Evening star., 1924-02-07
Death of Arthur Meyer Recalls
Rise From Low to High Station
BY THE MARaUIsE DE FoxrENoY.

BY THE MARQUISE DE FONTENOY.
Paris has just lost a familiar land
mark through the death of old Arthur
Meyer, who has justly been described
as the dean of the French press, and
who rose from hectic beginnings to
become one of the most respected and
popular members of Partisan society,
welcome guest in the houses of the
oldest and most exclusive aristocracy
and who has now died in the odor Of
sanctity. Only q few weeks ago he
occupied the Iimelight through the
delivery of series OF largely at
tended addresses for the purpose of
proving that. the French fashions of
the last ten years of the reign Of
the Third Napoleon. and Of the Court
OF the Tuileries when Empress Eugene
exercised acknowledged supremacy over
the world of fashion. not only in France,
but also in every civilized country,
were infinitely more decorous, less
vulgar and less insanely extravagant
than they are today. While Arthur
Meyer-for that is the name which
he bore throughout his eighty-five
years of life-was perfectly right in
his declarations with regard to EN-
-
not speak from personal experience.
For he never crossed the threshold
of the Tuileries, of the Palace of ST
Cloud or Of any of the other homes of
the last Napoleon and of his Spanish
consort.
During the closing years of the en-
pire and, indeed, until the moment
of the outbreak Of the Frarco-Ger-
man war of 1870, Arthur Meyer was
occupying the position as ,bookkeeper
and as factotum Of that infamous
queen OF the half world. Blanche DAM
tigny. whom Emile Zola portrayed to
the life as Mana" in his repulsive
but we'll known. novel of that name
Blanche d'Antignys death under hor-
rible circumstances. left Arthur Meyer
for time without resources, forced
to adopt all sorts of strange callings
In order to save himself from starva-
tion. and then he drifted into news
paper reporting. specializing In
stories relating to the. demi-monde
the dramatic profession.
This led him by degrees to the
fringes of society, and in course of
time, perceiving that there was o gold
mine in the exploitation of social
finally got some rich parvenue to help
him to start daily paper devoted to
social news and to the advancement
of the ambitions Of the people with
more money than birth and breeding
and imbued with social aspirations.
In order to convey the impression to
his financial hackers and early read
ers that they were getting into So
ciety, he filled a portion of his paper
with news and stories about the
Bourbons. the Bonapartes, about for
eign royalties visiting Paris and
about the old aristocracy of France,
who eventually with the object of
seeing what their neighbors and fell
low mobiles were doing became per-
manent subscribers and readers of
the paper. That was the real origin
Of the Gaulois. which for more than
forty years past has been regarded
as the organ par excellence OF the
monarchist parties: OF the old nobil-
stage and the half-world being es-
chewed and no longer finding any
place in the pages of the Gaulois.
+ 4 + =
Needless to add that Arthur Meyer
attached himself to the fortunes Of
Gen. Boulanger, who for q time de-
luded some Of the more credulous Of
the monarchists and would-be royal
lists into the belief that II they would
help him into a military dictatorship
he would take advantage thereof to
use the control of the army which
bring about q monarchical restora-
ton. In fact, Arthur Meyer was q
sort of liaison officer between the
Faubourg st. Germain and the "brav
general" as long as the latters vogue
. lasted and before he was overtakep
by disgrace followed by ignominfous
fight and suicide. ..r..-
How Arthur Meyer was looked upon
in those days, that is to say about
thirty-five years ago. Is best shown
Mo- ~ q h.
Iished a photograph of the Dowager
Duchess of Uxes, who foolishly ad-
vanced several millions of francs to
further Gen. Boulanger's schemes, the
picture showing Arthur Meyer stand
ing by her chair, her sons instituted
a suit against the newspapers in
question for libel, on the ground that
J to show their mother in such COM