84 MYSTIC ISLES 



ing was of silk, but now worn and torn. He brought 

 out a roll of papers. 



"Here is 'La Tribune de Tahiti,' " he said. "It is 

 edited by Jean Delpit, the lawyer whose offices are next 

 to the Bellevue Restaurant. It 's a monthly, published 

 in San Francisco, and has a brief summary of world 

 events, besides articles on the administrative affairs of 

 Tahiti. It 's against the Government. Then there 's 

 'Le Liberal,' a socialist journal, with Eugene Brun- 

 schwig editor, which pours hot shot into the Govern- 

 ment. Look at his announcement! Do you under- 

 stand that? He is fierce. He is an anarchist and 

 wants to be bought up. Of course he is attacking from 

 outside Tahiti. 



"There is no newspaper printed here except the 

 'Journal Officiel' which, of com'se, is not a newspaper, 

 but a gazette of governmental notices, etc. The Gov- 

 ernment has its own printing-office, bui; if these other, 

 the 'Tribune' and the 'Liberal,' had establishments here, 

 they would be raided and closed, for they would hardly 

 be allowed to criticize the Government as harshly as 

 they do. The 'Tribune' is in French and Tahitian, the 

 'Liberal' and the 'Journal Officiel' in French. One 

 time it was recommended that the official paper might 

 be more popular if it had some fiction for the natives, so 

 they printed a translation of 'Ali Baba and the Forty 

 Thieves,' but everybody laughed, so it was dropped. 



"The Mormons have the best paper here. It is a 

 monthly, too. There is plenty need here for a fearless 

 newspaper. The faults, weaknesses, and venality of 

 the Government call for publicity, but I 'm afraid the 



