Richland beacon. [volume] (Rayville, La.) 1869-1890, 1889-03-02
The Oldest NPwsp,per in the
World.

Tie PehinT, China, correspondent
Of the Cuur.er-Journal has this to say
of the venerable GIzette, Of that
venerable city.
One Of the Oldest things in this old
capital Of China is its newspaper.
The Picking Gazet.e has been pub
lishei almost daily for SO years. It
! Is tie Oldest newspaper in the world.
l. was Rad tv The Chinees centuries
before America Wa discovered. Its
/ first copies wcra struck off hgndreds
Of wears before Gutenberg gave print
ing 10 Cirope, and il was in exist
ance 60 Years before the frankford
Gazette, the iirs' daily newspaper Of
our civilization. began ~ publication
! in 1913. Age has however, produced
no more change apon it than upon
the Chinese people, and ITS contents
are much the stne to-day as tAav
were when it Vas founded in the
darkness Of the middle ages Its
method Of printing IS the Same. and
it is still sat up fron movable type of
wood aa1struck off in dark low rooms
By the lonk finger nailed hands Of
these alnonl-eyel ce!estials. Still it
is the most aristocrs,ic paper in the
world. and the Chinese enporors Of
the past have been lis editors. 1t is
the OFF ,ial organ OF The Chinese gov
ernment, and it is simply record Of
Off ial acts and reports. 1t Is crime
to add or subtreot from it in its re-
publication. The Chinese government
allows no comments upon its acts. and
this is the organ By which these mil
lions Of people making up more than
one fourth of the whole woald. can
know what their ruler Is doing.
The Peklng Gazette is edited within
the holy of holies in China-in the
forbidden city where the emperor
lives The reports from all parts of
China and its provinces come in daily
to the imperial editorial desk, and
with red pencil his majesty marks
the characters which indicate whether
they are to 90 into the waste basket,
or are TO be pasted on the bill boards
of the palace, from whence the sceibes
take them down for the use Of the
newsrapees The first copies are
written. and these beautifully engroSs-
ed cOumanl, Col. Denby tells me. y
price Of &lo0a wear Private print
ing firms buy these copies and repub-
lish them. They are set up IN Peking
and all over China, and are sold in
many cases almost as cheaply as are
our American newspapers. Some
editions for Soc month, and there
are Chinese clubs who subscribe to-
gether and take their turns at reading
the various issues Of the Gazette.
John Clinaman does not move by
electricity, and the Peking Gazette a
month Old seems to suit him quite as
well as that Of Yesterday
a copy Of this great journal lies be-
fore me 1t is bound in imperial
yellow, bat 1t looks more Ii cheap
patent medicine advertisement in the
shape of long. fiaLbv account book
than greet metropolitan newspaper.
You could ma 500 Peking Gazettes
of one of the Sunday editions Of this
paper 1t is not as large as an official
envelope, though its share is much
the same Three inches wide and six
inches long. it contains about sixteen
pages Of Chinese characters. There
are about seven lines of words on each
page. and these rnn up and duwn the
paper from top TO bottom. Instead Of
from right to left across the page. as
with us. The paper il Of a tinted
white. and between the lines are
stripes Of red The whole is bound
with two paper strings within a paper
cover Of cheap yellow, and the be-
ginning Of lis reading matter is at the
bac Of the boo instead Of at tho
front. 1t contain. no advertisements.
no editorials and NJ social gossip.
Tie latest Msnchu archery match ana
sporting news is not reported in it,
and YOU will not find the prices Of
camei's Of dogs meat nor other mar
e. reports within It's columns II il
not erred upon the streets, and there
are 10 news-boys in Pe ing. What
its circulation is it is impossible to
say, on account # it h'.nJ reprinted
by os many frns II j. well nown,
/ however, tfa; all CHINA reads il, for
courriers carry copies Of it to the
various provinces and il is discussed
and read By the educated people Of
the cities.
| VII LIST some NlDIanln ronerty