Weekly graphic. [volume] (Kirksville, Adair Co., Missouri) 1880-1949, 1884-03-21
A Tif,eanth-OanturY N llli,n,ir,.

The cathedral is not the only lion Of
5ourgcs; the house of Jacques Ceur is
an object of interest scarcely less posi-
tive This remarkable man had Il very
! strange history, and he too was "bro-
KEN" like the wrctched soldier whom |
: lid not STAY TO sec He has been rchabil-
itated, however, by an age which does
not fear the iinputation of paradox, and
= marble statue of him ornaments the
street in front of his house. To inter-
pref him according TO his image-a
womanish figure in n long robe and a
turban, with big bare arms and a dra-
matte pose would be to think OF him as
a kind of truculent sultana. He wore
the dress of his period, but his spirit was
} very modern: he WAS Vanderbilt or
! Rothschild of the fifteenth century. He
|; supplied the ungrateful Charles VII.
with money to pay the troops who, I'M
der the heroic Maid. drove the English
from French soil His house. which to-
) day is used rs n Palas de Justice. APP
pears TO have been regarded Mt the time
it was built very much as the residence
Of Mr.. Vanderbilt is regarded. in New
; York, to-day. 1t stands on the edge OF
; the hill on which most of the town is
planted. SO that, behind. it plunges down
TO lower level, and, if YOU approach it
on that side, as ] did. to come round to
the front of it You have to ascend a
longish flight of steps. The back, of
old, must have formed Il portion OF the
, city-wall; ut any rate, il offers to view
two big towers. which jeanne SAYS were
| formerly part of the defense of Bourges.
From the lower level of which | speak
: the square in front of the post-oilice-
the palace of jacques CGur looks very
| big and strong and feudal; from the
upper street. in front of it. it looks very
| handsome and delicate. TO this street
it presents two stories and Il considerable
length OF facade; and it has, both with
} in and without, Il great deal of curious
} and beautiful detail Above the portal,
in the stonework, are two false windows,
in which two figures, 4 man and wO-
. man. apparently household servants,
are represented. i'll sculpture. rs looking
down into the street. The effect is
homely. yet grotesque. and the figures
) are sufficiently living to make one COM
miserate them for having been con-
: demned, in 80 dull Il town. to spend
: several centuries ut the window. They
appear to be watching for the return of
their master, who left his beautiful house
one morning. and never came back.
The history of Jacques Cgur. which
has been written by NJ. Pierre Clement,
in volume crowned BY the French
J Academy, is very wonderful and inter-
) esting, but have no space to 90 into ii
here. There is no more curious exam
pie, and few more tragical. of 4 great
fortune crumbling from one day to the
other, or of the antique superstition that
the gods grow jealous of human success.
Merchant, millionaire, banker, ship
: owner, royal favorite and minister OF
finance, explorer of the East and monop
Olist of the glittering trade betwecI
that quarter of the globe and his own,
great capitalist who had anticipated
the brilliant operations OF the present
time, he expiated his prosperity by pow
! erty, Imprisonment and torture. The
obscure points in his career have been
calculated by NJ Clement, who has
drawn, moreover, 4 very vivid picture
of the corrupt and exhausted state of
France during the middle of the fifteenth
century. He has shown that the spolia-
5 ton of the great merchant was deliber-
2 ately calculated act and that the king
, sacrificed him without scruple or shame
to the avidity OF a singularly villainous
| set of courtiers. The whole story is an
: extraordinary picture of high-banded
T -apacity-the crudest possible assertion
of the right Of the stronger The victim
was stripped of his property, but es-
: capped with his life. made his way out
of France, and, betaking himself to
{ Italy, offered his services to the Pope.
1t is proof of the consideration that he
enjoyed in Europe, and of the variety
of his accomplishments, that Calixtls
Ill. should have appointed him to take
, command of 4 fleet which his Holiness
} was fitting out against the Turks.
jacques CGur. however, was not des-
, tined to lead it to victory. He died
, shortly after the expedition had started,
in the island of Chios. in 1856. The
house at Bourges, his native place. tcst
tieS in some degree to his wealth and
: splendor, though it has III parts that
want of space which is striking in many
Of the buildings OF the Middle Ages
The court, indeed. is on Il large scale,
ornamented with turrets and a-cadcs,
with several beautiful windows, and
with sculptures inserted in the walls,
representing the various sources of the
great fortune of the owner. NJ Pierre
Clement describes this part of the house
as having been of an ''tucomparable
richeSSe" an estimate of its charms
which seems slightly exaggerated to-
day. There is. however. something
delicate and familiar in the bas-reliefs
of which | have spoken, little scenes OF
agriculture and industry, which show
that the proprietor was not ashamed OF
calling attention to his harvests ane
enterprises. To-day we should question