The Portland daily press., 1881-04-29
springfield Republican,
A Great Editor Dead.

Emile De Girardin, the greatest editor in
the world, died Wednesday at Paris at the age
of IS. He was born in Switzerland out of
wedlock, and it was not till he was nearly 40
years Of age that he established his parents to
be Gen. Alexandra de Girardin and Mrs. Du-
puy, wife of a Swiss counselor. Going to
Paris, he became an official inspector Of fine
art, but was attracted to the more exciting field
of journalism, where he first established lie
Voleur (The Thief, which stole from other
newspapers. His first great success was in
running up circulation Of 100, 900 for journal
of useful knowledge, which he published at 50
cents year. He poured off cheap publication by
the thousand on all subjects on which the null
titude were hungering forinformation,-a milf
tia paper, cooks paper, a geographical atlas
with maps at one cent each and SO on. Some
of lis publications he issued as though they
emanated from a "society for intellectual
emancipation, "-and that he was all through
life In 1896, he found business man, Bou-
temy, to join him in founding La PreSse, q
political daily which he issued at SS year, or
just half the price then charged by the Paris
papers. The other journals Of course were fu-
rious, and hot rivalry arose. Charges of
personal nature led to a duel, in which he
shot Armand Carrel of the National newspa-
per. His motives in this affair have been
deeply aspersed.
The Presse attained a circulation of 10000,
its editor was elected to the Chamber of Depu-
ties, his name and parentage were established.
and he became the great journalist of France.
He introduced the feuilleton, or continued
story by Dumas, Balzac, George Sand and
others: His nearest approach to principle in
those days, was expressed by his motto, From
day to day." and he trimmed in favor Of the
Orleanist regime. In the chaotic days Of 184S,
he went to the Tuileries, when the dynasty
was rocking on the mob and urged Louis Phil
iippe to abdicate in favor of his grandson, but
it was too late.
With the republic of 1S48, Gradin became
republican, and he quilted France at the time
OF the coup d'etat. Under the new press law
of the empire. he returned, but he sold his
share in the presse for S150,000 in 1856, and re-
tired from journalism. In 1862 he again be-
came its editor, but it was in its decline and in
1866 he established La Liberte. He fought the
imperialist regime so vigorously that he was
fined 1000 in 1867. He sold La Liberte for
100000 during the war, and since 1872 has
been editor successively of the Official Jour-
nal, the Little Paper and of the France.
No man living has addressed public opinion
so long, so necessarily and so indefatigably, no
man probably has done so much to cheaper
and reduce to newspaper form the intelligence
which the mass of men want. He was called
the weather-cock, and was Bennett rather
than Greeley, but the cause of the Republic
has been strengthened by his labors, as that of
emancipation and union was by the labors of
Mr.. Greedy. He was the greatest living expo
nent of the idea of spreading and cheapening
intelligence for the mass of men by the news
paper form. 1t is the grand idea of putting in
tellectual meat and drink into every mans
hand, as the good French king had the aspira-
tion to put pullet into every mans dinner
pot Girardin's published works are numerous,
besides 12 volumes of Questions of My
Times" consisting of extracts from his edito-
rial writings He married twice and was di.
vorced from his second wife