Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1875-11-17

his steps. Fenelon better-known
as the author Of 7elemachus, than
as Archbishop of Cambray, reaped
| Punishment from Court, as the price
of his defence of Madam Guyon
and her mysteries, and yet his was
the spirit which might have direct
ed the church toward substantial
civilization. The church was filled
with the music of sacerdotal voices,
and continued for many years elo-
quent with the best thought that
theology could offer, but the cououk
scenarios were not instructed, the
court was not reformed, the theatres
| were scandal, wars were inccssant
and unjust, the government was a
despotism, not yet tempered by
| epigrams," for none dared to write
save such matter as the king COM
manded. Louis had exhibited no
signs of grace unless there was mer-
it in the abandonment La Valliere
for Montespan, and the desertion of
the latter for the widow of the Poet
Scarron his unavowed wife Madame
Maintenon, but he concluded that
something must be- done to merit
heaven and under the advice of Bos-
suet himself,the Edict which secured
the Huguenot in his worship, was
revoked to permit the kings dra-
goons to be made bru al mission
aries of the Gospel of peace. Prob
ably 100000 persons fled from
France to avoid the Dragouuades,
which followed the revocation Of
the Edict Of Nantes and the best in
dustries Of the Nation were trans
planted to other lands. The career
of victory against which all Europe
had been powerless while the king
dom was growing in manufactures
and commerce, came soon after
wards to an end. Families saw
the defeat of the once invincible le-
gions, and the frontier lay undefend-
ed before the enemy, as one of the
consequences Of the kings insolent
bigotry and lust of conquest, but SO
little had he learned from his elo-
quent priests, that he challenged
Deity in those memorable words:
elias God forgotten all | have done
for him" Louis had trampled up
on the hearts of his best subjects,
dishonored their homes, destroyed
their industries, denied them the
privilege of expatriation, on pain of
death, caused the standard of rebel
lion to be raised in the Cevennes,
and after heaping up misery upon
his people, that the Almighty might
be glorified by the hypocrisy of
few canting knaves, and pithless
towards, it was his unhappiness to
discover that victory was inalien-
able from his standard. Hence the
horrible lmpiety Of his appeal to
God. It had not yet been announc-
ed by authority that aProvidence
usually sides with the strongest bat
talions," but the fact was becoming
apparent. The life of Louis the
XIV was ending itself in reverses
and humiliation. The tyranny
which he had built up into colossal
proportions, was to crumble under
his feet, and to fall prostate under
his successors. The censorship
which limited the press to his prais-
es was to be relaxed in favor ef
Voltaire and his fellow Encyclope-
dists, that the work in which priests
had failed might be attempted by
secular thinkers. The church had
| broken up the fountains of dissent.
Jansenism was scattered, the Hugue-
| nots were wanderers on the face of
the earth, Fenelon, a banished man
at Cambray, testified by his enforced
silence, against the existence Of lib
erty within the fold, authority had
silenced thought, and the conse-
quences could not be doubtful. The
Jesuits had educated Voltaire and
his wit destroyed the reign of intol.
| erance. In the hour of the king