Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-09-08
THE IMPRIMERIE NATIoNALE.
Frances National Printing Office
Driven Out of the Old Rohan Palace

tue Athen8um.
The forthcoming demolition Of the his
toric institution in the Rue Vieille- du-Tem-
pie, Paris, ought not to pass unnoticed. The
history of the Imprimerie Rationale Is long
and interesting. 1t founded by ram
co.'s l., who appointed Conrad Neobar, the
official printer Of books in Greek; In 1889
Robert Estienne became the kings printer
Of Latin and Hebrew. They were, per-
haps, rather printers to the king as dis
tinguisAed from the heads of a royal print
Ing establishment. Louis XIII introduced a
printing office in the Louvre, and it is to
him, perhaps, rather than to Francois 1
that the French national printing estab-
lishment is due. During the revolution the
word ''Royale" was changed into "Repub-
nque and the business waS transferred
first to the Hotel Beaujon, then to the
Hotel PenthieVre, and then in 1908 to the
present building, which was erected in 1712
by Armand CASTOR, Cardinal de Rohan,
Bishop of Strasbourg, who achieved a sec
ond distinction in becoming member of the
academic Franchise without having pub
lshed anything. Later on another cardinal
Of the same family, Louis Rene Prince de
acknowledgements, resided here and 1t was
this INSCRIPTIONS scoundrel who forged the
signature Of the queen and thus started the
affair Of the diamond necklace. For many
reasons the disappearance of the national
q
all from its insanitary state; 1t has become
almost a plague SPOT, not only to those who
work In 1t (some 1880 In NUMBER but also
TO those who live In the immediate quarter
Inc old building is to be pulled down, the
space which 1t occupies will be sold for the
dement, OF the city at large, and the new
printing offices will be at Grenelle
Inc literary associations of the Hotel de
Roman would fill a large volume. AS a
printing establishment 1t has been describ-
ed by F'renchman as the first in the world
although by monde a Frenchman should
be interpreted as meaning France 1t
CLAIMS TO contain fonts of at least 1853 diff
ferent oriental languages or dialects. When
pope Plus VII visited the printing ONCE
the Lords Prayer was printed and pre-
sented to him in $50 languages. a truly
"onderful achievement at that time; but
IN 1891 an English firm of printers, Messrs.
Gilbert & Rivington, produced a volume
with the Lords Prayer in 300 languages
The typographical curiosties in the build
ing are naturally of very varied and in
terestlng nature; selections have been fire.
quently lent for public exhibitions. as at
the great show Of two years ago One of
tne most interesting IS the set Of matrices
OF Greek characters, known as the Gree
du Rol, engraved by order of Francois 7
and so perfect in form that the Univer-
slty of Cambridge applied for a font Of
them in 1892" W
The lmprimerie Rationale has during the
last $50 years produced some of the most
splendid monuments of typographv since
the introduction of printing. Its two edi-
tons Of the limitation de Jesus Christ
are triumphs; with the beautiful folio of
lt4o' produced under the patronage of Car
dlhal fIcheAeu, the 1mprimerie Royale
proper made excellent start: but this
was improved upon in 1855, when the I'm
prlmerie lmperiale produced an edition to
celebrate the great exhibition Of that wear,
Masnlhcentiy printed, with elaborate Dor
ders and initial letters exuuisiteIy illumin
ated in gold and colors, 1t remains one of
the most perfect books of the last half
century. Only 103 copies were printed, at
a cost 1t is said, Of 1,50O,OOO francs, or
about $3.50 los. per copy. At one tima -
sold readily at 100 and upward but its
value today in England is not much more
than twelfth of that amount