Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1881-05-18
Jeanne Dare.

France had never-hls never-been so
near extirpation. The people," as the
historian Martin expresses it. were no
longer bathed in their sweat, but ground
in their blood, debased below the beasts of
the forest, among which they wander,
panic stricken, mutilated, in quest of an
asylum in the wilderness This fervent
and sympathetic girl came at length to see
the desoaiion of her country; her own
village was laid waste and plundered by a
maraudlng band. From childhood she had
been familiar with the legend France,
lost through a maid. shall by maid be
saved"
The story of her exploits at court. in
camp, in the field, is familiar to all the
world. A thousand vulgar fictions obscure
and degrade its essential truth What this
untaught girl did for her country was simply
this she brought to bear upon the armies
of France the influence of what our own
western preachers would call " powerful
revival of religion From bands of reck
less and dissoute plunderers. she made
French soldiers orderly, decent. moral
and devout. Hope revived. She made
the king believe in himself; she made the
court believe in the cause. Men:of faith
saw in her the expected virgin savior;
men of understanding perceived the ad
vantage to their side of having her thus
regarded. She may, too (as some of her
warrior comrades testified in later years.
have really possessed some military talent,
AS well US martial ardor and inspiration
They said of her that she had good judg
ment in placing artillery. Later in her
short public career she showed herself
restless, rash, uncomfortable; she made
mistakes; she incurred disasters, But for
many months, during which France re-
gained place among the powers of Eu-
rope, she was IL glorious presence in the
army-a warrior virgin, in brilliant attire,
splendidly equipped, superbly mounted,
nobly attended; leader whom all eyes
followed with contiding admiration, as one
who had been their deliverer, and was still
their chief. The lowliress of her origin
was an element in her power over people
who worshped every hour Saviour who
was Graded in manger. We can still
read over the door OF IN ancient inn at
Rheims, the Maison Rouge, this inscrip
ton: In the year 1929, at the coronation
of Charles VII, in this tavern, then called
The Zebra, the father and mother of
Jeanne Dare lodged at the expense of the
city council
Her career could not but be brief. When
she left home to deliver her country, she
had lived, according to the most recent
French authorities, seventeen years and
two months. Fifteen months later, Nav
"A, 1880, after series of important victo.
ries followed by minor defeats, she was
taken prisoner under the walls of Com
pelgne, which she was attempting to re-
ieve French troops, fighting on the side
of the English, captured her and held her
prisoner. French priests, in the metropol-
itan church of Notre Dame, at Paris, eel
ebrated her capture by a" "Te Deum." 1t
is doubtful if her own king lamented her
loss; for this devoted, deluded girl be-
louged to the order of mortalS whom the
powers of this world often find it as CON
venient to be rid of US to use. 1t is prob
able that she had expended her power to
be of service and had become unmanage-
able. Small, needless failures, chargeable
to her own rash impetuOsty, had !essened
her prestige. For the fair and wanton
Agnes Sorrel the idle King of France
would have attempted much; but he made
no serious effort to ransom or to rescue the
maid to whom he owed his crown and
kingdom .-JGnleS PGrtoH IN HARPER
Mdgazi11e for June.