Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1889-10-26
NEWSPAPERS OF FRANCE.
WHAT THE EDITOR OF THE JOUR-
NALisTD THINKS OF THEM.

L. belle Frases Il Mighty oosa Place
for the Professional Scsruaiias, bat Ht's Ne
slaes ss An for the flarawsrktus Nsvs-
paper Man, Thials Ailsn Formsu.
Especial Correspondence
NEW York, Oct. 24.-Frauce Is great
country for journalists, but it is mighty
poor field for newspaper man. In Paris
they produce the handsomeet, best ed.
tied. best illustrated periodicals in the
world, and they have the meanest news
papers The English newspapers are
slow enough to set an American edito,
crazy. But newspapers, as we under
stand them, can be hardly said to exist
in France, for news occupies but very
secondary place In their composition.
Take, for example, lie Petit journal,
the daily paper with the largest circula-
tion in the world, genuine and undoubt
ed. It sells for Eve sous--one cent--ano
It is the worst looking little rag I even
laid eyes on; printed ON miserable paper,
with heavy faced type and poor ink, Il
presents q cheap. smeary appearance
which would fill the soul Of the most
slovenly backwoods editor with disgust.
1t contains condensed reports Of the pro
ceedings of the chamber Of deputies, po.
litical articles, short police notes and
story. The story Is the main feature, the
special articles next and the news Is last
to be considered.
Dynasties may be overthrown, cities
txx. aI LII
may die, The Petit Journal will prob
ably print the information some time,
but IL the entire Western hemisphere
should be destroyed by an earthquake
and it was question between publish.
ing the news of the catastrophe and
story, the news would lay over every
time. am not caviling at the manage
ment of the French newspapers for this
system. They are paid to give tn.
French public what it wants, and the
success of The Petit journal proves that
the French public wants the story. Just
as the English newspapers remind one OF
yesterdays edition of a quarterly review,
so do the French papers bear close re.
semblance to cheap story paper.
In art publications Paris is far ahead
of England and America. They have
nothing which, in point of mechanical
execution, can equal the Revue lllustree,
the special editions of Figaro. or half
dozen other periodicals could mention.
The press work on these publications il
simply exquisite, and the letter press |
generally above the average in literary
merit. They have carried process en-.
I'll tp. int xv-li hor
yet attained, and while the illustrations
frequently affect broader style they
are better on the whole than ours.
In addition to these really fine art pub.
locations, the news stands of Paris are
crowded with dozens of illustrated comic
papers, most of them witty, with style
of humor which will not bear transla.
tion nor republication in this country.
They have no Comstock in Paris. The
difference in the style of the Partisan
journals to those of America naturally
necessitates difference in management.
l have returned to America more firmly
convinced than ever that the reporter is
the backbone of the American newspa.
per. Editors and special writers are all
very well in their way, but it is the
American reporter who has educated the
American public up to a knowledge OF
news. and who has made the American
newspaper the most accurate, wide
awake and enterprising in the world.
In England the reporter is simply
stenographer; it is his duty to write what
he hears, not what he sees. The idea of
making "a picturesque, readable news
story never enters his head; his work
reads like a Congressional Record In
France the case is the same, only, if pos.
sible, more so. The French reporter is
about the most unfortunate specimen OF
humanity ever ran across. 1t does not
require very high order of intelligence
to do reporting for French newspaper
and, as a consequence, the wages paid
are not very large. The interview is
practically unknown; naturally, with
these limitations, the French reporter de
velops into o sort of human machine, %
two legged phonograph. smelling Of ab.
sinthe and rank cigarettes. He is held
in utter contempt by the leader writers,
who form the aristocracy of French jour
nalism. He is snubbed by officials and
editors. and his small pay is frequently
further reduced by an ingenious and in
iqujtous system of fines, which prevails,
as far as can ascertain.
The leader writer, on the other hand
is quite too utterly gorgeous. lie is 5
well paid, well dressed, well kept person,
whose duty it is to write essays in a
lighter vein upon subjects more or les.
directly connected with topics of the day
not of the day on which the paper il
printed, but of the day before yesterday.
He ranks only peg below tie dramatic
and art critics, and he signs his articles
1t is the leader writers who fight those
harmless duels, who pen the fiery arti.
cles urging the people to revolution and
generally keep up the reputation of the
| French press. For some occult reason
they sign their Christian names in small
capitals and their surnames in large ones
SO that 1t presents decidedly unique ap
pearance to al American. If it is bred
of desire to achieve that fame which
leads the world to ignore the existence
of first name, as we speak of Tenny.
son, Virgil, Thackeray, Dickens and
other familiar names in letters, it does
not work, for we hear the French writer
almost universally referred to by his full
name. "FRoMAGE DE BRlE" may look
very stunning for a signature, but il
does not send the name hustling down
! .hte corridors Of time to any marked Nv,
tent. The leauer writer stands br,eS cen
ourspecial writer and our editorial writer
and combines, to certain extent, the
duties of both, and his prominence marks
the differen ;e between French and Amer,
lean newspapers. The French paper Il
more journalistic and less newsy, tele-
graphic matter even from other parts OF
France is cut down 10 a minimum, and