The petty newspaper increases ind multiplies in Shanghai. They are called "Small Papers" and "Flower Papers;" names perbhps more descriptive of their size and appearance than their context. Fancy names are given to the more than 80 of these miniature news. papers such og "The Muse,"
Crystal," ete, Some of these papers are published fon ordinary newsprint with black ink, but many of them are on glossy surfaced paper and they are printed in the most fantastic concoctions of the printing room, red ink, purple ink, green ink, and variations of all known colours of ink.
"The Pictorial Beauty," and such papers specialize in the reproduction of photographs of beautiful movie stars. or sing-song girls. The popularity of the motion picture in China may perhaps best be gauged by the fact that so many of these small papers specialize in motion picture news and every aspiring Mary Pickford or Rudolph Valentine hopes to be puffed by his press agent in these papers, which are read by young girls and students and others who follow the stellar career with an almost wwodian enthusiasm, Other small papers specialize in polities and in hidden gossip. When political gets into the small Papers, he is most unmercifully handled, his career is dissected a5 no large newspaper would dare to do it. But most daring of all are hose small. newspaper editors in the use of doubled-edged characters, swords which might have many meanings and which invariably bring their laugh to the reader and heart-aches to. the subject. Often an innocent person, perhaps a young Jacy beginning to' shine in society, is treated similarly, hor career, being described in these unfortunate characters, which appear so. inocuous and yet might have meanings little short_of terrible. Then the word goes forth in the social world that such and such a person thas been dealt with in this manner and the circulation of the paper oes up, as all the world enjoys a Izugh at the man who slips on.a banana, peel.
'The "Ta Pao" or Big Newspaper is a very little sheet, but many of the foremost political' personages of the "country. write for it under prevdonyms or in their own names, This paper tells the tales, out of school more often perhaps than any other and many a out-and-dried political scheme has been aired and Gestroyed in this peinlets manner. The literary style in some of these paper is of importance, although the reviewer of them must take that by hearsay.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.