The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-12-05
NEWSPAPERS IN EUROPE
THOSE INTENDED FOR AMERICAN
READERS UTssATIsFACTORY.
Lack of News from Home Lessons the
Pleasure of Travel Abroad-Paris
HeraId's Foreign StaR.
New york Commercial Advertiser.

The American traveller who visits Europe
in these days, when pretty nearly every
American at some time or other does visit
Europe, cannot in general complain that
his tastes both national and local. are
neglected by the natives among whom he
travels. On the contrary, he finds very
large section of the population making it
their chief end in life to anticipate and
crafty his best-known wants. Thus to-day
he has succeeded in imposing Pullman cars
upon the foreign railways; he has forced
even the conservative Briton to check his
luggage for him, and it has begun to be
possible for him to enjoy ride an ele
waited railroad three thousand miles from
home. The American young women, both
in England and on the continent, can
gale herself with ice-cream soda and con-
fectionery made in the States. Her father
can quench his thirst with his native bev-
erages distinguishing themselves under the
names of 'sheri-gobl - and Cocktails
There are even said to be obscure resorts
in Paris and in London where peanuts are
obtainable and also buckwheat cakes.
When so much is done and when there
exists so genuine a willingness to do much
more, it is rather surprising that one very
real desire of the nominal American citizen
abroad remains still practically unattended
to. This is the desire for a newspaper in
the English language that shall give him
every day some satisfactory information
as to what is going at home.
There is needed only this to make his stay
in Europe a period of perfect happiness,
and in return for this pretty nearly every
healthy American would gladly give the
Pullman cars and the luggage checks and
the cocktails and in a burst of altruiSm
AftennS WARDS
his daughters ice-cream soda.
IGNORE AMERICA.
AS it is, the German, the French and the
Italian newspapers of course, give practi-
cally nothing of American news, and the
English journals are but little better. They
will, to be sure, devote few lines now and
then to the mention of strike in Pennsyl-
vania, or the lynching of a horse thief in
Oklahoma or a murder in Montana, or
railway accident in Tennessee, for this is
in accordance with time-honored British
tradition which seeks to represent American
\ life as being one general carnival of strikes
and lynchings and murders and fatal acct
dents. But of the news for which an Amer
lean really cares they take no heed. The
London Times alone maintains an efficient
and well-informed American correspondent
in G.. w. Smalley, and it gives ample space,
but this fact is less important than 1T APP
pears because when Mr.. Smalley accepted
his present office he stipulated that he was
to have a long vacation every summer, so
that precisely at the time when the major
ity of Americans are in Europe Mr.. Smalley
is in Europe, too.
the New York Herald, published daily, and
circulated all over the continent with
praiseWorthy enterprise. NO sooner el,, does a
port than neat little packages of this jour
nal for the six preceding days are brought
aboard for sale. The eagerness with which
every male American throws himself upon
them has something of the pathetic in 1t,
and affords the strongest possible proof OF
appreciated. But the Herald is not quite
the thing. 1t has some excellent and per-
manent features that were probably sug-
gested by Mr.. Bennett when the paper was
established. 1t gives a list of prospective
sailings from European ports. 1t tells when
the American mails will be received in
Paris. 1t registers the American arrivals
in the principal hotels. But as to news
there is a column devoted to a pigeon
match at Spa and another to horse race
at Dieppe, and there is a letter from a lady
in Marienbad, to tell just what the Prince
of Wales is doing to reduce his flesh. Sew
eral London balls are noted, with the list OF
guests. The state of the thermometer in
the principal cities OF Europe Is recordea-
The recent promotions and transfers of Of
fcers in her Majestys navy are summar-
lied, and a few lines are devoted to the
movements of American ships All this is
practically foreign news. and can be had in
some form or other in the foreign journals.
IN BENEFITS PAPER.
But how about the news from the United
States for which every American not yet
denationalized is eager? 1t generally occu-
pies about two columns. OF these, three
quarters of a column will be given to quo
tations of American stocks, and three-quar-
tiers of a column to a polo game at New
port. And then the most interesting polit-
ical, artistic, literary and really national
occurrences will be crowded into the half
column that remains. There is weird and
wonderful lack of proportion in selecting
even these. Last summer, for example, 1t
was thought for a time that Japan was
meditating a coup in Hawaii, and rumor
connected this with some kind of an under
standing between Japan and Spain. 1t was
a subject of great interest and every in
telligent American was intensely concerned
to know how true the rumor was. But just
at the time when the excitement was at
it's height the Paris Herald crowded the
whole subject completely out in order TO
give a column and a half to the arrival
somewhere and from somewhere OF Mr.. Eu-
gene Higgins's steam yacht, with a picture
of the yacht and a full description OF it.
But it is treating Mr.. Higgins with no dis
respect to say that not one American IN
coo had ever heard of him before, ana
that not one in 50,000 cared for his yacht
or whether it had arrived or not. The whole
thing was exaSperating, and it is cited here
because it was so very typical of the way
in which the Paris Herald is conducted
For, while it is conducted with intelligence
it is not conducted with the right kind of
intelligence. It's staff is understood to be
composed of Englishmen, and how can Eng
lishmen quite know just what it is that an
American abroad desires to read about his
home affairs? And in the editorial columns
there is the same inaptitude; for the lead
ing articles simply repeat. in slightly diff
ferent language and without a single bit of
stimulating or intelligent comment, the
meager facts that are set forth in the de-
partment of news.
There is, of course, old "Galignani," now
the Daily Messenger, and, a matter of
fact the hodge-podge which it publishes
does really give more actual American news
than can be gathered from close perusal
of the Herald. But it is badly printed on
the cheapest kind of paper, with battered
old type and wretched ink and so the Eng
lish chiefly buy it and the Americans leave
it carefully alone.
There are some indications that the
Herald is taking thought to mend It's ways
1t printed last summer several letters Of
criticism from correspondents, who made
some of the points that have just been
given; and it is possible that ultimately it
will be what such a journal ought to be
one that will know and set forth with lib
crafty and fullness all those matters of
really national Importance in which every
American feels vivid interest. And on
these tOpicS IT will have some Well-Written