The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-11-27
The Newspapers
OF Wicked Paris.
Things About Them That Are Exceedingly
Curious to American Eyes,

| his own affairs; outside matters may
| only be considered at his leisure. The
morning papers, consequently, are al
| ways on sale at the kiosks until the
! evening, and indeed, until the next
! day; and in Paris, probably the only
! large city in the world where such a
! condition exists there are always more
/ morning papers sold in the afternoon
! than in the morning. The morning pa
| per even completes with the evening
| paper in some quarters. But that is
! not especially significant, because the
| evening papers, with one exception,
/ rarely have so much as a single para
! graph that has not been copied out of
| the morning papers-bodily, without
credit, and without the change of
word. If there are any later develop
| ments they may possibly get into the
morning paper of the next day, but
never by any chance into the evening
! paper.
There are seventy-nine daily papers
in Paris, and all of them put together
would hardly make one of the first
class, viewed with American eyes. The
greater number of these are morning
/ papers, and all of them are strongly
| political. In circulation they run from
a few thousands to more than n mill
lion From the French standpoint the
matter of most importance is politics,
| but not q tenth of the whole number
occupy as much space with politics
as is given to the other features which
go to make up the paper.\ These fea-
lures are, in the order of apparent
value, fiction, the drama, literature,
art, sports. music, finance, and last,
rr,r -l1 %
the Figaro which has six pages, the
! papers are all of four pages, usually
printed in very large type, with wretch
ed, smudgy ink, upon inconceivably
,iimsy paper OF those most rromi-
nent. one is sold at four cents. five
are sold at three cents, eight at two
cents and the rest at once cent.
THE EDITORIAL PAGE.
The French paper gives almost in
variably as it's leading flrst-page ar
ticle its one editorial. which is usually
a column and half in length. 1t is
| political, often red hot, sometimes
dreamily poetic. Following this is gem
orally what are called Echoes" which
consist of a column or 50 Of matter,
frequently intended to be humorous,
reprinted from English papers or
Culled from magazines. In this de-
partment the French find their Ameri-
can news, which consists for the most
part Of highly ingenious stories regard
ing the pursuits and personal affairs
of American milliOnaires, or prepOstcr-
Gus yarns showing off the supposed
customs Of the higher circles of society
among which are the 'cOuntrvmen of
Clara Ward as the French now re-
fer to us. This department is always
concluded with CHASTITY joke made
by one of the reporters. After the
Echoes comes a few meagre tele-
grams from half dozen provinces in
France, usually about fires, floods, or
strikes, or the celebration attending
the unVeiling of a statue. The unveil.
ing of statue, parenthetiCally, is the
French reporters strong point; he
never thinks Of writing less than two
columns about it, and, if the matter is
sent by telegraph, it always exceeds
in space all the other telegraphic news
in the paper. Unless the president is
on one of his frequent junkettng tours
through the country these few tele-
grams. amounting in all to an average
of half a column, are all the tele-
graphic news the paper receives, eX-
Cept the foreign kilograms from the
agencies. If, on the contrary, the
president is on his travels, the editor
spares no expense; each Paris news
paper dogs his steps and the reporter
telegraphs hOtly every minute detail
every time the president opens his
mouth, every word that he utters is
telegraphed: his clothes are described
in full every time he changes them;
the Partisan newspaper invariably
,,,,fV, 4. in, h, 1t g,f Co.,
of every meal he sits down to.
MIsINFORMATION
After the telegraphic news the
French paper presents a column en-
titled Information" This is made up
merely Cf the routine reports of the
various government offices, relating
, principally to the changes in clerk
ships. Then come the court news, col
orless, and confined to the smallest
possible space, and the reports of the
proceedings in the senate and cham
ber of deputies also presented as a
matter Of routine. Following these is
{ the local neWs-alWayS concentrated
, under the heading Fats Divers" or
Paris au Jour le Jour" All the news
: of Paris, much Of it exceedingly pic
, turesque, is here boiled down to para
I SldDllS. II IldhtS all american report
er heartsiCk to see the way in which
? beautiful stories" are smothered and
J sent to this mOrgue. After the Fats
. Divers" comes a half column of similar
matter, but relating to the suburbs.
5 Then follows the theatrical news,
which is in two divisions. The first
) is the criticism of new plays written
| by the critic, who is a very great man
: on French papers; the second another
| criticism, but done by the regular the
Z ! atrical man, and minor notes of the
D theatres The literary and the art
criticism are not a regular feature,
e and appear periodically after the dra-
e | matte article. Then Games a column
{ or so devoted to the Bourse, in which
/, financial matters, for some reason not
+ discernible to an Anglo-S are
/, | treated with a certain degree of face
g | tiousness. The lower third of this page
= is devoted to stock and bond quota
e tions, which are very complete be-
= cause nearly all French people, no mat
0 | ter what their station, are investors.
4 | Last, but by no means least, come