Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1889-11-24
"Taunderer Of Paris.


You might spend months in Paris with
ovt hearing of the Journal des DebdtS, or
any one who writes for it. You might
bear of many men who are really contrib
uiors to the paper, but they do not talk
about it. They are proud Of it, but there
is none of the air OF Bohemia about this
staid paper and the contributors DO not
meet over their wine to discuss the matters
that appear in it. Charles Dickens could
never have worked on such q psper, and
Alphonse Daudet, who likes to be called
the French Dickens" has no great love
for it. However, the paper has very re-
Gently been celebrating centennial, for it
was started in 1889 by Deputy of Au-
vergne, whose name was Gaultier de Bian-
yet, who did not continue long in control
Of it. 1t passed through various hands TO
finally come into those of the brothers
Bertni, who formed the policy which with
come variations it has since maintained
Just off the Place de Louvre ia the office
of this peculiar newspaper. You would
have o hard task to fad it. The guide
books do not mention it. You don't see
it in many of the "kiOsks" where news
papers are sold On the Place de Louvre
there is an old church. 1t is 900 years
old now and it has a history such as few
churches in France have. This is toe
church of st. Germaine = Auxerroi ana it
was out of the belfroy of this same church
that the signal for theSt. Bartholomew mss
sacre was sounded some centuries ago. We
have heard many stories of that tragedy
since it occurred and most of them have
differed. Bat the old church with it's
belfry, not noisy in tho sense that it
was, still stands rs relic of former days.
Behind it on q street which is not at all
impressive, but which bears an impressive
name, is the Office of the Journal des DeJats
Il is called LA Rue de Pretnes ST.. Ger
main pAuxerroi." A long name for a
short street and narrow ore As q mat
ter of fact this old street with a preten-
tious name is rather seedy and shabby. 1t
IS not much above an alley. But it is the
spot where the London Times Of Paris
finds, and for generations has made o
home, from which it hiss from time to time
directed its fulOinaiOns against pretty
much every sort Of 6 government that it is
possible for Freedman to invent, and in
this particular direction the possibilities
are large.
The Journal des DeJdts was started in
1889. but only commenced to be a power
in 1900 or thereabouts. This was at the
time the brothers Bertni owned it. They
bought it for about 81 900 and ran it on
business principles. In other words one
of the brothers Bertni agreed with Bona
parte and the other did not. B0naparte
was business man himself and he exiled
the Bertni who did not agree with him.
The other one held on and supported Ma
poleon and prOspered.
1t was a peculiar part that tbs Journal
des De5ats plsped during the time
that the Little Corporal was on horse
back. Among his other failiDgs Ne
pOleOn had one which is shared by many
other great men. He thought he knew ell
about editing a newspaper, and in Ger
tain way be did. He bad a certain grim
humor about him which some editors still
retain. He showed this On a couple of &C.
casions, as insiances-one day Bonsparte
got dissatisfied with the name of the paper,
and, to the dismsy of the brothers Bsrtni,
he changed it, When il next appeared it
was as the Journal de PEmpire. That was
pretty good joke in its way, but it did
not altogether satisfy BOnaparte, for one
day he appropriated the whole business
without regards for the rights of the broth
ere Bertni. He placed it in the hands of
eighteen shareholders, one of the chiefs of
whom was N. de Remusat. And this
gentleman had pretty difficult posi-