Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1899-07-29
SOCIETY NEWS IN LONDON.

All the personal paragraphs and society
news that appears in the London papers
are paid for except that which relates to
the royal family, the nobility and the dip
lomatic corps. If an ordinary citizen
gives ball or marries off his daughter,
or entertains the Prince of Wales at din
ner he is compelled to pay for his glory.
Mrs. John w. Mackay, Mr.. William Wal
dorf Astor and other persons, native or
foreign, in London society, pay for every
notice they receive in the newspapers.
Sometimes the report of ball or we'd
ding costs $500 or S40O for every newspa-
per it appears in. The following standing
announcement concerning what is known
as the "agency column" will be found in
the London papers: "All society, person
al and fashionable paragraphs, except
those relating to royalty and official Incl
dents, will be charged for at minimum
rate of one guinea for two lines, each sue
ceeding line ten shillings and sixpence
additional" Therefore, when any Of
your friends in London send you copy
of an English newspaper containing
personal notice you may understand II
has been paid for.-Philadelphia Press.
Although many people in this Sec
tion will be shocked at this information,
it is strictly true. The English news
paper publishers, along with most
northern publishers, recognize that
matter of the kind referred to is of
more value to the people concerned
than it is to any one else, and it is for
that reason that they require pay.
People who desire prominence recog-
nize the same thing, and where they
are able, they are willing to pay such
prices as they think will be required
to give them prominence.
Such conditions cannot well exist in
this country. 1t is to be hoped that
they never will exist. For instance,
it is noted that royalty and recognized
big bugs are doomed free. That is be-
cause these people do not require any
booming, and those that are not so
important desire to get all possible in
creased importance through the papers.
Of course, in England, as here, there
are people who profess not to care to
have their names in the papers. A
small per cent. of these are really sim
cere in their professions. There are
some also who, because of Indifferent
odors they have acquired, prefer
not to be talked about too much. But
the individual who objects to having
his name published in connection with
really meritorious action or achieve
ments, is necessarily rare. He is
curious bird indeed-one of those peo-
pie who cares nothing for the approval
of his fellows. Such people, of course,
do not amount to much.
But the paragraph from The Press
does illustrate one point very clearly,
and that is the fact that the English
people and the Americans IN England
appreciate what other people think of
them, and that they are interested in
having other people know that they
are living. A country paper in this
country could not think of publishing
such matter as this as paid advertis-
ing. 1t would be unable to preserve
its own respect, much less the respect
of the public; but at the same time
such papers do put themselves to a
great deal of trouble to publish much
of this kind of matter without getting
paid for it, and in view of the facts
here brought out, it seems that these
papers ought to receive at least as
much commendation for what they do
print as they do censure for what they
leave out.