CHINESE NEWSPAPERS IN NEW YORK.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 11538, 24 November 1900, Page 5 (Supplement)

CHINESE NEWSPAPERS IN NEW YORK.

THE WAY BROTHER JOHN HAD THE *: NEW YORK HERALD. \ New York, September 15.—The Chinese newspaper, which wan started by an enterprising young journalist to keep the laundrymen and opium-smoker* of America informed of the daily course of events in China has ceased publication. -It has passed, not be- . cause it was unappreciated, but because the - slimness of the Chinamen made profit out of the question. The story of this publication exemplifies both the cunning of the Orient and of the Occident, with the guile of the East an easy winner when it came to a " show down," as we say in poker. Mr. Stephen Lingard, a young journalist of good repute, knows Chinatown as he knows his own home. He saw that the Chinese were eager for news of the war from the beginning, and he figured that a daily Chinese newspaper printing war news would be a profitable investment. Accordingly he engaged a young Chinese undergraduate of Columbia College who has embraced Christianity, and arranged for the first number of his daily. The Oriental editor was given a sheaf of cuttings from the newspapers which he translated into Chinese and splashed deftly upon great. sheets of cardboard in his native hieroglyphics. His work was delightful to the eye if not to the understanding of the proprietor. Mr. Lingard, Being a wise young man, had a second Chinese editoi, who, all unknown to the writer of the news, read it and retranslated it back to the owner, who was thus assured that the matter was bona fide. Once the painted cards had been passed by the editor-in-secret, Lingard had them photographed and plates made for the printer. The four pages cost to produce and circulate about £128 per day. The receipts did not meet the expenses, though if all the Chinamen who read the paper paid 2£d for it there would have been a profit. Lingard was amazed to find that, while he sold but few copies, even the lowliest laundrvman knew all the news that his paper printed, and could jabber for hours about Japanese brutality, Count Von Waldersoe, and the defeat of Seymour. He learned that several Chinamen had fitted up rooms, on whose walls they pasted the four sheets of the paper, and charged an admission of a halfpenny to their fellows. Other Chinamen bought a paper, and then went from laundry to laundry and from store to opium joint, reading, the news aloud and collecting from their auditors. Another fellow committed a copy of the paper to heart, and repeated it to opium-smokers ast they lay in their bunks.

In these ways above five thousand Chinamen had the benefit of the news from perhaps a dozen copies of the paper. Great bundles of the publication were left on Lingard's hands, and he was in despair, for even advertisements failed him, the Chinese merchants knowing that a few copies did for all Chinatown. Shortly before the Chinese paper passed from the ken of Chinatown the New York Herald conceived the idea of catering to the Chinese population by printing a half-page of war news in Chinese each morning. The editor of the Herald had heard of Lingard, and sent for him on the plea that he wanted to interview him about his paper. Cleverly the editor pumped Lingard, and got the name of his Chinese editor. As soon as he left the office an automobile was sent for the Chinaman, who was offered £10 a week to write Chinese for the Herald. The Chinaman was honest, and told Lingard of the offer at once. He was wroth naturally, and told the yellow editor how he (Lingard) had been deceived by the white editor. « "And these are your Christian editors! A Chinaman would not do a thing like that. Since he has been dishonest we will punish him." said the Chinese journalist. Lingard agreed that his editor should go to work for the Herald, and still remain in his employ, "I'm going broke," said he, " and here's a chance for you to earn enough to keep you through the winter." A few days later the Herald came out with a half-page of hieroglyphics following its war telegrams. . All hands on the Herald were proud, and the Chinese page was exploited all over America. It was observed by the habitues of Chinatown that the Chinese who read the Herald were intensely amused by it, and instead of weeping over the fall of Pekin laughed merrily and winked at one another. Instead of a translation of the news they read matter of this nature: —

" Should this fall under the eye of any brother Chinaman, he is saluted by the writer, who wishes for him all the blessing* of the ninety-seven gods. Should he be asked by any son of a Christian dog what the writer has here written for Bennett, the Western devil, tell him that it is the record of much fighting between the Japanese and Chinese, the sack of cities, and great killing. Make such statements as you please, but in this direction. Should any brother Chinaman really wish to know what is happening in China, he will subscribe for the only paper published in this city by Chinamen, and sold at 27, Pell-street. This sheet is written by unholy Christian dogs, and owned by a Christian devil. It is unfit to be spat upon bv self-respecting Chinamen." The Herald kept its staff busy interviewing Chinamen about its enterprise. When a reporter handed a Chinaman a copy of the Chinese page, the Oriental would look it over with great interest, and reply something like this:

" Velly good plaper. Him say Jap man Chinaman him fight velly much. All time he fighfee. Gleat!" It was not until weeks after the Herald had tired of the fad and given it. up that its editor heard of the trick played upon him, His paner had simply been running a halfpage advertisement for its rival on its first news page. Mr. Bennett fairly burned up the cables when the news reached him in Paris.