Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1868-08-21
French Journalism-Th Paris Lantern
and its Editor.


French Journalism-The Paris lantern
and its Editor.
We clip the following from the Paris cor
respondence of the n T. Times:
AFTER thatwe have standing astonish-
ment In the success of new paper called
the Lantern. There is nothing like it in
the history of newspaper enterprise. The
old fogles OF the press stand with eyes
and mouth open at the size of this rising
light. nj. de Yillemessant, the founder of
the Figaro, is the founder of the new jour
nal. and the Count de Roehefors editor.
NJ. de Roehefort has long filed the place OF
chroaiQuer on the Figaro, where he made a
solid reputation as a critic, and where he
at last became immensely popular for his
masked attacks on the government. Any
body. in this city of opposition, who can
attack the government and keep out of the
police correctiopaele, is a clever man, and
finds at once the warmest corner in the
hearts of his fellow citizens Any one who
can skirmish with sharp weapons on the
extreme frontiers; any one who can deal In
the sous-ente7du with such a prodigious
talent rs young Henri de Rochefort,i IS sure
to grow into rapid popularity, if his ar
rows are only directed at the government.
So M. de Villemessant, WHO'S the shrewd-
est publisher in France, when he saw his
favorite Figaro well established in its pres
emit form, (for it now has daily circulation
of 100000 dreamed of something better
for his cleveryoung chroniqtter, nj. de Roche
fort In conjunction with his business
man on his various publications, M. Du-
mont, he founded the Lantern, on the fol-
lowing basis: a weekly paper IN drode-
elmo, pamphlet form, containing about
the matter of three columns of the Times,
to be entirely written by Nj. de Rochefort,
and to sell to the public at eight sous, or
cents. OF the proceeds, the printer, the
| Government stamp and the discount to
vendors, were to consume four cents num-
Der, NJ. de Rochefort was to receive two
cents, and Messrs de VilIemessant and
Dumont, founders and directors, one cent
each total eight cents.
OF the first number 10000 were sold, OF
the second $4,000, Of the third 100, 600, and
of the fourth 10000 This gives NJ de
| Rochefort IL, 600 francs, or 81, 400 week,
or ga, 600 francs (Sl25, 900 a year; 1T gives
to the directors for doing nothing but
/ keeping Nj. de Rochefort up to the work,
/ for he is a regular Bohemian and needs
watching, eaclran annual sum of $62, 900
and it gives the printer an immense protit.
! Never before did one man receive 50, 400
week, in gold, for writing thFee columns
of original matter, and never Def0re did sc
small an amount Of printed matter sell
weekly to the public for 1000 in gold.
You may Judge of the excitement caused
by this prodigious success. 1t is the thing
people talk most about. limitations with
out number have sprung up. The Little
Lantern, The Man with the Lantern, The
Paris Lantern, and so on, and it has even
been republished in Berlin in German, and
in ST. Petersburg. Other journals try to
increase their sale by attacking Rochefort,
and by publishing caricatures of him. The
town is full of these portraits, good and
bad Turn which way you will, 1T is
Rochefort. The walls were not more be-
sieged last summer by Sothern (Iord Dun
dreary) than they are now by the new lion.
Only Lord Dundreary stuck up his own
portraits and Henri Rochefort does not.
NJ de Rochefort has not found bis way
to this stupendous popularity without hav-
ing to fight for it, The world is full OF en-
vious people, and these are as apt to be
found among colleagues as anywhere else.
He has had several duels, and proved him
self formidable adversary. The other
day, because he could not find the editor,
he caned the printer of sheet which at
tackled him under the head of Henri de
Il
M. de Rochefort is slim, middle-sized
man. about 80 years of age. His hair is
dark and kinkv, his forehead broad, his
face runs to point at the chin, his small,
black eyes burn you with their sharpness;
he has thin moustache and imperi-
al, and his whole face is that OF
Mephistopheles-but only i'll form. He is
generous fellow, good companion. and
throws his money away without counting.
He runs on the Boulevard with the Wis
count de Noe. (the famous ''Cham" Of the
Chdrivari,) and to see these two thin, ner-
vous. military. aggressive-looking men to-
gether, you think involuntarily of the Irish
man who wanted some one TO step on his
coat-tail But "Cham," at least, is no
longer duelist, the bellicose ardor of his
youth is worn off, his intimate friends (oh
the intimate friends,) say that his wife has
tanned him, and, moreover, he wears the
decoration of the Legion of Honor, which
prevents him from saying or doing any
thing against the Government. But he
gives his friend Rochefort many of his
sharpest things while he stands in the
background
NJ. De Villemessant, with his four or five
journals and able corps of editors, now
monopolizes the public attention. He has
arrived at such point of prosperity as to
be able to buy the best writers with the
weight of his gold. He pays any price for
the cleyerest men, and does not stop on
questions of friendship. Aman with whom
he has crossed swords he will approach
with the same confidence as another; en-
mites do not stand in the way of business.
The purely political papers are in COM
plete state of marasln on account of the
success of the literary press.
Sun STROKE. Professor L. b. Walker, OF
Washington College, Lexington, Va, argr,
ing from the fact that thin coating OF
metal prevents the passage of heat rays to
blister painted surface or to destroy col
or, concludes that it must of course pre-
vent the passage of heat rays to destroy
human life. He says that it was difficult
to apply this coating of metal to substance
which might be worn in the hat without
Inconvenience in weight, liability to tear,
and stopping the aqueous evaporation from
the haad, found, after several trials, that
gold leaf applied to bobinet and protected
by silk illusion or another fold of the
same material, formed an efficient
protection by DETECTING the heat
rays concentrated on the head
The experiments ON which the above the
DRY is based are taken from Tyndalls lee
lures on heat, delivered before the Royal
Institstion of Great Britain. Professor
| Tyndall partially covered a painted sur
face with gold leaf, and then exposed it to
the action of radiant heat. The unprotect-
ed surface was blistered, while the part
covered with the gold leaf remained unaf-
/ fected. Again, a sheet of paper was COW
/ arad on the rnder side with iOdide OF