New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-07-05
FUNERAL OF CALMANN LEVY.
THE LAST REPRESENTATIVE OF A GREAT
PUBLISHING FIRM IN FRANCE
Paris, June 10

Paris, June ] D.
GREAT Jewish funcral-that Of Calmann Levy,
The plibisher-took place to-day according TO
the ritual OF the Talmudic Hebrews. 1t was at
tended by nearly all the literary men now IN
Paris The hearse was no better than paupers,
end the pail was a square Of plain black cloth.
But there were 900 wreaths Of natural flowers
piled around the coffin before it was taken from
under the carrage-way Of his private house. IN
which it had lain while the Grand Rabbi was
recitinp PRAYERS and delivering eXhortation, in
which he insisted that charity TO the living poor
was n duty which the family Of the dead man
owed to the poor. The giving Of aims in The
presence of death is Jewish custom which even
the avaricious follow The real founder OF the
Levy publishing firm was Michel, the eldest OF
four brothers. the others being Nathan, Paul ana
Cnmann They were all pcdlers at the start,
Michel used TO buy secondhand books. hang
them back upword on cord. which he fastened
to n couple of poles. lie mndc money rapidly in
this why Next he became possessed of a stand
in the Rue Montmatre, aud then, advised by
Rachel. fine actress, bought cheaply the copyright
Of some dramas and lihrcttos They turned ont
fine investments, and brought Michel Levy behind
the scenes Of the opera and Theatre Francois and
into relations with literary men and politicians
of eminence lie gradually pushed out his rivals,
and long before he died bad q monopoly as q
publisher of dramatic and operatc French
literature.
He had the l1eenest, quickest and kindest glance
that perhaps ever struck me, and made up MS
mind in an instant as 10 the value OF manu-
script or the capacities of the author. For years
he never kept a reader. His way was to glance
at the first page of work, then open it at ran
dom in say dozen other places. If nothing
strucl, him in this examination as being good he
refused TO bring out the book unless pald 1or
doing So If he liked the work he offered 10
buy il right off, and if it struck him as uncom-
monty GOOD he sought ~ bind NE author IN nm
Ivy q long-term agreement. Ii was Thus tlat ne
bound NJ. Renan TO his house. The terms lc
offered 70 Renan soon after he broke with inc
Roman Catholic Church seemed then brilliant 10
that author. But ne has often since looked upon
the bargain as disadvantagcous one. certainly
Levy made fortune out Of Remains works, ana
Renan was more the conscious demohsher oil
Christianity than he otherwise should have Deen
because his publisher was jew.
George Sand was also attached by bond TO
the Levy firm But Michel good to her
and Often at her instance sent sums OF money
as presents to literary men who greatly contributed
to his fortune lie only paid 1000 francs for
the copyright Of MADAME BOvary, which was
great success But lie gave Flaubert nearly as
much more as q gift. 1t was not great deal,
but | doubt whether Gentle publisher would
have been rs good. The d0wry Of Nine Levy
enabled Michel 10 get up his first puDhSl-
ing premises in the Rue NlNlcnne' II
was not more than 10000. But he made it fruc-
tifv more than q thousand fold The second house
he founded was the Librarie Nouville. on the
Bouleyard DIES Italiens. near the Opera Comidue
10 be in the way of possible librettists ~ was
O maxim of his that IN business one should 90 III
The way of the kind of folks one desired 10 zeal
with The Levy house On tie boulevard ues
Italiens. then the centre Of the brilliant Ire OF
Paris. became tie meetlng-place Of all the dis
tinguished authors and artists and the ante-roOm
TO the Academy. II was ALSO near To he ola
Opera House OF the Rue LeDclltier. J., CniyeT5
llustre7 was brought out there. On the bullding
of the New Opera House. Michel Lew started
third house of business. the greatest OF al III me
Rue Scribe. facing the artists entrance. lie also
removed from the Rue Vivicnne TO live in a man
fn @heG Was O9 ee T that he died suddenly
The brothers Paul co aPd Not 1Pa , hpT
brother, inherited 1000 900 francs, the business,
and vast amount of real property connected
with il. such as paper mills and workshops The
yearly output of the house has averaged for the
last ten years l,790,009 yolumes, and the output
Madame Michel Levy, out of this vast fortune,
got nothing but the Gowry, her husband having
died tetae and she be9g married eJy pGGG 5 tG
act handsomely toward her. lie had not so fine
a nature as his brother. | believe, however, that
he ended by lstting her have; the house in the
Champs ElySees The fortune he left must he one
of the largest in Europe. lie was millionaire
before Michel died, and boosted short time
before his own death that he was always making
business ventures and never lost u centime Ia any
one of them
Tie funeral was attended by the Due de
Broglie and the COmtc d'ilaussonville. He not
only brought out the works Of these noble men,
but was the publisher TO the political organization
OF which one of them is the head. The old
fashioned Royalists Of the party who accept
Dnmonts views upon the Jewish question were
irritated when the printing contract was given
to the Levy firm by the Comte de Paris. They
found out that the COrpte paid IA per cent more
than he might have done had he engaged the