Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1910-11-15
THEFRUCAL DUTCH
Economical In Their Use of the
Daily Papers.
ONE JOURNAL READ BY MANY
A Number of Families Will Subscribe
For Single Paper, Which Goes the
Rounds-Some Thrifty Souls Will
Only Rent Their Newspapers.


Only Rent Their Newspapers.
One thing visitor, to Holland notice
and that is that no one Oh the streets
or in the ears is seen reading news
paper Papers are not sold or haWked
as they are in England and America
1t is only when extremely important
events take place and the papers print
special "bullctins" that these are some
times bought in the street. Usually
the people content themselves by read.
! ing these same bulletins when they are
displayed in the windows Of cigar
! shops, booksellers shops or at the Of
fees Of the newspapers, for the Dutch
people economze in their reading mat
ter Many curious ways have been
devised to reconcile economy with a
plentiful supply Of news and informa'
/ ton.
Two. three or more families will COM
! bine to subscribe for one paper, which
| is then read by each in turn. The
! one who gets it first pays little more
than the later readers. and each may
keep it for stipulated time-an hour
or perhaps two or three hours or half
day. In this way it is generally only
the head Of the house" who gathers
in any information. He monopolizes the
paper as soon as it comes and keeps
it us long as he can. The other mem
bers Of the family then go without
news or are only enriched by the
crumbs Of knowledge that now and
then drop from the lips of paterfamil'
las.
Most Of the daily papers in Holland
are issued in the evening, but some
Of the more important ones publish
morning editions as we'll. To subscribe
for more than one paper is considered
terrible extravaganza, and even
whole" subscription for one family
alone is looked upon as luxury. At
the clubs and the coffee houses" the
Dutch equivalent OF the American sa.
loon. there are always newspapers in
profuSion. and very many men do all
their reading there and so save the
subsrriptiQn fees, for they don't count
the cost of what they imbibe.
Many cigar shops and sometimes
other stores have what they call de
pots Of newspapers, and there you
can also rent Il paper and take 1t
home with you for Il certain length Of
time for very little money indeed.
But the longing for information OF
the average Dutchnlan Of the middle
classes extends far beyond the daily
papers lie wishes to know all about
hi, nciyhbors far and near and at the
same time he wants to keep up his
school For these purposes reading
societies are formed either among
friends CT people living in the same
nryhborhood. or perhaps all the Off.
GERS of Il certain regiment will com.
hinr: then committee will be select
Cd from among the members on which
y iii urvolve the task Of selecting suit
able weekly papers or monthly maya
zines in English. French, German and
Dutch and to circulate these among
the members Of the society. These
books and papers are sent round in
large portfolios either once or twice a
week. as may have been agreed upon.
So those joining such Il society can
read all the best English. American.
German and Dutch periodicals. at a
slight cost.
OF course YOU don't always get the !;
ma gaines as soon as they come out. |
This is carefully regulated according !
to the size of y"llr contribution. and |
many people read their Christmas Stn-
rirs in June. Still, it keeps up an in
tcrest in the world ut larg" and helps |
to keep fresh in the mind all that has ,
been learned in youth.
II the head Of the house gets most |
of the daily papers it is with the Pc
riodicalS that the other members of
the household have their innings. They |
can read them while father is at his !
bureau or mt his office. Sometimes an |
cnterprisiny bookseller starts one or !
more circulating portfolios in his
and this is managed ON |
the same lines as the private reading /
soci ties
At the end Of the year the old peri
oli;';llS and books that have been the |
round of all the subscribers are sold |
by auction among the members of the !
association.
People visiting Holland are often |
surprised to find how we'll nearly ev- j!
cry one in the country speaks foreign
languages and bow much he knows |
of the literature of other lands. II
we take the above facts into consider. |
alton it will no longer seem so aston
ishing.-W J. l. Kiehl in Chicago |
News.