The age-herald., 1897-11-14


 per. Of those most prominent. one Is sold at cents, five are sold at 3 cents, eight at 2 cents and the rest at 1 cent.
 The French admit that they don't read papers so much for instruction as for amusement, and the sheets which treat matters with any degree of seriousness are nob much sought after. When a, French editor is really of the serious habit his attitude is something awful to contemplate-witnss the Temps and the Journal des Debats-he is almost as gruesome as his prototype of the Lon don Times. The readers of these two papers are confined almost wholly to sleepy gentlemen of the old school, who nod over their polemics in cafes of hon. orable renown in the side streets off the boulevards. Of another type-the frothy, smart superficial, and fiippant-are the Figaro, the Echo de Paris, the Gil Bias, and host of ifnitators. These are the journals of the boulevards-what the Parlsians delight to call Gay Paris" Then, in quite a distinct class, agariane the papers which serve merely as the mouthpieees of the many demagogues beloved of the French. Such are Henri Rocheforts Intransigeant, Paul de Cas- sagnac's Autorite, and George Clemen- csau's Justice. Last come the respecta- bly, dull papers of the bourgeoisie, the Petit PaTisien, the Matdn, the Eclair, the Soliel, the Jour, and the France, and the pet organs of the small shop keepers and domestics, the Petit Journal, the Patrie, the -Rappel, the Lanterne, and the Presse. From first to last these papers are built on the same plan, with notifications. They contain a great deal Of twaddle and very little news. With the exception of the Matin, which says of itself that 1t is modelled after American newspapers, they do not pre- tend to give any; the publication of news would probably hurt their repu- tafions.
 The French paper gives almost inva- riably as it's leading first page article its one editorial, which is usually a column and a half in length. It ds po- litical, often red hot, sometimes dreami- ly poetc Following this is generally what are called "Echoes," which consist of column or so of matter, frequently intended to be humorous, reprinted from English papers or culled from maga- zines. In this department the French find their American news, which con- sists for the most part of highly in- genious stories regarding the pursuits and personal affairs of American mil lionaires or prepoSterous yarns showing off the supposed customs of the higher circles Of society among which are the ''countrymen of Clara Ward, as the French now refer to us. This depart ment is always concluded with a ghastly joke, made by one of the reporters. Ar ter the "Echoes" come a few meagre
 
 in France, usually about fires, floods, or strikes or the celebration attending the unyeilng of statue. The unveii1ng of a statue. parenthetically, is the French reporters strong point; he never thinks of writing Hess than two columns about it, and, if the matter is sent by telegraph, it always exceeds in space all the other telegraphio news in the paper. Unless the president dS on one of his frequent Junketing tours through the country these few telegrams. amounting in all to an average of half a column, are all the telegraphic news the paper receives, except the foreign telegrams from the agencies. If, on the contrary, the president is on his travels, the editor spares no expense; each Paris newspaper dogs his steps, and the re porter 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 Parisian newspaper invariably prints In leaded type the bill-of-fare or every meal he sits down to.
 f After the telegraphic news the F'rench paper presents a column entitled 'InIor- nation" This is made up merely or the routine reports of the various govern ment offices relating principally to the changes in clerkships. Then come the court news, colorless, and confined to the smallest possible space, and the reports of the proceedings in the senate anu chamber of deputies, also presented as a matter of routine. Following these IS the local news-always concentrated un- der the heading "Faits Divers" or "Paris au Jour le Jour-" All the news of Paris, much of 1t exceedingly DIG turesaue, is here boiled down to para graphs. It makes an American reporter heartsick to see the way an wnlca "beautiful stories" are smothered ana sent to this morgue. After the "Falts Divers comes half column Of sim- lar matter but relating to the supurpS. Then follows the theatrical news Wnioh is in two divisions. The first is the cr1u- csm of new plays written Dy Lne Ii i..e' .~a who is very great man on Frencn pa ners: the second another criticism, put done by the regular theatrical man, anu minor notes of the theaterS. Ine hter- ary and the art criticism are not regu- lar feature, and appear perlodlcaliy al fer the dramatic article. Hhen comes D column or so devoted to the Bourse, in which financial matetrs, TOT some req son not discernible to an Anglo-Sax- on. are treated with certain oegres of facetiousness. The lower thlrd or thds page is devoted to stock and pono ouotations, which are very compiete because nearly all French people, no matter what their station, are investors. Last. but by no means least, come TWO columns or so devoted to sports. TITS means. principally, horseracing ana pl- cycling, The latter is craze, 1ncreas- ing rather than diminishing, and the former has developed within five or SIX wears to be a very serious buSlness There is florseracing dn the ne1ghpor, hood of Paris throughout the year who aho there are probably more punters Wnu VIII, make a. sim living at it than in any other country. ,,1
 There are several features of French naners common to all First is the run ming of continued stories. Each paper has at least two of these in progress all the time and some have four; gener- ally speaking, these stories form the ground floor of three of the four Is pages. ths and so occupy about one-fourth or the antire space. Another pecuharity is that each paper prints a second ediaon' in which 1t reprints all the news mat ter in the first edition of the others which dt did not have itself. In conse- quence the second edition of a a,a Paras nirs pa The third~;peculiarly is that nearly all the important political news concern. ing France itself. is received by the 1oNer from itc cOrfeSDOnQent Tn