Worcester morning daily spy., 1898-02-27
FOR CLUB WOMEN,
A Peep at a French Newspaper
Office.
Women, But Not New Women"-All the
Way From North Yakima, Washington
Fitchburg Women Study Electricity.

One of the topics of which Paris talks
at present is the appearance of the new
daily journal La Fronde, which, as it's
imprimatur says is a daily political
and literary journal, directed edited
and written by women" La Fronde,
however, does not claim to be journal
Of the new woman" though it is a
womans journal. According to the de-
claration of it's editors, it claims for
women the right to be directors, editors
and writers for the press. That is its
only demand. 1t has apparently been re-
| ceiVed with much more cordiality than
would have been the case had it been a
/ journal Of the new woman" A
''womans journal" is certain to be much
better received in France than new
Woman's' journal. Frenchmen are very
| conservative, and they do not admire or
sympathize with the movement which
has gained some headway in England
and America under the banner of the
new woman"
/ Therefore, the editors of La Fronde
have undertaken to interest not only
women but men as we'll They do not
offer to their readers essays on womans
rights and woman's wrongs but rather
feminine judgments upon politics, so
eiety, literature and local items, or what
the French call "faits-divers.
La F'ronde made it's appearance over
a month ago 1t has, as l write, arrived
at its thirty-seventh number without
having yet sprung a sensation ON the
public. This may be wise or unwise, for
the press of Paris is now very much in
clined to sensationalism. But. Nine.
Marguerite Durand, the director of La
Fronde, believes in a dignified course,
and carefully eschews sensationalism.
The offices of La Fronde are in the
Rue st. George, and they are fitted up
in the severe style common to English
newspaper offices. In the waiting-room
are two female pages, if l may use the
term, or what the French call demoi-
selles de bureau, They differ from the
ordinary demoiselle de bureau only by
reason of the fact that they wear plain
and simple uniform covered with an
sefflorescence of metal, like those erup-
tions Of buttons into which pages and
r lift boys break out in European hotels
The office of the director Nine. Mar
, guerte Durand, is severely furnished.
; Mime. Durand is a blonde and hand
! some Woman-for women do not yet de-
mur to having their personal appear
ance discussed, even when they enter
into business 1t is rather absurd, but
none the less woman expects 1t, and so do
for example were the male editors of a
: | new journal to have their appearance
Z | carefully described-the color of their
eyes and hair how they wore their
boards, and whether they waXed their
mustaches or not? Nevertheless, the
fact that Nine. Durand is blonde and
handsome, has not failed to appear in
all the papers of Paris. This is not Nine.
: Durand's first appearance in journal
8 ism. She is not exactly debutante.
: She was an actress before she was a
journalist She has for some years been
the editor of the literary supplement of
, the Figaro. She has devoted much at
: tentiop to assembling a competent staff
around her, and it is the opinion of
: many that she has succeeded. She is
l an indefatigable worker, and arrives at
l her office at o'clock in the afternoon,
and does not leave 1t until o'clock in
the morning.
/ On the second floor is the Office of
Nine. Fournier, secretaire de la redac-
tion, as the French newspaper title is.
Her duties are to divide up work
among the reporters or give them de-
tails as American newspaper slang
/ goes, to receive and read reporters
copy, to superintend the making-up Of
the paper in pages and TO read the
J proofs. Nine. Fournier has had no ap-
premiership, like Nine. Durand. This
|
In another room is the desk of Nine
E Serverine, who writes department
entitled "Notes of a Frondeuse." Mime.
Severine is well known as an expert
enced newspaper writer, and her de-
partment is looked for with interest
each day. Next to her is the office of
! Nine Mendes, who is the courrieriste
theatrale Of the journal. Next to the
office Of Nine. Mendes is the sale COM
mune de reduction, or what would be
J called in America, the local room"
Here the coquettish reporters who do
4 up the courts, the legislative chamber,
the local news, ''le home" the fashions,
etc, are to be found. I say "coquet-
tish" reporters, because these young wo-
men have elaborate toilet rooms at their
disposition, and spend no small amount
of their time in primping.
Many journals issued by men employ
women type-setters La Fronde might
have, in revenge, employed men. 1t is
not so. All of the type-setters are wom-
en- and the profreader, also, is of the
weaker sex.
There are a number of well-known
writer's on the staff in addition to those
already mentioned Among them are
Mile Jeanne Chauvin and Nine Marni,
I the writer whose witty and somewhat
highspiced dialogue sketches are so
avidly read in the Vie Parisienne. To
l this lady is confidsd the dramatic criti-
cism. Nine. Paul Vigneron is the art
critic of the paper, and seven distinct
4 ladies divide up the premier Paris" Of
4 the week, among them Mile. Marie Anne
de BoVet, Nine. Daniel Lesuer and Nine
de Kergomard VINO is the single repre-
| sentative on the staff of the Legion of
Honor, of which she is chevaliere.
In spite of the storm without, Wallace
Hall proved very attractive place on
Monday afternoon, when tlle officers of
the Fitchburg Woman's Club gave their
j annual reception to the members. The
hall had been very simply, yet hand
1 somely, decorated, and all the officers,
/ from Mrs. Hartwell, the president, down,
i were present to receive the 200 or more
! guests.
! No entertainment program had been
! prepared, but Mrs. c. S. Marcy presided
!! at the piano during the afternoon, and
her fine selections, which did not require
a cessation of the interchange of greet
j ings, but rather furnished a cover for
the quiet conversations, were much en-
| joyed by all.
The entertainment committee includ-.
| ed DR.. Cook, Mrs. Sarah Cross, Mrs.
! Ellen Dwinnell, Mrs. Mary, Edgerly.
! Mrs. Charlotte Raymond, Mrs Lucy
Cushman, Miss Mary F. Haywood and
Miss Martha ingalls,.
On Tuesday afternoon the members of
! the science section made a preli-
| minary study of electricity when,
i through the courtesy of Mr. H. F.
Coggshall, they were conveyed in barges
to the electric light station and given an
opportunity to inspect the workings of
the machinery.
] When the party had been returned IN