Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1879-04-24
SUSPICION.
ONE or s0ClETY'SQUEENS.
Nine. De MaintenOn's Career.


Nine. De Maintenon's Career.
The topic of DR.. John Lords lecture at
Chickering Hall yesterday was Anime.
De Maintenon," whose abilities and short
comings were described to very large
audience. She was presented by the lee
turer as exerting powerful influence on
the destinies of France, and also as atype
of those brilliant queens of society who
reigned in the fashionable world by their
wit and social destinations. There is per-
baps no woman in modern times, said Dr.
Lord, who has arisen to such lofty
height from condition virtually 40 low
as Nine. de Maintenon, if Katherine of
Russia may be excepted. She was how
ever, we'll boru, so far as blood is con-
cerned, since the Protestant family of
D'Aubigne, from which she sprang, is
one of the Oldest in France. Her father
was extra7agant and Abandoned, and was
thrown into prison, and it was in prison
that the subject of this lecture was born
in 1885. Subsequently, her 1ather OBJ
tanned his release, and sailed with his
family to Martinique, where he died in
great poverty. His wife returned to
France, and got her living from her needle.
The daughter, Mile. D'Aubigne, was
bright and beautiful, and painted
for an entrance into society,"
the aim of most ambitious
women. It was effected by being invited
to one of the dinners of Scarron-a bur-
lesque writer, witty and dissipated-at 16
years of age. The crippled bufoon de-
termined to make her his wife, and she
accepted him. She now presided at en-
tertainments which even dukes aspired
for in vain, for Scarron's suppers we're
good, and were all the fashion. 1t is
hard to believe that a beautiful girl of
Is could have loved this pensioned para
lytic, but she was ambitious, and had an
end to gain. At the supper-table of the poet
Scarron she was the life of gay and bril-
liant assemblage, made up Of the elite of
Paris. She reigned as queen of society,
and she became acquainted with those
| who had influence at court, and when
her husband died, she being then "a, she
was recommended to the Duchess of
Montespan as governess for her child,
the Duke of Maine. This position intro
duced Der the notice of the King, who
fell in love with her, when he was wear
led of his prodigal and beautiful AMI ex-
acting mistress. She was too proper and
too calculating to become the successor
Of Montespan. and she added more ambi-
| tious desings than the favor;te whom she
had displaced. She aspired to become
the wife OF the King, and wen the
| Queen died, feeling that he could not
live without her, he secretly made her
his wife. The seeming mistress tri-
umphed from the weakness of the King.
She was then so, most extraordinary
person to reign Cover the absolute mon
arch of France when he was in the height
Of his fame and power. She kept her
empire m ore than 80 years, another ex-
traordlnary fact, from which we infer
that she had gained the respect of the
| King, since all enduring influence is
based on character. She was artful,
ambitious, calculating, and cold; but
she was discreet, prudent, judicous
technically religious, took an inter
est in education and all good
movements, reformed the wickedest
court of Europe, and rewarded all people
! who rendered services. She was adj
mired and honored by such men as Bos-
suet and Fenelon. She had most cap
tivating manners, and exceeding tact. If
she did not love the old, peevlsh, selfish,
ceremonious, pompous, exacting Me-
buchadnezzar whom she had married,
she was, at least, his friend, and revealed
to him the heartlessness of that genera
ton of vipers whom he had rewarded and
enriched. She guarded his interests and
prevented him from folly, and induced
him to drink the bitter cup of dlspelled
illusions with dignity and without COM
plant. She did not spend his money
like Montespan. She made his court
decorous, at least, if it was dull and
gloomy, and she made him religious in
certain fashion-fo1 Louis, in his old age,
was fond of sermons. was regular at
church, confessed his sins to his Jesuit
confessor, and felt that 1t was possible
for God Almighty to be greater than he.
During his whole life he had received
such incense, he had reposeI in such daz-
zling magniicence, he had been so court
ed by the monarchs of Europe. he was so
extolled by poets and historians, he was
so magnifed by his brilliant court, he
had such unoounded power, that it was
quite natur~l for him to fancy he was
more than mortal. Who can resist I'm.
bounded panegyric aud prosperity
will not enter upon his glories, or his
reverses, or bis humiliation. He was the
central figure in Europe for more than
half century. Heir OF the power of
Richelieu and the treasurer of Mazarin,
with PROSTATE nation Dent in idolatrous
manage, he reigne with more splendor
than any sovereign in modern times. By
nature he was not bad man, nor was he
weak. He had great executive abilities,
and keen insight. This is some reason
for the extravagant praise heaped upon
him tor half a century. His error was to
aggrandize himself at the expense of the
best interests of his Kingdom, and thus he
sowed discontents and prepared the way
for future revolution. His reign was out
wardly glorious, but pregnant with evils
to come. For the thirty last years of his
life he was ruled by Nine. De Maintenon.
She was the handspring Of all politica.
movements as we'll as social reforms. 1t
was she who melted him to the revocation
of the Edict of Nantes, which resulted in
the execution or Punishment or ruin of
100000 Protestants. She was in league
with his Jesuit confessors. She was the
life of the court. Nothing was done by
the Cabinet which she did not approve.
She made the most important appoint
ments in STATE and Church. She even
selected Generals and Ministers. She
ruled France, not wisely, like Elizabeth
in England, but vigorously, and with an
iron hand. It is astonishing how she
gained SO great an ascendency in the
government and over the mind Of the
King. She must have had great abilities
as we'll as great virtues. Nobody liked
her. Nobody can love such an in
triguing, cold, and calculating woman.
But she was power, and it is the prov:
ince of history to take cognizance OF
reigning forces. The great flaw in her
character Was her WILLINGNESS to be as