The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-07-29


his duties than have most French journalists.
II we may Judge from the way In which they
present news:
He had the honesty OF his trade because he had
passion for It. The feeling for in his very
nbre He took on himself of his own accord, the
labor OF following up "a mysterious affair of
building conJectures as to the motives and the
circumstances of some obscure murder. Others
content themselves with what the police say and
with the Information obtained from the dete tive
bureau. He went on the ground himself to make
his Investigations At any hour or the night or day
he would 20 to the spot look at the body question
the porter. obtain the favor from policeman Of
casting glance on the "sceno of the crime" and OF
making sketch Of H. On these positive facts he
set his imagination to work and IL was with story
In his head that ne came into the office.
To exc out his income this reporter wrote
besides. romances OF crime for the ieuiletons
OF other newspapers. an occupation OF which
he was ashamed Otherwise there was nothing
against him. Yet, because he did not show
much feeling at executions NJ Conte holds
him up to scorn and with him his methods of
reporting. He is still more savage against the
manager OF news agency. because no has
mcthodlcal system OF arranging cuttings about
persons and things OF importance. SO as to DO
able to obtain information about them at a
moments notice. Have the patience to cut
out. paste. collect. arrange. without missing
day. the decisive articles on this subject. then
on that: at the end OF fifteen years Of this
archive work there Ia no longer any need of
wearing out your brain. If well-known
writer dies. you take down from pigoonhole
whatever Of importance has been written
about him In periodicals. and your article Ia
all ready He finds no harsher terms for
more reprehensible practices This is his
political reporter:
double faced man. outside anxious to know
what is going and to inform the public of it.
Within a cOntriver OF Jobs. Demands for cOnces.
siohs and monopolics made the State the city,
plans for tho underground road. schoolbooks they
wish to have adopted in the schools claims of CON
tractors complaints AGAINST the work OF these same
contractors, the good or bad quality OF the goods
rendered bargains and their Seamy side. suits before
the Council of Stae-al these are tho muddy waters
In which he fishes. Sometimes he sells publicity.
sometimes silence.
The art critic is cad in frock coat" who
looks like n schoolteacher:
He Is venal. He lends himself to the swindles Of
the picture dealers who tho greatest rictstcrs in
Paris and work together like gang Of thieves.
The dramatic critic hates all authors who
have become successful and therefore protects
the young mem:
As he must have authors to protect II only for the
sake OF DtlnE tlONSht tle neau OF gchOOl IN the
country districts. he has decided that henceforth
only foreign dram attic authors shall have talent and
among foreigners only those from the north. Nor
wegians. Swedes. Danes. Dutchmen. Lapps. EsIui-
mauX Grecnlanders and other natives OF the Arctic
regions. He patronzes an irregular theatre where
| these snowy products are performed from time to
time. He goes there in a religious frame OF mind.
"That is art" he says. " the real the sublime. Let
worship" And he worshps In Paris there is such
| mob of numbskul| that some are always to be
found who are taken IN by joke that ia perpetrated
Gravely You need only. In short to have assurance
From the newspaper people VI. Conte extends
| his contempt TO the Persons who allow them
| selves to be interviewed and who are all vain.
| He uses that pIeasantneoogsm. 10y the way,
| to excess. in every possible form interview
| Intervene. interviewer. He pours his scorn
| on the public whose demands make such
| newspapers rs he describes possible and on
| the individuals who make use Of them for their
| private cnds-capitalists. politicians. literary
| mon. actresses aud SO forth. Here he seems
| to come down. in spite oi the disclaimer in his
preface. to mere scandal and title tattle.
| Under transparent pseudonyms. or slightly
| trans posed names. he makes lbelous allega-
| tions against number of well-known persons
| in Paris. Those attacked are Republicans or
| Socialists. so far as politics are concerned
never anti-Scmites or Nationalists. 80 that we
gain distinct impression that the author sees
| things from the Drumont and DGroulGde
| standpoint The impression grows also that
| after all. despite his preface and his use OF the
| first person. NJ Conte is not writing from his
| own experience. but from newspaper accounts
| of discreditable affairs that have come before
| the courts within few years. such as the Le-
| baudy blackmail cases. and the collapse OF La
| France. which no calls La Gaule The book is
| dull and often even stupid, but NJ. Conte de-
serves credit for writing much better French
| than is employed nowadays by young writer's.
| There are n few odd constructions and in-
versions here and there. and occasionally a
| coarse or obscene word or allusion that jars as
| it might II used in a sermon. for VI. Conte is
| wrathfu but not at all unclean, but there are
few sins against the language. He has a queer
way OF clinchng an argument triumphantly
with some dirty little phrase. such as small
boys are spanked for using. that makes one
think that he must be very young. NJ Conte
| has certainly succeeded in drawing a success
| full picture OF youth who feels superior to the
work put before him. and has strong but in
definite aspirations for anything different and
therefore higher. Save for this we rca-
son in his book for the fear he processes to fee
that he may no longer obtain employment in
Paris journals. such as he describes.
1t is with disappointment. though. we con.
down, after reading It. Waiting for the Sig
nal" novel by Mr.. Henry o. Morris tTht
Schultz Publishing Company. The red cover
is adorned with mysterious and fascinating
cryptogram made up of letters and figures
whose meaning we had hoped to have unrav
cllcl in the text. The reason for furthe
secrecy given by tho author in the preface vii
Of course appease most sensible people. The
revolution he prophesied for last May did no
come of, and the cryptogram may be needed
for future use. Still. it is unsatisfactory not t
know exactly what it means. Just a. the 1914
Is puzzle was maddeninG until worked out
A drunken Old woman OF Park row solved |
after fashion. but not in away to set tho minC
at rest.
1t was considered very improbable that airy per
son outside the revolutionary order could translat
the sign and far literal ira nslatIon went thei
judgment correct. But miugiing with thi
heterogeneous mob OF wildly excited people wa
one who. by chance bcGotten of inspiration solve
it.. True only portion Of 1t. but that portion cor