Life, 1905-05-04 · page 44 of 48
Life — May 4, 1905 — page 44: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This satirical article depicts Russian newspaper censorship under Tsarist rule. An editor receives various story submissions—about factory workers, city council, the railroad, a scandal, disease, and labor unions—and systematically routes each to different government censors: the governor-general, military censor, plague commission, medical department, and Interior Ministry. The joke is that virtually *every* news item requires approval from some official body before publication. The editor's only independent decision is to kill a school flogging story because the mayor requested it. Even foreign labor news gets reviewed. The satire exposes how pervasive and absurd Russian censorship had become by routing innocuous items through byzantine bureaucratic approval chains, leaving editors with almost no editorial autonomy. This reflects the repressive press conditions in early 20th-century Russia under Tsarist control.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Standard’ PORCELAIN ENAMELED Baths & One Piece Lavatories “Stardard” Ware is the only equipment for modern bathrooms which meets every requisite of absolute sanitation, beauty of design, quality and low cost. Its installation guarantees health to the home, luxury and comfort to the bathroom, and an added value to the property. Our book “ MODERN BATHROOMS " helps solve the bathroom question, and you need it, It shows many complete model interiors of great beauty and econ- omy from $70.00 to $550.00, with cost of each fixture in detail. It tells about decoration, tiling, stained glass, modern laundry and kitchen equipment, etc., etc. It will save you money. Free for six cents postage. CAUTION: Every piece of “Stasdanf Ware bears ovr guarantee ** Green and Gold"* label, and has our trade. mark “Stastand” cast on the outside. Unless the label and trade-mark are on the fixture it is not Ware- Refuse sudstitutes—they are all inferior and will cost you more in the end. Standard Sanitary Mfg. Co. deot.34.prrtsBuRGH, PA. Offices and Showroom in New York: “Stasdand” Building, 35-37 West 3tst Street Cleveland, Ohio, 208-210 Huron Street St. Louis, Mo., 622 Security Building Louisville, Ky., 325-329 West Main Street Boston, Mass., 712 Paddock Building New Orfeans, La., Barone and St. Joseph Streets Philadelphia, Pa., 906-907 Commonwealth Building London, England: 22 Holborn Viaduct, B.C, 9 BORATED TALCUM ‘oa may fecalla daintier asd move efficacious Totion,to use afier shaving, but you oweit to your face to test Woodbury's ~ Facial Cream. It'llmake you need it. Be batch ater Staring Sed evryber. er Sead 10 @s. for sameles of all four preparations, Misc! Get Mesoee's (te erga). Sorole Free The Andrew Jergens Co. Sole Licensee, Cincinnati, O convent eee | Journalism in Russia. |THE censorship in Russia is so acu present time that the foll | sketch, taken from the Vovoye Vremya, will be of interest: Office of the editor of a “great” no. litical and literary and popular daily editor is gloomy and has a weary, res air. His sceretary stands beside him and jmits “copy” for next day's pape “Here is an item on men employed in the X factory “Send it to the governo: amination,” says the editor, dr: “Here is an account of the 4 city council.” “To the censor of the mayor!” “An article on the carrying capacity of Siberian Railroad.” “To the military censor.” “A report of the zemstvo meeting of this province.” “To the governor for examination.” “Some illustrations for our supplement.” “To the different censors, according to the character of the illustrations.” “Here is an item about a scandal in a jy court.” “Kill it; the mayor has asked by to make no reference to the J At this moment the doorkeeper ers and says that the “gi 1 bureau on press’ wants to talk to the editor on the "phone. The editor takes up the receiver, listens and says to his secretary: “Make a note to the effect that we are not to reprint the item about that flogging case in the school.” Then, dropping the receiver, “What else have you got? “A letter from the Ural about a disease that ‘looks like’ "— “To the censor of the plague comm “A telegram from Oriel about choler: “To the censor of the medical department.” “Here is a communication from A. on the zemstvo meeting there; the local censor’s 0. K, is on the article t enough; send it to the Interior Min istr “An article on labor unions in Switzer: land” “Let me have it; will look it over. the let me see the bound volume of minis- terial circulars. Come to think of it, there is something in one of those confidential circulars about such things.” retires; but returns shortly, “T can not find the volume he says; “ean not imagine what became of it.” The editor is stunned, He grows pale, thea red What, in the name of Satan, do yo9 mean? Do you wish to cut my throat? How can I edit a paper without the book of cite lars? Can I carry them all in my head? Now, what shall we do The doorkeeper enters and bring: circular from the general press bu ministry. The editor sighs. one? Good heavens !"—Translation made fo The Literary Digest.