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foreign news, for which it had at the beginning a highly trained and experienced writer from England, on this same page. It has a page of finance and commerce gotten together by men of recognized authority, and its "Home Forum" page, so-called, in which every day the intent stands clear to print something of educational value is edited by a teacher of long experience and a woman formerly connected with one of the important publishing houses of the country.

The student of journalism will note that in many respects the Monitor has no intention whatever of omitting popular features. For instance, it has a complete page devoted to athletic sports which the students of one of the Universities recently voted the best in New England. To be sure, no space is devoted to the exploits of one plugugly who is set up to batter another into insensibility, but all clean athletics are thoroughly covered and served in wellwritten style. Illustrations, as has been noted, are many and excellently printed, and the whole tone of the paper is indicative of the desire to interest the decent average people who are in truth the backbone of our civilization.

That motive appears most significantly in the composing of the editorial page. Within a unique and handsome border there appear daily a half dozen or more clear and pithy discussions of the salient events of the world. It is believed on the Monitor that the intelligent American desires at least some comment on the notable affairs of Europe, and to make this comment satisfactory a writer who for years has been as familiar with the streets of London and the by-ways of Peru and Chili as with the scenes of New York was secured and now does his share in making the editorial page one of the very best and most complete in the United States.

Even the most rabid foe of Christian Science might read the Monitor day after day without the slightest vexation of spirit, for he will find before him a well-appointed, well-edited, well

written newspaper, and not a tract or a pamphlet. The way in which the Monitor advances the principles which it was founded to sustain is not by sermonizing but by presenting the affairs of the world with such an optimistic and helpful touch that the "evil that men do" is minimized, and the noble achievements of the race stand forth in clear emphasis. There is but article in each issue upon Christian Science, this being carried upon the "Home Forum" page.

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It used to be said that "The Christian Science Monitor" would have no need for advertisements because its confessedly great circulation and the wealth of the denomination might be counted upon for its ample support. But that was not at all the plan of those who undertook the conduct of the daily. They believed that it should be apart from the few exceptions already noted, like other papers of the land, selfsupporting. It was no part of their planning to make it a dependant upon charity. So a vigorous campaign for the acquiring of the usual "sinews of war" was undertaken and has been

going on ever since with always increasing success.

The growth of the "business" in the Monitor has been steady and entirely satisfactory-and it must be remembered that more advertising is refused than is accepted and printed. It is a self-evident fact that requires little evidence on the part of solicitors that the circulation of the paper is of the very finest sort, embracing thousands upon thousands of homes where culture and refinement reign and where the buying power is generally large.

Once in a while, naturally, an advertising man has to be convinced. Such a one was the head of a big New York agency taking his vacation in the remote depths of the Maine woods this summer. He was in a camp at the head of a long lake past the foot of which ran the only railroad within a hundred miles. It is said that, feeling especially energetic one morning, he decided to canoe down the forestembowered waters and see a real train

of cars come in from far-off civiliza- Street that "The Christian Science tion.

He arrived at the station, which was a little shanty set among the trees, just in time for the arrival of the cars. As the train came to a halt the door of the baggage car opened and a fellow in uniform threw off two little bundles. They were absolutely the only things, human or inanimate, left by the train that day. His curiosity aroused, the advertising magnate picked up one of the bundles from the platform and saw thereon emblazoned, "From "The Christian Science Monitor.'" Two copies of that paper had come into this fastness of the forest, and it is on record that the advertising man was satisfactorily convinced of the energy and the farreaching scope of the paper.

It is no idle boast in the splendid publishing house on Falmouth

Monitor" has the largest prepaid subscription list of any daily newspaper. From out the marvellously ingenious machines that fold, wrap and address the papers at one operation, pour forth little bundles of the Monitor destined to visit every country upon the

globe.

Into every quarter of Christendom and heathendom goes this daily message of inspiration and hope. It is no wonder that its editors and all connected with its remarkable development feel that what they have accomplished in less than one year is but an earnest of the higher success and greater influence that shall come to the paper in the future.

