The Portland daily press., 1885-10-30
MARY OF SCOTLAND.
John L. Stoddard's Lecture in the
StockbrIdge Course.

The pouring rain of last night could not
dampen the desire of the Portland public to
hear Mr. Stoddard's lecture on the life of
Mary, Queen of Scots, and City Hall was
crowded when the speaker stepped upon the
platform. Mr.. Stoddard takes a favorable
view of the fair Scottish Queen, maintaining
that the crimes with which she is so often
charged were in reality the deeds of courtiers,
to whom no means were too low to be used
in furthering their ambitious schemes to
usurp the government Of Scotland There
is. perhaps, as much to be said on this as on
the other side of this vexed historical ques-
ton, and the story of the romantic life of
Queen Mary, as told in the speakers graphic
style, presents this higher aspect of her aims
and actions in forcible manner
The pictures were among the best which
Mr.. Stoddard has shown in Portland,
especially good being those scenes of the
rugged and rocky coast and highland regions
of Scotland. OF these, the view of the hills
from whose rocky tops the mist is evidently
just rolling away, was particularly fine. The
grim old Scottish fortresses and scarcely less
grim palaces, were truthfully pictured, and
accurate views were given of the handsomer
chateaux of France.
The first view was of Linlithgow Castle,
where Mary was born in 1912. But Linlith-
Cow was not thought a suitable place for the
keeping of the child, who so soon became a
queen, and it was at Stirling Castle that she
spent her time until six years old. And here
it was, at the age of nine months, the infant
Mary, surrounded by the mobiles of her
realm was crowned Queen of Scotland, the
of ctof hQinu hn0kiad around her
waist and her baby fingers closed around the
sceptre, while she was held upon the throne.
The period in the life of Mary to which all
readers turn with pleasure is that time spent
in France, first as the promised bride of the
dauphin, and finally as his wife after he had
assembled the throne. Mary left Scotland at
the age of six and became the wife of Fran
els when 16 years old, the wedding ceremony.
being performed before the Cathedral OF
Notre Dame in the presence of thousands OF
spectators. AS the wife of the dauphin and
| king Mary best exhibited those qualities
| which have softened the sterner features of
| her later life, and contributed to the forma-
| ton of milder judgment of the unfortunate
| queen than is sometimes accorded Here she
was gentle and beloved of all. Ii she knew
| the inferiority of her husband, she never
| showed her knowledge, and the British am
| bassador, writing to Elizabeth, was forced
| to admit the devotion and sorrow she dis
| played as she maintained her place at the
| side of her husbands dying bed
| Mr. Stoddard recounted the events OF
| Mary's turbulent reign in Scotland after her
| return from France in an interesting way
| and introduced some good reasons to support
| his idea of Mary's character. The girl OF
| eighteen coming from France to take up the
| government of her realm, found herself In
| the midst of many warning factions. In
| religion, while France was mostly Catholic
| and England mostly Protestant, Scotland was
| divided and the mass celebrated by Mary's
order in the chapel of Holyrood Castle, to
| return thanks for her safe journey from
| France and escape from the hostile fleet of
England, occasioned riot. The letter writ
ten by the Queen granting religious liberty
| to her subjects and claiming the same
| privilege for herself, came too soon to be I'M
| derstood. In John Knox, the preacher and
| woman hater, Mary anticipated and found
| bitter enemy and one too powerful among
| the people to be summarily dealt with But
| the Scots were proud of their beautiful
| young Queen and welcomed her warmly, en-
| thusiasm being aroused to high pitch when
| in opening the parliament, she addressed
| them in her native tongue, the foreign accent
with which she spoke making the words
| seem pleasanter. :,
It is unnecessary to tell here the well
| known story of Mary's marriage with Darn
| ley, and the subsequent events during the
| time she spent in Scotland. As Mr.. Stod-
| dard told the tale of horror 1t was given
| new interest, increased by the excellence
| of the views
| Mary's reign in Scotland lasted but seven
| years, but the time she spent in England as
| the captive of her cousin Elizabeth was near
| ly three times that length, nineteen years
| passing away while she remained royal
| prisoner Elizabeth's course in thus contin-
| ing the Scottish Queen could not have been
| dictated by fear of Mary, as in France
| or Scotland she would have been far less
dangerous than shut up in the midst of a
| people of whom considerable portion still
| chung to her religion and regarded her as a
| princess to be rescued and enthroned, if pos
sible. They plotted to this end and it was
on charge Of completely with them, that
Mary was brought to trial. She denied the
right of Elizabeth to try an independent SOW
| ereign on the charge of treason and having
| been tried and condemned, met her fate,
! probably, as she had lived land died leaving
behind her the story of her life as one of the
enigmas of history.