Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-07-04

mated in the most superb and mag
nificent style.
That the English news. both grave
and gay Of July and August, 1875, Is
thus available is due to famous
character Of that time. He was Dr.
Charles Burney. musician and author,
who was born in 1926 and died in 1914
at the ripe age Of 88.
DIR. Burney, who was sire to the yet
more renowned Fanny Burney, the
diarist, and O friend of that impas-
stoned advocate of American indie
pendence, Edmund Burke. painstak-
ingly collected the London newspa-
pers published during the latter years
of his life and as carefully preserved
them. They formed part OF his fine
library which, after his death. was
purchased by the British Museum for
13, 500 pounds. And at the Museum
those old London journals may be
studied today; and the more readily
as In the compact volumes into which
they have been made all the news
papers Of the same date are bound
together. y
or the daily newspapers which
were being published In London in
1776, only one, the Morning Post. still
survives. 1t was founded in 1772. the
wear in which newspapers were first
permitted to report the proceedings
in Parliament. The now venerable
Times did not come into being until
1885. nine years after the Declaration
Of independence and two years after
it's tardy acceptance by treaty.
They are a quaint contrast to the
newspapers of the present day. "Edi-
torials," like real headlines. are absent
| from them. the place Of the former
being taken by letters from CORE
spondents, generally addressed, not to
| the editor, but to the printer of the
| journal AS for the views Of the edi-
| tors themselves, these are set forth in
| the briefest fashion in the ordinary
news columns, wherein we find only
such unexciting captions as "Advices
! from America" or from Russia or
| Spain. as the case might be.
Provided Spicy Reading.
But If these journals were not thrill
! ing, they certainly provided spicy
| reading There was distinct abb
sence of prudishness in those times
| and decidedly naughty anecdotes, and
| reflections upon the morality of public
| characters, women particularly. fig
| ured regularly in the journalistic bill
| of fare.
| All the London morning papers con-
| sisted of four pages Of about the same
| size as those of the tabloids OF today.
| The price of the Morning Post and
| Gazetteer was twopence half penny 10
| cents) This seems high, considering
| the value Of money in those days. but
| YOU have to remember that news
| papers~in England were subject to
tax on every copy they issued. AT
| the beginning Of the reign Of George
| the Third the tax on newspapers was
| 1 penny a copy: in 1916 1t was raised
| to halfpence; by 1915 1t had In
creased to 4 pence and the price of
! the newspapers themselves to pence,
! or IA cents in our money.
| In reading through these old files
! one gets a truer picture of life in
| England when George the Third was
King than is obtainable from any his
| tory of England ever written.
Spelling Always Unique.
| The essential quaintness of what
| was gravely chronicled by those
eighteenth century scribes Is height
ened by the Anticipated spelling. with
most Of the SIS" turned into Ifs. :"
| A description of a solar phenomenon
witnessed at Philadelphia just before
| the battle Of Lexington and Concord,
| which was regarded - mistakenly
| enough, as it proved--as foreshadOw-
| ing more cordial relations between
England and her American colonies.
is reproduced in this form.
| 1t is thus reported in the Gazetteer
of May 20. 1875:
| "By letter from Philadelphia
dated April we have advice of a
| phenomenon having been feen there
| and Astronomers have delivered ii
as their opinion that 1t prognofticates
I a union of America with the Mother
| Country; an event more to be defired
than expected.
| "A few days before the above date,
about IL o'clock In the morning, an
eccentric circle appeared round the fun
and another paffing through its per-
| iphery and the fun's center. Both
| thefe circles We're luminous. but the
outermoft edge of the largeft centric
circle, which pointed toward the
north. was very broad and bright: on
| each fide eaftward and weftward upon
it's edge appeared to fpots. 1t is faid
that there are thofe who faw foon
after the funs rifing two funs and
three circles"
! Copyright 1895 by North American News
| paper Alliance