The Washington times., 1919-11-21
WARCENSORSM MADE.
AMUSING errors.

PARIS, Nov. 21.-The lifting of the
French censorship. has not been fol-
lowed thus far by the publication of
any of the startling secrets some
FRENCH newspapers professed tc have
had locked in their bosoqns during the
war, but 1t has brought out many
amusing stories Of what the eensors
did.
Several of these relate, to :he ac-
tivities Of those persons whose duty
&c was to attend rehearsals Of new
shows and see that no pro-German
propaganda or nothing tending to
hurt the feelings of any Of the allies
CT ept into the program.
At one of the Paris music halls a
revue was about to be staged In
which the grand finale was a parade
of beauties in groups. each group SYM
bclizing one of the allied nations.
For several allied nations each group
was composed of hve girls, hut one
of the allies was represented by only
three. In response to an Indignant
protest from representative of that
aggrieved power, the censor insisted
that two more girls be added to the
group. On another occasion ,hc CEN
sor forced a theatrical producer to
place among a group of allied flags in
a finale the flag of one of the little
nations which felt that 1t had been
slighted.
shortly before Portugal declared
war on Germany a piece appeared on
The stage with a character supposed
10 be q Portuguese who was repre-
sented in a most unfavorable light.
The censor, believing that Portugal
was about to declare war, induced the
producers to make a Swiss oUs~of the
Portuguese character. One Of the
minor characters in the sketcn, for
getting all about the Injunction Of
the censor, mentioned the word
Portugal in the production one
night, and narrowly escaped dismiss
sal
printed stories about a certain old
colonel who had been cited for dis
tinguished services. One of the papers
went into details about his record,
recalled that he was a veteran of
the war of 1870, and mentioned some
Of the prominent engagements of that
war in which he had participated
The censor solemnly struck out the
names OF those places on the ground
that his regulations forbid the men
tioning Of localities in connection
with persons in command.
When the L-39, one of the Zeppe-
and was forced down in Francs, made
its descent at Bourbonne-les-Bains,
the French official communique made
its landing place known to all the
world. But the next day news dis
patches, describing the appearance of
the L-39, were labeled from Some
where In France"b by the censor, de-
spite the clear statement Of the COM
munique.
The censors, however. are coming
back at the newspapers. They are re-
ninding the public Of the difficulties
under which they worked and of the
fact that some writer's and play
wrights, unconsciously. might have
worked much harm to the allied cause
had no check been placed upon them.
The radical Socialist organs have
taken advantage of the lifting of the
censorship to launch vio,ent attacks
upon their enemies, particularly upon
some of the army commanders. but
trey are making no disciosur, : II
they hav" any to make. Another re-
suit OF 70 passing of the censor is
tie appearance of posters with, an
poals from radical organizatic rs upon
the walls of buildings.