Harper's New Monthly Magazine, Volume 1, No. 2, July, 1850.Various
General
Harper's New Monthly Magazine, Volume 1, No. 2, July, 1850.
Various
American literature -- Periodicals; Civilization -- Periodicals; Culture -- Periodicals
Newspaper offices, be it remarked, are always to be found in odd holes
and corners. To the mass in London, Printing-house square, or
Lombard-street, Whitefriars, are mystical localities; yet they are the
daily birth-places of that fourth estate which fulminates anathemas on
all the follies and weaknesses of governments; and, without which, no
one can feel free or independent. The "Constitutionnel" office is about
as little known to the mass of its subscribers as either Printing-house
square or Whitefriars.
There is always an old and respectable look about the interior of
newspaper establishments, in whatever country you may find them. For
rusty dinginess, perhaps, there is nothing to equal a London office,
with its floors strewed with newspapers from all parts of the world,
parliamentary reports, and its shelves creaking under books of all
sorts, thumbed to the last extremity. Notwithstanding these appearances,
however, there is discipline--there is real order in the apparent
disorder of things. Those newspapers that are lying in heaps have to be
accurately filed; those books of reference can be pounced upon when
wanted, on the instant; and as to reports, the place of each is as well
known as if all labeled and ticketed with the elaborate accuracy of a
public library.
Not less rusty and not less disorderly is the appearance of a French
newspaper office; but how different the aspect of things from what you
see in England!
Over the office of the "Constitutionnel" is a dingy tricolor flag. A few
broken steps lead to a pair of folding-doors. Inside is the sanctuary of
the office, guarded by that flag as if by the honor of the country: for
tricolor represents all Frenchmen, be he prince or proletarian.
You enter through a narrow passage flanked with wire cages, in which are
confined for the day the clerks who take account of advertisements and
subscriptions. Melancholy objects seem these caged birds, whose hands
alone emerge at intervals through the pigeon-holes made for the purpose
of taking in money and advertisements. The universal beard and mustache
that ornament their chins, look, however, more unbusiness-like than are
the men really. They are shrewd and knowing birds that are inclosed in
these wire cages.
At publishing time, boys rushing in for papers, as in London offices,
are not here to be seen. The reason of this is simple: French newspaper
proprietors prefer doing their work themselves--they will have no middle
men. They serve all their customers by quarterly, yearly, or half-yearly
subscriptions. In every town in France there are subscription offices
for this journal, as well, indeed, as for all great organs of the press
generally. There are regular forms set up like registers at the
post-office, and all of these are gathered at the periodical renewal of
subscriptions to the central office. The period of renewal is every
fortnight.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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