It turned out to be true, as they believed, that modern civilization was ready for a new type of journalism.

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ONE OF THE PRESSES HUGE GOSS MACHINE THAT ROLLS OUT 60,000

PAPERS AN HOUR

AUTO DELIVERY WAGONS

THE MAILING ROOM

FROM THIS PLACE PAPERS ARE SENT TO EVERY COUNTRY ON

THE GLOBE

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ABOUT ROMAN FOLKLORE

By Dr. J. A. F. ORBAAN

TWO and a half thousand years of history are no burden for the ordinary Roman citizen. He takes from the amazing amount of dates and facts, of destinies and dynasties, from all the contrasts, which astonished generations, and out of the midst of a world of famous men, a few happenings and personalities, as his share of remembrances of the long past.

We are naturally interested to know what and which are his thoughts as to the long history of his city. Who wanders and lives for a short time with all his soul in the Rome of goneby ages as we all have done, or hope to do-puts the question, rising from the very construction of ruins and history: "What is left of former Rome to the living Italian?" Or, to ask more formally: "What is the folklore of Rome in our days?"

At first here presents itself the difficulty of getting sure information. School education, newspaper articles, the popular stage, have to be eliminated. The guide, who leads tourists around, is not to be considered as Roman citizen, but more as a mind shaped for the satisfaction of international curiosity. A good deal of this man's knowledge is no common good. He has hard work to master it himself and to keep file of emperors, counsels, popes and artists in their right place. The guide-books tell too much or too little. They have no reason to deal regularly with the popular fancy. There exists many books dedicated to the legends of Rome and the Campagna-but their contents surpass far the medium notions of the contemporary Roman of the middle and lower classes.

The only way-and certainly not an

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easy one is to make an experiment with a real Roman and to control our observations with the experience of some trustworthy specialist. It takes besides acquaintance of the Roman dialect and expressions, some pulling and dragging a thorough what we call in chemistry reagentiato get our man to tell all he knows.

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I had a real "Romano di Roma" and controlled myself with a handy book, written by a poet in Roman language and verses, who guarantees, as genuine, stories from one or two generations ago, whatever he states.

To begin with, I asked around for Romulus and Remus, and found them generally well known, even amongst the people of villages lost in the mountains of Latium and the confining Abruzzi. These are only surpassed by the folks around Terracina, who are said to keep track in their popular songs of the mythical visit of Odysseus to their present shores. The Romans know why the city government keeps the wolves at the head of the steps leading to the Capitol: they recognize the twins in the famous bronze of the museum "dei Conservatori," as also on the beltbuckle of the city-policemen. More friendly than old time nomenclature they call them even Romolo and Remolo. A couple of sons with those venerable names is a real joy for many a Roman laborer.

From the origin, we have to fly over the growth to the decline of ancient Rome to meet again our Romani grumbling yet over Nero. A "Nerone" is still a current expression to point out an actual character on the stamp of the classic type. Never the Romans forgive the original-his burning down the city-nor do they forget his appearance in the circus. They show

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the tower, where he looked out, playing the guitar, and singing poetry composed for the event. Ön medieval maps of Rome, near the present Ponte Margherita, is shown: "the tower, where the ghost of Nero dwelt a long time." With the tower vanished the legend. But another "umbra Neronis" speaks through the common Roman expression: "Non e piu er tempo, che Berta filava." (The time is past that Bertha spun.) Not all who use now the expression, taken in

its right sense of the exceptional good times having gone by, know the origin of this peculiar sentence. The old story may have been forgotten and only the end preserved, as the refrain of many a popular song once known in its full charm by our grandmothers.

Berta, with her name as un-Roman as could be chosen, was a worthy ancestor of a type of Trastevere. Bold, outspoken, fearless and proud of her position, this imaginary figure of Neronian times could now take her

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