American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1868-01-18
Ilrags alo meojtiints.
AroM TIL F,tHcH FoR rHr CIrIza
MRIE ANToINETFB

eipruhh 4 at Versailles there sti
exists porIhits of Il yOung princes
- with he.loy brCw of Lorraine, aqui
% line nose, .m M,strian mouth @
Maria TheN Eztw ,'ne eyes Of Ge'
many. and D.. Ee7Uon so white an
beautiful t'(sa,r @o,sed the satin o
her vesfmeFhr cfH1 duchess. Wha
enthusiasm le"~aA " s::Tarie Antoinett
excite. whcrn"'i"s\ : first united t.
d RHF colftr% an, ,.Ir t,,e sifte OF ! 1Dl
dissolute CONT of Louis XIV |rl' |
Madame du Barry, they liked to C, :
template that innocent and canA ,
conntenance which Gu 4ed the chiv
alric Duke de 8rissac to exclaim
Around you, Madame, there are q
hundred thousand lovers Of your per
son." For the same reason that the
education of the dauphin, his father,
had considerably Influenced the life
and destiny of the young prince who
was Louis XVI, the counsel and di-
rection of Maria Theresa had exer-
cised an equally great influence upon
the mind and manners of the arch
duchess, Marie Antoinette. The agi.
tated, heroic life of the Empress had
led her to place courage as the first
of virtues, and this Marie Antoinette
inherited from her mother. From
the time that she was destined to
marry NJ. le Dauphin, she received
thoroughly French education under
the Able de Vermond, one of the
most distinguished and intellectual
men of his time. Her mother wished
to make of the young arch.duchess,
permanent link to secure the ALI. !
ance between France and Austria,
and it was doubtless this which caus. |
ed them to accuse Marie Antoinette
OF remaining an Austrian III the bot |
tom Of her soul, an accusation often
repeated, but the truth of which
caused nopart ofthe change wrought
in the diplomatic situation. At the
end of the 18th century, the plan of
Cardinal Richelieu to aggrandize the
house OF Bonn N had to be modified
by the march Of circumstances in.
terests were changed-FFancc had
no longer to fear-another
much moro powerful rivalry had !
sprung up, that of England, from the 4
accession of the house of Hanover; !
md, this being the case, was not the
securing of the continental peace bv i
! permanent alliance with Austria, +
he best means of turning all the t
strength of the monarchy against |
treat Britain2 That Maria Theresa Z
wished to establish this alliance. by .
,lv'ng an arch.duchess to France, is lii
rue, but that Marie Antoinette, a T
'oung and lovely woman, thought. 81
PISS as girls Of fifteen usually are, 81 9,
indeed a fair-haired spirituelle child, RI
hould be charged with political Y,
ole, or with treason fatal to Louis NJ
wi and, France, as has been sup. pi
osed, and, that Austria should have " "
lade use of so weak a hand to agi. fo
'te such high questions, is absurd I'll
imagine. We must leave these I'll
nerile or scandalous tales to that 10
iserabIe chronicle which prepared =,
le epithet of "Autrichienne," by In
hlch 1t made the daughter of the on
RSars mount the scaffold. Some in
'ble traits are to be found in the ha
Iaracter of Marie Antoinette: a ten. -; ~
II and devoted friendship, the gai- on
Y OF q child, need of artless pleas an
es, the absence of forms and of Ell. on
lette, aud an adherence to those II"
erman customs, everywhere so good nm
I'd beautiful One would ha, said nj,
at she had been called to complete Gt
e defective portions OF the charae. ul'
r of Louis XVI-to modify that dir ,n ~.
his, too grave and serious for III
urt OF French mobiles. The young wi
incesS did not rule her husband in too
violent or false manner; only, like la'
timid minds, Louis XVI needed -" ,''n
me one to urge him on in,e.Santlv yot
pleasure as well as toll, to strength an,
action as well as persevering re En
stance. The nature f their tastes sur
is diverse, and still they agreed nri
rhere was a delicacy in Marie coI
itoinette which led her 10 obey mil
en- what she did not believe either tos
Ie or just. German customs in. ns; .HT
ire the woman with n mild and dif
eet resignation if Marie AntoiD- con
e's ideas or wishes inclined her to inn
course, and upon telling them see see
nkly to the Prince, be insisted Oh
on another, she devoted herself to peu
desires with the most absolute Sir
In spite of the many OBJ att
cles surrounding her she formed . ea'
ne deep intimacies in the French -