noon
Point to the man of power or position in the court or State , who owes it not to the press ! Where is the statesman who is not , or has not been , a journalist , or the savant , the philosopher , the philanthropist , the poet , the orator , the advocate , the diplomat , even the successful soldier ? The sword and the pen are emblems of the power of France -- its achievements and its continuance ; Sir Bulwer Lytton says , `` The pen is mightier than the sword ! '' But I have left you , dear reader , perambulating the dim corridor -- so dim that your eyes can hardly decipher , although it is now high noon , the various signs upon the series of doors in the wall on your left , designating the various rooms of the editorial corps , for to the editorial department is devoted the second floor of this extensive edifice . The last door in this prolonged series bears the name of the chief journalist . You ring a bell , are bid to enter , and the apartment is before you . Immense windows , rising from the floor to the ceiling , and opening upon a balcony , which overhangs the Rue Lepelletier , afford abundance of light for your eye to detect everything in the room by day , and an immense chandelier with gas-burners and opaque shades , pouring forth its flood of mellow radiance , would facilitate the same investigation yet more at night .