The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1879-03-20

communication be accepted or reje ted.
Woman in Society DIR. Lord
illustrates Her Status and In
fuence from the Life Of Mad
anne de Ma1ntenon.
DR.. Lord chose Madame de Mantle
non as the subject of his lecture at
Chickering Hall, opening his discussion
of her career with a picture of France
during the seventeenth century, dilat-
ing upon the brilliant society that
fourished during the reign of Louis
XIV. In that society, he said. women
shone. Society is woman's realm and
she desires to reign N il if she be M
bilious. Domes ic pr. cii.uies belong
t o primitive times, to feudal castles and
early New England villages. But sos
ciety has OutgrOwn domestic virtues
as savans have outgrown religion. 1t
is the higher civilization of CT les that
constitutes their charm for women,
though there are still some bold
enough to say that they prefer domes-
tic interests. In Paris many
have attained the highest position in
society who by their social qualities
Outrivalled rank. Mime. de Maintenon
was one of this kind. No woman but
Catharine II. ever arose from such
depths to such a height. Born in 1886,
10 a prison cell, in her girlhoOd the fu-
ture wife of Louis XIV. assisted the
9rooms in caring for horses and follows
ed the turkeys from the field. AT that
time, in Paris, was the house of Scar
ron, the witty but wanton writer of
farces. 1t was considered a great
privilege to enjoy the hospitality Of his
supper table. To one of these suppers
Nine. de Maintenon, then a girl of
sixteen. was brought. Her dress was
short and common and she wept bitter
tears when she found herself sur
rounded by the wealth and fashion of
Paris. But she was beautiful and
witty, and ScarrOn determined tO
make her his wife and she accepted
him. coarse in mind, defOrmed in body
as be was, for she had made up her
mind to improve her CONDITION at any
cost. While presiding at his table her
quick intelligence became polished by
daily Intercourse with the brightest
minds Of he day. She became known
to the court and the world of fashion
Louis met her in the ~ripeness of her
beauty AID was fascinated by her
charms. On her husbands death he
made her the g~ovcrness Of his natural
child that he might have her st The
palace. Size was virtuous. or tech j.
cal y so. and he secretly married her,
she being fifty ard he fiftv-twc. She
became tn dispenser Of court favor
aud the real ruler Of the lard. Iivr
reign va. p"ll ical IS well as social.
3 here is nothing more fascinating CT
mere humilia'ing than tie hist ry of
this reign. Whatever VS. most rare
and costly in art was brought to deco~
rate the royal palace. and whoever
were the most glorious In France ass
sembled under its roof. Easy CON
quest shed a delusive lustre on the
army. but Louis did Tot know how to
use his power for the benefit of his
country. His people became poor and
his prosecutions drove the best Ofthem
out Of France. AT the end of the sew
enteenth century his grt at lights be
gan to wane, SO that his latter days
were sad, cruel and revengeful. He
loved nobody but himself and feared
nothing but hell. Such was the mo-
march to whom the best day. of Nine.
de Maintenon was devoted. No wO.
man ever ruled with such unbounded
and it is tt her credit that she
did it by the exercise of her intellect.
Whatever may have been her defects
she was always respected by the gay
world in which she resided, and no
breath of scandal In that tainted court
ever touched her reputation. Her in
~fuence over the King was unbOunded,
and she kept him as much as possible
from war. The court und. r her was
not so gay, but more interesting than
it had been. She was The friend Of
the immortal men of that era. She
undertook to reform the most disso~
lute count in Europe. She was the
Guardian of the Kings int rests and
his best friend. So great was his re-
,nect for her that she was allowed to
sit in the councils of the Cabinet.
Nine. de Maintepon YVES n OfthOse
strongminded women who enjoy any
hing that taxes the intellect. The
charge that can be made
against her is that of ambi ion. No.
body could believe that she married
her first husband for anything but
position, or her second fer anything
er. Her marriage was never
acknowledged. and she..was willing to
be thought the same as any other u
fayorite to cover her ambitious aims.
She held false position and was treat
ed as a usurper rather than a wife. She
to be eighty -four and retained all
her faculties to the last.
An Empress With a Small