Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-01-29
Nine. DE Mainten0n as u School Mis-
tress.
now SHE WROTE or AND THOUGHT ABOUT
HER CHARGES At ST. CYR.

now SHE WROTE or AND THOUGHT ABOUT
HER CHARGES At ST. CYR.
! From the London Spectator, December Is.
The only character in which Nine.
de Malntenon becomes really loveable
is as school-mistress. Her first foun-
dation at Rueil was chiefly for poor
children, and to do her justice, she
loved and tended them as carefully as
ever she did the young ladies Of St.
Cyr; but in the end the greater and
more aristocratic establishment swal-
lowed up the less. Her children are
to be well fed to have as much bread
as they can eat. This she insists on
several times. They are to be warmly
clad, in uniform, if possible, for Nine.
de Maintenon loves order in all things;
but if the expense would be great sire
will be content with a partial one
as that all the girls should wear the
same head dress and aprons, or hand
kerchlefs of the same cut and color.
She wishes them to he gayly dressed,
and indeed this element Of brightness
and cheerfulness is a leading feature
in her scheme of education. II think
the black aprons very lugubrious,"
she writes to Nine. de Brinon "lets
give them green or blue serge" St.
Cyr was brilliant with light and color
and song. Madame has a hearty con-
tempt for "the meannesses and little
nesses of convents.' She wishes her
dear children TO grow up to be "rea-
sonable persons" They are to live in
the world, and accordingly even their
school frocks are to be cut in he fash
ion and their "coifiure" to be that of
the day. When the so-called reform"
took place at 1t. Cyr she thought it
very hard that "the tailors" were
henceforth excluded. We find mus
lins and ribbons and even "a trim
ming of lace" as part of the uniform.
Nay, pearls and girdles were not un-
known. The education was as uncon-
ventional as the dress. "A solid piety,
far removed from the trivialities of the
converts, perfect freedom in conversa-
tion, an agreeable spirit of raillery in
society, elevation in our religious feel
ings and great contempt for the
ways of other schools" The young
ladies read Moliere and Scudery the
religious world held up its hands in
holy horror. There was reaction
for time, but the blow had been
struck a new ideal rose before the
world, and the sable throne of Igno-
rance and Routine received shock
from which it will never recover.
Madame is always writing little notes
to Nine. de Brinon. Now it is to beg
a holiday, now to announce n sudden
visit and to ask "for some little treat
for our Sisters of Charity. Let me
see them dine properly" When the
children we're i'll she sends NJ. Fagon,
the first physician in Europe, 10 pre-
scribe for them and whole list of GU
rious remedies for their disorder.
When they are well she dispatches by
bearer zone pot of butter and eight
pots of jam" but the careful soul begs
to have her jam-pots returned, and the
"demoiselles" are to get twice Us much
jam as the little peasants, for is not
noble blood to be respected in all
things? No wonder the children were
free with her, as she boasts with par
donable pride. She has special fond
ness for the naughty girls. II don't
too much dislike" she says, "wbat are
called naughty children-I mean self.
satisfied, boastful, quick-tempered chill
dren, little wilful and obstinate, for
these faults may be corrected by rea-
son of piety." However, they won't
get those rosaries they are so anxious
for. if they are not "better than they
we're Monday at work-time." They
must have been better behaved when
Madame wrote TO the school-mistrcss,
Haven't YOU some pastry-cook at
Noisy or Bailly whom you can help to
a job when your children are to have
a collation." The woman who habit
ually wrote and thought in this strain
cannot have been altogether bad and
heartless, as her enemies would have
US believe. II is in trifiles like these,
where there can be no hope of public
ity and no desire TO deceive, that we
can best discern the natural working
of Mime. dc Maintenon's heart. These
things which seem nothing and which
are nothing really mark character too
much to be overlooked" This prcg-
nant sentence from her arch foe must
be our apology, and with it we close