The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-05-22
THE NEWSPAPEKS or PARIS.

The Ancient Power or Journallsm-Hist0ry
OF tho Various Political and Other Ncwspa-
pcrs OF tho Capital.
We translate the following very interesting article
the past and present Partisan journals from one
Of the illustrated papers Of that capital
Yesterday journalism was the fourth power of the
Stae-today, it IL hardly echo OF public opinion.
Under the parliamentary government the Journal
mngling in the discussion, and taking the initiative
OF all political questions marched asa sharpshooter
to the conquest OF every progress 1t besieged ad-
illustrations, gave and took away the portfolios OF
ministers, influenced the debates OF the chambers,
and advanced put back on the dial OF events, the
hour OF revolutions How the tunes are changed
And nevertheless, journalism has not spoken its last
word; and enfeebled as it may be- it is still power.
For him who has seen the operation OF this almost
intelligent machine-this prodg ous wild beast whose
appetite grows by what it feeds on-the Journa 10
colossal work. 1t must have workers jaded with
fatigue-mnds prompt, clear-seeing and laborious--
soldiers ever on the breach-men who give their
repose and their blood to this endless task mitho-
logically pourtrayed by the tub OF the Danaides.
The journal is the perpetual motion sought for by
the Inathematicans for six thousand years. once
that the locomotive is launched on the rail OF publ
city, 1t goes on-gots on without repose, without
relaxation at hgh-pressure, belchng forth the fume
OF its inspirations of its enthusiasm and of its WRATH
it passes rapidly the ghosts in the German bal
lad, and it will not stop, painting in its course till
there is not single reader in the world-that is to
The Oldest Journal OF Paris-the deacon-is the
Gazette de France This journal is the continuation
OF the first gazette that appeared in Francehat of
Iheophraste Renaud0t physician to King Louis
Nil. The first number OF this gazette appeared the
LIST Of April, 1851. The name OF gazette had been
borrowed from sheet of the same kind, which was
published at Venice, since the commencement OF
the seventeenth century, and which is derived from
gacetta-a small CON- OF the value Of two farthings,
which was paid for the reading Of that sheet; the
denomination OF journal" which has since pre-
vailed, ut first confined to literary and scientific
collections. "a journal says the Encyclopedia
lis periodical which contains extracts from new
books with detail Of all the discoveries daily made
in the arts and Sciences In this acceptance OF the
word the Oldest journal would be the Journal des
Sarants the publication of which began in Janu-
airy, lsG5. =. $780,, !. ; ,.u,.,n,,,.
Journal although it may have been placed on the
index by the petty court OF FroSdhOrf 1t is slightly
orthodox monarchcal sheet 1t does not reckon over
four thousand subscribers.
The Journal des Debats is one Of the most impor
tant of the Partisan papers. In 1859 Barrere and
Louvet founded the Journal des Debafs ct des De
c,ets In 1900 Messrs. Bertn Brothers, acquired the
property Of this sheet, which was afterwards simply
called the Journal des D6bats. This journal was
one OF the small number Of sheets which survived
the Eighteenth Brumaire When Bonaparte had
been crowned emperor, this sheet took the name OF
the Journal de Empire; but at the fall OF Napoleon
it revived its first title, to abandon it again on
his return from the island Of Eba, and to resume it
on the second return OF the Bourbons. We hasten
to add that Napoleon turned off the Messrs Berlin
from their Journal
The most remarkable men of the legitimate mo-
narcby, and OF the monarchy of $780, have crossed
the threshold Of this Journal which has heard during
thirty years, all political secrets Chateaubriand,
Lame, de Bonald, Camille Jordan, Martignac, CAST
mir Perier, Boyer Collard, Messrs Guizot, Cousin,
Salyandy, Villemain, and many others.
The Journal des Deb0ts has 200 subscribers.
