first page or two is occupied by what
may hc called the court circular consist
ing Of very brief abstract from the
record kept hy the imperial household of
audience, presentations and imperial
movements. Immediately following the
court circular arc inserted the dccrecs or
rcScnpts that IS, direct replies TO memo.
ralsJ cmanatin9 from his majesty, and
the remainder OF the GU.eHG is uccu-
pied by memorials from provincial gov
cruMcnts or the metropolitan depart
mcntS among which til" ro;itlno memoir
ais of the board of consacratc or the
,nnstabipy laying appeal eases before
The throne, take up con'pltuous share
lhcrc IS the strlctest supervision by the
officials as to the matter which may he
published.
The publication issued by the officials
tor the Information of th,lr respective
provincial administration Is the only one
recognized by tEc Government, but two
other forms Of issue flourish nt the same
time. One is - written copy, manu-
script Gu:sue, issued by private enter
prise with quas-oilical sanction The
Information contained in TINS is usually
some days in advance Of the official
Ga.euc, and the officials ARE, of course,
supposed to profit by allowing thiB enter
prise. The second form is known us the
'IOng copy, III consequence of its being
printed in Il longer and narrower form
than the official ssIo. This is not 50
lcgibly printed and Is cheaper than either
Of the other forms
There are sixteen post-rclHy officials
stationed ut Pelling, whose duty it is to
forward the official copies to the different
provinces, and in each provincial capital
an establishment exists under official
sanction, by which Il reprint is made for
circulation within the province.
Few sights are more common at certain
hours in Picking than that of the Ga=ctte
carriers, who distribute copies to the sub
scrbers the same as newspapers are de-
lycred in this country. The papers are
carried in Il double wallet slung across
ono sh iulder, For copy of the "long"
edition the subscription price to natives
is aboIt twenty-five cents per month.