Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-04-07
.WORLD-FAMED uQUEUR
ELIXIR PRODUCED BY CARTHU.
SIAN MONKS A SPECIFIC.
Decision of English Courts Prevents
Spurious Products to Be Sold
as Chartreuse.
Correspondence Of The Star.

courts regarding the trade mark and
rights Of the world-famed liaueur of the
Carthusian monks makes it difficult for
spurious products made in France to be
palmed off here as the real chartreuse
The history of this famous cordial and
the elixir goes back to the eleventh CEN
fury. although little was known of them
for hundreds of years afterward. Little
might have been heard of them then but
for the fact that the Chartreuse of Paris
presented to their brothers in the Alps
recipe for the connection of vegetable
essence. or elixir.
In the great city it was no easy task
to obtain the needed herbs. In the high
lands around Grenoble it was otherwise.
So the recipe was forwarded to monks
at Chartreuse in 1875. A lay brother
named Maubec, skilled apothecary:
carried out many experiments, improved
upon the formula by degrees and at
length carried it to such perfection that
further change has never since been
called for.
Elixir Useful as Specific.
THIS celebrated elixir. though not by
any means the pick of the palate. is
certainly one of the most useful specifics
in existence. and is in part made from
costly materials which formerly had
great demand among druggists and
chemists 1t is said to be capable of
accomplishing wonders in cases of apo
pleXy fainting fits, seasckness and
marsh fever. 1t was great fayorite,
they say, with Stanley on his journeys
into the heart of Africa, while the
French missioners, when setting out on
their perilous quest for souls, are said
to be more careful of their stock of
this remedy than of their clothes. 1T
is said, too. that this is as sovereign a
specific in the case OF animals as OF men.
The green chartreuse is almost twin
in age with the elixir. On the outbreak
of the French revolution the superior of
La Grande Chartreuse, Sebastian Paiuls.
took possession of the papers containing
both recipes, and fed for safety But
his arrest soon followed. He was dragged
to Bordeaux and sent into exile, though
not before he had had time to confide
his invaluable relics to Antoine Nantas
the then head of the Brotherhood at
Premol.
In 1916 few Of the monks retained
to La Grande Chartre,se. and in 1854
part of their property, almost in ruin
and devoid of revenue, was restored to
them. But, though they again set to
manufa ct1lre their two specifics, the area
of their trade was little more than the
neighborlood of the monastery.
Results or experimentation.
Unlike the elixir, this green liquid does
not work wonders of any kind Between
the years 1898 and 1910 another father,
Louis GARNER aided by brother, push
ed on with research work. and invented
the white chartreuse; further expert
ments resulted in the manufacture of the
yellow.
But now that the wonderful discovery
had been made, what did it avail them?
The monks did not want the liquor for
themselves. And, shut up as they were
in the solitude of the forests and the
mountains, of what value were their Sc
crets to the world at large? But the
opportunity came some few years later,
when. in 1S49. body. of army officers,
out on a hunting expedition, came to the
monastery doors in the hope of getting
meal. They were very Hospitality re-
ceived by the community, and an excel
lent dinner was served. The choicest OF
the liqueurs was provided. The soldiers
were enchanted, and went away car
rying samples in their knapsacks and
singing the praises Of chartreuse.
From that day the place became ia
nous. Orders for the liqueur began to
pour in in superabundance.
Soon the factory became too small
to cope with the demand. Then the
process of distillation was transferred to
Fouroirie, and the sale confided to a
warehouse at Voiron. This success, how
ever soon led to imitation. In 1850 the
lawful right and title to the labels,
trade marks, etc, was established in the
name of Father GARNER. Later on the
rights were renewed by Father Grezier
and Father Marius Rey, respectively.
Rights Sold by Government.
At the recent spoliation of the monas-
teries and churches the French govern
ment sold these various rights to a pri-
vate company for large sum Of money.
But the English law does not recognize
this transaction, maintaining that the real
article is that manufactured solely by the
Peres ChartreuX, for the present at Tar
ragona, in Spain. AS to the plants and
horhS mead In the ma nufa cfura of the