APPENDIX.

THE BRAZILIAN GERMAN PRESS.

Among the many things the German agricultural colonist in Brazil had to dispense with so far as a supply from abroad was concerned, was reading matter. Even to this day books are a relative rarity in the home along the "picada." Only in the more important centers is there a general access to publications of this type.

ALMANACS.

As has been the case for centuries in German-speaking communities both in Europe and North America, where there has been a general lack of books, the want of reading-matter has largely been filled by that most important medium, the almanac. The same condition applies to Brazil. We might call the almanac the colonist's encyclopedia. It is his agricultural guide, medical adviser, compendium of short stories and poetry, moral guide, diary, and a thousand and one other things in addition to being the source of the information which an almanac is ordinarily supposed to furnish, i.e., list the change of seasons, days and months of the year, feast-days, eclipses, etc. To persons acquainted only with the folk-almanacs in Europe and North America, the entire lack of weather-forecasts in the Brazilian German editions is striking.

Among the best known and most important German folk-almanacs in Brazil are:

Rothermund's Kalender für die Deutschen in Brasilien, published in São Leopoldo and Cruz Alta, R.G. do Sul;

Uhle's illustrierter deutsch-brasilianischer Familien-Kalender, published in Rio and Curityba;

Der Familienfreund, published in Porte Alegre;

Riograndenser Marienkalender, published in Porto Alegre;

and

Musterreiters Neu-Historischer Kalender, published in Porto Alegre.

Rothermund's and Uhle's almanacs are perhaps the most important as well as the most voluminous. To them one might well apply the statement found in the preface to one of the well-known reading-texts published for use in the "Pikadenschulen": "Darin ist alles enthalten, was für gebildeten Kolonisten zu wissen interessant und lehrreich ist."[129]

The almanacs mentioned above have for years been appearing regularly. In addition there have been many others, appearing, as a rule, only for a year or sporadically. Their influence has been of minor importance.

In addition to being an indispensible source of information to the colonists, the Brazilian German almanacs are also most valuable to persons living outside of Brazil who want to form an idea of the life of those colonists.

NEWSPAPERS.

The history of the German newspapers in Brazil has its beginning in the early fifties of the past century. In October, 1852, Der Kolonist appeared for the first time in Porto Alegre. This journalistic effort was short-lived. From December, 1853, to July 10th, 1861, Der Deutsche Einwanderer, appeared in the same city. Beginning with April 16th, 1853, Der Deutsche Beobachter, edited by B. Goldschmidt and G.F. Busch appeared in Rio de Janeiro. This, like the preceding, soon turned from an ordinary newspaper into a propaganda-sheet for the solicitation of colonists and accordingly went out of existence. In 1858 the Brasilia, a weekly, appeared in Petropolis. It lasted about one year. Beginning with January 17th, 1864, the Germania, a weekly edited by Peter Müller, appeared in the same city. This was a most important paper in its time and enjoyed a wide circulation. It lasted, however, only a few years.

From 1860 to date the number of German newspapers with an ephemeral existence published in Brazil is legion. Excepting those above mentioned, we shall only concern ourselves with the ones which had a continual existence from the time of their founding and appearing to this day. They are included in the following list. In this list is indicated in each case the title of the paper, the place of publication, the number of times it appears weekly and the year in which it was founded.

Deutsche Zeitung, Porto Alegre. Daily. 1861. Kolonie Zeitung, Joinville. Semi-weekly. 1862. Deutsches Volksblatt, Porto Alegre. Daily and weekly, 1870. Germania, São Paulo. Daily. 1877. Deutsche Post, São Leopoldo. Daily. 1880. Blumenauer Zeitung, Blumenau. Semi-weekly. 1881. Neue Deutsche Zeitung, Porto Alegre. Daily and weekly. 1881. Der Beobachter, Curityba. Thrice weekly. 1889. Kolonie, Santa Cruz. Thrice weekly. 1890. Der Urwaldsbote, Blumenau. Semi-weekly. 1892. Nachrichten, Petropolis. Semi-weekly. 1892. Deutsche Zeitung für São Paulo. Daily. 1897. Vaterland, Porto Alegre. Daily. 1901. Der Kompass, Curityba. Thrice weekly. 1901. Volks-Zeitung, São Bento. Weekly. 1908. Die Serra Post, Ijuhy. Semi-weekly. 1910. Brusquer Zeitung, Brusque. Weekly. 1911. Deutsche Wacht, Pelotas. Semi-weekly. 1914. Deutsches Tageblatt, Rio de Janeiro. Daily. 1914.

From what has been said above, in reference both to almanacs and newspapers, it will be noted that Porto Alegre in Rio Grande do Sul has from the beginning been the most important center for Brazilian German journalistic efforts.