The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1888-01-05
TIE PARIsIAN NEWSPAPERS.
The Newsboy Unknown ON the Streets Q
the French Capital.


the French Capital
One of the most characteristic stree
cries of London and of New York is nevel
heard in Paris, nor is one of the mos
picturesque figures in the streets of Lon
don and of New York ever seen in the
streets Of Paris, for in France the noisy
and pertinacious newsboy is unknown
The functions Of this unstable dissemi
nator of intelligence are filed in Paris by
the staid old dame who sits at the receipt
of custom in liiosque. A Palisian kiosque
has nothing oriental but the name. 1t is
little sentry box of glass, just large
enough to shelter the news vender from
the change0ble weather of the French
capital, On little stand in front of the
kiosque are tiny heaps of the countless
newspapers of the city, and on strings on
each side are pendant numbers Of the
chief illustrated journals, artistic and
comic. These kiosques are scattered
along the boulevards, and from them the
Partisan lys his Figaro in the morning
and his Temps at in the afternoon.
This difference Of attitude between u
newspaper brought to him in haste hot
from the press, and the leisurely French.
man, who is content to pick up his paper
when he goes abroad this difference is
far more than external; it is essentially
typical of the irreconcilable difference be.
tween the French journal and the English
or American newspaper. For one thing,
the French journal is not newspaper II
the American sense of the woodland Of
truth it does not pretend or desire to be,
The Figaro now and again makes q
ludicrous claim to the ubiquitous
omniscience Of The London Times or The
New York Herald, but this is not to be
taken seriously. The fact is, that while
the primary quality of q good English Oh
American paper is news, the primary
quality of good French paper is not
news, but INSTRUMENTATION of politics
in the first place, Of course and, in the
second, criticism Of commerce, of law, Of
finance, Of science, of art, of literature,
and of the drama.
The aim and ideal of The best French
editors is TO present not so much the
minor details Of fact. but tine best posi-
bic opinion on the fact. OF mere brute
news, minute particulars Of scandals,
crimes and horrors, such as we here in
America have dumped upon our break
fast table every morning. with all the ac-
companying repetition and accumulation
Of uninteresting Eact-of all this the reader
Of the Partisan journal sees little or moth
ing. The childish or unintelligent thirst
to know what has happened, regardless Of
the importance of the event, has not yet
been developed in France by the rivalry
of scrambling editors; and it may he as
serted without fear of contradiction that
even if they could have it without cost
and without trouble, French editors would
refuse to print most of the trivial trash
which cumbers the columns Of even the
foremost American papers,
1t is not that some Partisan papers do
not print trivial trash and trash worse
than trivial; the difference is rather in
aim, the French editor thinking first of
criticism and tho American editor only
too cften thinking of mere news-frst,
last and al the time. Yet the leading
principle which should govern even in
rews gathering is better understood in
Paris than in London CT New York. This
B the principle which has been aptly called
the perspective of news. and by virtue
Of which q trifling accident in the imme-
Gtate neighborhood is OF more importance
Man great calamity 1000 miles away.
As Villemessant concisely put it. "A dog