The Silcle was established in 1886. The monarchy
of July was only, at that time, beginning to have
character Of stability. We are now departing from
the crisis and the ene,tes which had been in some
manner the eddy OF the revolution of 1880. Public
and private credit lending each other mutual sup
port, gave birth to numerous enterprises Inc sue
cess OF the Steele Of the consequences OF this
situation which the neglect OF authority afterwards
| SO fatally compromised.
| The Steele has to-day, 900 subscribers.
The PYeSse appeared on the Snai Of publicity. in
the midst of thunder and lightning The old Journal
ism shook OH its oundation-a monrnfu cry rent the
ar-the stakeholder OF the eighty franc journal had
| Just been stricken To the heart.
Up to this time the circulation of the journal, had
been very limited il we except the Const'tnflonnei
which attained some days after the revolution OF
July, the fabulous figure Of 10000 subscribers. An
honest Journal might live very well with modest
| patronage OF from 1000 to 5000 subscribers.
The journal was object Of luxury; as yet 1t only
addressed itself to two classes OF society the legi
| tmist nobility, by the Gazette de Fdncc and the
not6ditnne: to the upper class OF citizens by the
Debats, the CONSTITUTIONAL, the Cou71er Flanca's,
L
which constituting themselves the mouth-pieces oi
the pure democracy wished to pierce the 100 social
stiata of which we have just spoken, arrived iInme
diately at the gravelstone of subscription, Thus
| sparkled, and were eXtnguished almost as soon,
| these meteOrs of radicasn which were called the
Tribune, the Bonseus, the Re5mmatcW and the
jon, nal du Peuate. The people could not spare
eighty francs out OF their yearly income to constitute
in reducing by one half the pr &c of subscription
a revolution in the political world more radical than
the revolution Of July. The P,esse, which at this
epoch defended the Orleans dynasty, dug, unknown
to ITSELF the grave Of that dynasty it precptated
the events which broke forth in February, 1913, as
| peel Of thunder in serene sky.
The Pressc reckons Ii 900 subscribers.
The Constitutional was established towards the
first DAYS of the ReSt0ratiOn-nt the strange epoch
which is yet called an epoch of compression
people folded themselves Electrically In their con-
victlons, as in dress mantle where they made oppo-
sition to everythugj where they consplred dpropos
Of nothing and in which the manner OF wearing the
hatbuckle, of tying the crayat, and OF wearing the
surt0ut, Indicated an opinion and sgnalzed party.
This honest and patented journal-this respectable
sheet OF lS53was at that time in all the wldaess Of
provoking and hectoli ing bearing. 1t attacked the
nobility by asserting that il was quite dead like the
Pulcinelle OF the Italian comedy, which belabors the
justice who has just killed the captain. 1t fought
| against the congregation, ran upon the Jesuits,
cried long live the charter (uiUe Ia cha,te) and
Quoted itself bravely in courts of assiZe. 1880
rived. That was the eliminating point of the for
tunes Of the Constitutional, which had then 70 900
subscribers at eighty francs year. share in this
journal was a fortune. But destiEes and readers are
variable, and nothing makes journal old so soon as
a revelation The liberal patriarch was already no
longer that young and mctesome organ OF the boil.
ing passions of 1920. He had assumed funess and
straightness. He was decorated. elector eligible !:
lie admired the icy ladies OF the Tuileries and found
that everything for the best in the best OF posi-
bic monarchies. 1t went pretty well for year
two when the loss OF subscribers, (desabonnement)
that colossal falling off, commenced. Still later,
| Mons. Veron again raised this journal by the
pu ,cation OF Eugene Sues Wandering Jew"
The Constitutional ut this moment reckons 1000
subscribers. This is The Journal which has invented
the political horizons, the serpents, and the don
/ ble.headed calves.
The AsSn,Llec Notioaaic is daughter Of the re-
violation of February. 1t came into existence the
2th of February, at six o'clock in the morning. Its
very great in its first days All the OPP
| position newspsfe rs which saw themselves compel
ed more or less, to accept the republic, had ante