The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1904-08-10
Nj PRESS IN JAPAN.
So. Newspaper of Any Note
c..rted by an Englishman'
.nops FORMERLY SENT TO JAIL

$3.50. IN Go 10 Prison When the
'eD stepped In-Japanese Papers
.,v Printed In Two Languages
Pa Methods Utilized In Conn
posing Rooms
os certain Mr.. Black, an En-
~, y resident in Yokohama, VINO IN the
r. sixties published the Nissnin snin-
'e tha first newspaper issued In
Fsna' tbot was at all worthy of the
ap'D II was a modest sheet, con-
a 4'no leading article and a number
! nrisp paragraphs commenting In
~. a,r way on the neYs of the day.
~. there is regular issue OF over
| Soo dailies, weeklies and monthly
Wv onoztnes, about thirty dailies being
%TshAd in Tokyo alone,
lDl.S Mr.. Blacks time, writes
~asnondent of the London Globe
~ sheets had been issued from time
l4 tmo as the occasion arose. Mr..
s,,s venture having met with fair
s VS. no was soon followed by an
Eternrising Japanese, Mr.. KIDD, VINO
"rtad the Shimbun Zasshi, or News
~anot In Tokyo, an enterprise in
E~sb no was financially assisted by
T. omnress Other and smaller papers
~ after made their appearance. But
/. vpors Japanese journalism was
IT, risky business and one full OF
NGssitudes.
Erbo ranks of the press writer's were
sostlv filed from the families OF the
pcipnt feudal NOTES.-The samural
Eass-and these carried the holiness
4 a dash that had characterized their
sPtions in the days when, armed with
70 hinge swords, they staggered
hont among the people, into their new
ropr The time was not yet ripe for
Apir audacious Outspokenness, and the
ssnIt was that more than 30 per cent
4 the journalists were constantly Ian
rDjshng in Jail But the Journalists
u.s. TO the occasion, and rather than
shondon their criticism Of the govern
neDt the newspaper men included on
Mir STATS persons who became known
nrison editors. These became the
seanegoats for all transgresSiOns OF the
strlngeDt press laws, and for a con-
liberation they would readily serve
her time in Jail, thus giving the &C
La writer's a free field to indulge IN
lheir attacks on the authorities. Now
Sdays all this is changed, and the
japanese press at present enjoys a con-
Aderable freedom, much more so, In
iced than is the case in certain Euro
aean countries.
10 the western mind a Japanese
baper, both in style and preparation,
must appear a veritable curiosity Of
Itenture. To begin with, what would
Be the last page in an English journal
d the first in a japanese one, and the
headlnes and titles of articles, instead
q appearing at the top Of a column,
ne run alongside of it. Now let us
Aake a glance at the composing room
q a Japanese newspaper. An English
nj American typesetter should thank
Ak stars that his lines have fallen in
ReaSant places, for see what his
AfOthers in craft in the Land of the
Using Sun have to put up with.
ghe Japanese, like the Chinese, EN-.
~ a written language, kind Of lit
sRry dialect, that is considerably re-
npyed from the colloquial. They do
Apt as we do, write as they speak.
4nS necessitates the papers being
NAnted to an extent in two languages,
yae Kama" and the square characters,
SAe acting as a key to the other. The
H9uare characters are modelled on the
tplneSe ideographs, a terrible tumble
~ geometrical figures, crosses and zig
IS the whole effect presenting the
appearance Of the trail of innumerable
IN footprints of drunken flies. OF
s'fSe ldeographs at least 1000 to 5000
~ IN everyday use, so that the com.
#Rllor must needs be a scholarly man
~ recognize these characters at sight,
III strain on the eyes being terrible.
M order to facilitate the typesetter's
~ as much as possible the composing
|syn IS arranged in the following man.
II Inc compOsitOr is seated at little
ne on which is spread forty-seven
ana characters. On receiving his
~ he cuts it into small strips and
uuS each strip to boy. The latter
IcneS along the room with this strip
~ nhally he has been able to collect
~ number of cases the different
Ographs. Half a dozen boys are
n running hither and thither search.
'or ldeographs, all the time keeping
dlrgelike chant, in which they
e 'ne name Of the characters they
H. as in order to recognize it he mas
near It's sound first. no Japanese Of