Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-10-29


This new conception Of war has pro-
foundly reacted on the manner in which
reporters have under
A Change Of stood their business.
The fine dramatic ac-
oVAuItlon' count has disappeared
from the columns of the journal and
is replaced by the bare comment of the
last "communique." Disappeared also
the heroic anecdote, not that the acts
of courage may be more. rare than
formerly: on the contrary. But If we
desire to learn Of these exploits We may
find that to the sober official text is
subjoined those who have merited men
ton in general orders.
Briefly, in this war the sources OF in
formation are few; the journalist has
only at his disposal besides the com
munfque" some story of wounded SOL
dier INTERCEPTED by chance or a letter
Finally, when notes are given him at a
fixed hour and without comment he
sees only that which the military au-
thority wills. The military war corre-
spondent. for a fact, is an undesirable.
and his past occupation a souvenir.
Notwithstanding these difficulties the
reporter correspondent of the foreign
press must fill daily the columns of his
journal Due to the active imagination
Of the reporter, Spain is made to ap-
pear quite near to the war zone, de-
spite the 400 leagues that separate her.
The journal is supposed to allot much
space to the war. but 1t must be con-
fessed that the 'communiques'' and
stretched out and wear a suspicious
look of having been worked up for the
occasion.
The journalist must find matter for
eight or ten columns. and. what with
the small measure do1ed out in dry
"communiques," his embarrassment Is
often great. Paris, which is the near
est place to the front for him. is an in
exhaustible theme. and has always
served the foreign writer as a city Of
the converse of the laborious beehive
of industry and art which the Partisan
only knows.
The Spanish correspondent is not the
in red colors, for the American does
the same. The latter is more excusable,
perhaps. than his Spanish colleague. for,
coming often from the distant provin--
cial cities of his country, he has never
his Imagination Is brought into action
in describing "gay Paris" typical
Paris which he has seen. visited. at the
skating" the Moulin Rouge" finally
X
X x
The Madrid journalist should know
better than set the pace for his more
innocent A m i can
A Visit TO colleague. Now, one
day a Madrid journal
MoAtAnaA eAe. list, Senior Ramiro de
Maetzu, wishing to paint Paris in SOM
Der colors in order to show the effects
of war on Partisan life, visited Mont
martre.
"Montmartre," writes Senior Ramiro,
lis no longer Montmartre, but poor
and laborious faubourg. where they
work much. In tavern on the sum-
nit of the butte where Joyous high
livers supped some months ago. one
sees today old workmen drink glass
of wine on a table where formerly
champagne flowed. On the Moulin de
la Gallette' one reads the announce
ment of the last ball: First Of Au-
gust, the evening Of the general mob
ilization The 'Tabarin' ball has an
aspect of other days; the war OF 1914
fell upon the world when humanity
was learning to dance the tango,
celebrated are closed; one reads on the
shutters The patron and employees
are at the 'front.' On the Moulin
Rouge great red cross also informs
I
places the music hall Abandons to the
profit of the wounded the great part
Of the receipts"
Such are the reflections that On gray
and rainy day the capital inspires In
a DISTINGUISHED Spanish publicist. That
which shocks the Partisan is the fact
that Montmartre is given prominent
PLACES in modern Paris. Montmartre,
Parisians except as a historic site;
Montmartre which owes its name to a
temple Of Mars which formerly crowned
its summit 100 meters above the sea.
and how dissimilar! One climbs with
the day the Butte sacree" to invoke
the .'sacre-coeur"; the other. the noe
turnal pilgrims. who ''go to mock their
a bandoned religious creeds and .rid1-
Guile their respects"
Recently one of the editors of the
Correo Espanol visited Paris to report