New-York tribune., 1871-01-03
THE NEW PUCELLE.

Disappointed in De Paladines, France seems
to have found a new leader in q holy maid of
Tours. 1t is indeed rather inconsistent to
think of Garibadians marching to victory
under the banners of mnacle-worlling enthu-
siast and the same people who called DE
Paadnes traitor because he attended
military mass taking their warlike inspiration
from the visions of q devotee; but many
strange things have been witnessed in France
during the last five months, and stranger stiil
may come to pass before the invaders are
home again across the Rhine. There was an
humble imitator Of the historic Joan some
weeks ago at Orleans but she turned out to
be rather a commonplace young person, who
neither rode horseback, nor carried q flashing
blade, nor made prophecies; she only rallied
the people by certain feminine olo-
uuence, and then turned them over to
the recruiting sergeant to practice the
poose-step and the manual Of arms in tho
ordinary prosaic fashion. The Maid of Orleans
soon faded from the public view; the Maid OF
Tours seems to be different and moro romantic
sort of creature. Born in the piOus parish of
Ars, where the whole pOpulatiOn-thanks to
the rcputcd miraculous powers OF the Cure
NJ. Yianncy-have lived for years in an atmos-
phcrc of supernaturasm, believing that heaven
daily interpoScd to heal the sick, to straighten
the delolmed, to feed tho starving,-hearing
strange voices in the air, and seeing strange
and beautiful visions, and cncompassed all the
while by crowds of pilgrims who came in
thousands to this place to be cured of their
ills, or to ask spiritual counsel of the humble
ascetic who passed all his days here in the
A - l. lat
from childhood she should have witnessed
miraculous sights and been the heroine of
wonderful legends. She was in service at
Tours when the Virgin appeared and ordered
her to proceed to Paris and deliver certain
message to Gen. TrOchu. The girl consulted
her mistress; the mistress consulted the cure
the cure consulted the bishop; the bishop
gave the young woman his blessing, and bade
her do as the vision had commanded.
Thus far there is nothing extraordinary in
the story We dare say scores of excitable
young French girls have believed themselves
the depostarles of some divine commission,
and have dreamed wild dreams, and in mo-
ments of spiritual exaltatiOn seen unreal sights,
and fancicd that Heaven meant them to animate
and direct the defenders of their country. But
this case derives its interest from the fact
that so many comparatively prudent and sober
people share the delusons OF the obscure
serving maid, and believe that God has really
chosen this means of testifying his dispeasure
with Bismarck and conveying to the prOsrate
French the promise of his assistance. The
Union of Tours puts implicit faith in the
young woman, visions and all, and gives us
some curious particulars about the nature of
her message. Precisely what she should say
to Gen. Trochu was not to be revealed until
she arrived before the gates of Paris. There
"a matron of respectable appearance" would
meet her and explain the errand in full. The
narrative goes on TO assure us that the girl
accomplished her journey and saw Trochu.
We are told little about her mysterious COM
munication, except that she announced the
recapture of Orleans (Which she could not
then have known by any human means), pre-
dicted successful sortie to be followed by
depressing news, and declared that the Kaiser
would never reenter Berlin.
This account would have been moro salts
factory if 1t had explained how the holy maid