New-York tribune., 1900-07-29
NO CHINESE PAPER HERE.
WHAT RESIDENTS OF CHINATOWN De
PEND UPON FOR INFORMATION-A
SAN FRANCISCO DAILY

The Chinese Of this city have only begun %
realize the disadvantage Of not having news
paper of their own since the uprising a Boz
ers in their fatherIand has made the news of
the world interesting to them AS they have no
Chinese newspapers they have to depend on
their cOuntrymen who can read the American
papers but there are few Of these. Besides thu
Chinese do not put much faith news which
does not come in Chinese characters. and many
Of them prefer to wait until the Canton and
Shanghai papers arrive. few Of the big
stores have subscribed for a new Chinese daily
which is published in San Francisco. The news
which reaches them in this way is five days Old
and such a service is unsatisfactory, even 70
the slow going Chinese.
The offices and stores Of the few Americans
doing business in Chinatown have been made
clearing houses for important war news since
the trouble began. The Chinese buy copies OK
extras and go to their American friends to have
the dispatches explained TO them When there
is especially important news, such as the re-
ported massacre Of the foreign diplomats at
Peking bulletin written in Chinese characters
is posted the big board at the corner OF Peu
and DOyers SITS. These reports remain through
out the week. and Chinese laundrymen and
servants from all parts Of the city flock TO the
quarter on Sunday for the purpose Of reading
them
CHINESE JOURNAL THAT FAILED.
About four years ago Chinatown had news
paper. 1t was weekly, published in the base
ment Of No. 16 Peu-st The Chinese say che
editor was very energetic man. but he could
not have made much of an impression upon
them, for no one seems TO have remembered
his name. For the first few issues the paper
had an enormous circulation. \ few OF the
big stores inserted advertising matter. Interest
fell off, however. as the novelty wore away.
The Chinese went back TO their old practice OF
passing gossip from mouth TO mouth There was
no exciting trouble in the fatherIand at that
time to fill the paper with interesting news Il
died and buried without ceremony Some
Of the Chinese still hold bills against the CON-
pany.
San Francisco, with a Chinese population mum
bering nearly GOOOO, is now the Chinese news
centre of the country. 1t supports the only Chi
nese daily published outside Of the empire Is
we'll as several prosperous weekIies. The daily
is called Chung Sal Vat Po," which means
Middle and West Daily News" The Chinese
Of this city who receive the paper take pride
in showing il 10 white visitors to Chinatown as
an example of Mongolian enterprise. The paper
is edited by Ng Poon Chew. Presbyterian
minister who came from China when fourteen
years Of age 1t is owned by company Of rich
Chinese merchants, and claims a circulation OF
$500 at an annua! subscription price OF So Il
is half hHed with advertising matter for which
high rates are charged.
{ The Chinese typesetter has to be a strong man
and something of athlete to be OF any ser
vice, according TO a missionary Of this city who
knows how the work is done Instead Of sitting
down before a case which contains twenty-sIx
letters. as the English typesetter does the Chi
nese has to find his way through half mile
OF cases containing nearly 1000 different Chi
nese characters. 1t would be almost impossible
for the human mind TO remember the exact
cases in which these characters are to be found
The work OF memory is Iessened by placing
them in pa groups. For instance all flowers
are to be found in one place. all diseases IN
another. The most used characters are placed
in the outside cases. In spite Of this system.
however the Chinese typesetter Will have 10
walk several miles 10 set up single article.
Only the most active workers can set Up one
thousand words in three hours. The Chinese
typesetter does not have 10 bother with pune
tuation, for sentence eniings and rhetorical
pauses indicated by the position Of The
words.
THE CHUNG SAL VAT PO.'
The copies of Chung Sal Yat Po'' which have
/ reached this city have never contained more
than six pages The first page which is the
last page according to our way of thinking. IS
given over TO Chinese news. boiled down to suit
Chinese readers. from the San Francisco morn
ing papers Every page except the last is half
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