, 1886-12-16
HEROINE OF ACADIA.

fullest extent the virtues of patience and
courage in private life, the number of
those who by their daring in battle have
proved themselves worthy TO be teachers
Of men has been extremely small. This,
of course, is in part due to the fact that
the opportunities given to women for
such leadership are comparatively few,
but the more potent reason undoubtedly
l. that woman from her disposition II
temperament is more lifted TO shine in
passive endurance than i'll active enter
prise. Yet mt long intervals women have
arisen who seemed born to command,
md from whose natures all the weak
ness of the sex appeared TO be eliminated.
When such women do dawn on the world
they seem to reach a higher degree of
heroism han any man can attain, for
they are usually impclled to deeds of dar-
ing by influences which give their efforts
the character of n crusade. Urged on to
the field Of strife by religion, patriot
ism, love of husband or children, to them
there Il no middle way between the vic
tory and destruction; they must tri-
umph or they must perish. The latest of
these female Paladins, the rance of
.Ihansi, kept the field against the British
in India for months after her cause had
become hopeless, and finally died sword
in hund charging ut the head of her cav
alry among those who resisted to the last.
Sir Hugh Rose, her conqueror, in his gem
eral order, said that 1.-The best man upon
the side Of the enemy wa the woman
found dead, the rance of Jhansl.'
America has produced but few women
Of the heroic type, and the most remark
able Of them all, living rs she did two
centuries and IA half ago In "A remote cor
ner of the continent, and being of u for
eigu race, is comparatively little known
to the people of the United States. Yet,
if Longfellow had been Il poet of war and
battle, when he went to Acadia for II
heroine, instead of the mythical and i'm
possible Eyangelinc, he would surely
have chosen that rcnl woman, Lady
Latour, who was IA heroine indeed. As
it is lie has left for some other bard the
finest subject for m epic that, America
has yielded. Although her story has
been mainly told by her enemies, or in
the dry pages of official dispatches To the
French government, her figure energies
from the mist of two centuries firm IN
outline ny 1t appeared to her cuntempor-
aries and SO real In its humanity we
never doubt that the actual woman Is he
fore us. Frances Marie Jnquclln, who
afterward became Lady IAtour, was n
nntive of France and belonged to n
Hugucnot family of Rochelle. She was
born in the early years of the seventeenth
century, when that city was the focus OF
II religious movement which ended Ia
civil war. Born and reared amid the
stirring scenes which Rochelle witnessed,
she became well fitted 10y training and
education for the stormy and eventful
life she was destined 10 lead in Acadia.
When very young She married Lntour,
when ON u visit 10 France, and sailed back
with him to that wild romantic land
which became the scene Of her hcroism
and her death. Her arrival in Acadia
took plnce in 1923, u year before Peter
Minuri's purchase of Manhattan island
from the lndians, and five years before
the settlement of Boston. The whole
continent, now the seat of an ever widen
ing civilization, was II vast Wilderness, in
which half II dozen bands Of struggling
culonists from Florida to Quebe. were
contending against the rugged might of
nature
Iatour himself was II man Of extraor
dinary talents, alternately the sport and
fnvUrite ot fortune. Although OF such
hig descent TINT lac could claim kinship
with the great house of BouillOn his fam
iN had been totally ruined in the civil
wars In 1909 when u mere boy he went
To Acadia with his father, and when the
Port Royal colony was destroyed by An.
gal. iour years Inter, took to the woods
ana lived with the Indians for many
years IL would take too long to enumer
ntc the successive steps by which he
emerged from this humble station.
Hiencunrl, the grantee of Port Royal,
died II beqneathed his rights to La
tour The latter became lieutenant gen
eral Tor the French KING IN Acadia, and
received u vast grant on territory ON the
81 I"hn river Ana 10 crown all,
through the influence OF ms father, who
was " ~iaN"rltc at the English court, he
was made II baronet by James ] and
SIR William Alexander, the Scotch gran
tee oI Acadia, gave MN II very large tract
oi lhhu- lhus IN the enjoyment of grants
and tillcs from both crowns his fortunes
could hardly nave looked brighter than
they were an 1850 But troublous times
were ht nhiu-
lNtnur : tort was at tho mouth of the
- John = river on the site OF the New
l'ruhsMich tl'y oil that name, and from
It's position IL gave nm the command of
the Whnle iur trade OF more h $4,000
square mics oil territory. Ills establish
iieh' WIS On =" schie suluibie TO the mag
niluuo "l 'he interests ne controlled
lher' were seiuolh less thah SOO men in
r"'' i"'o'i, anu several small vessels
were ''npioyeI III ranging the coast and
,fUninS WIN inc lhulahs' me spoils of
iof,s. una stream were ut the command
oi L'tpur ana ms men, Tor the woods
nnnnlu,H III S'nie ana the rivers and sea
WIN n',' "'Ni II ruue h~punuhhce relgned
~ hlS n"sp'ta9ie poar", nut II wasa
7Huiy l"nriN me ior Lazy l-atour, with
""l i'innio ''.np"nlonSniP put mat OF
hcr servants unu WIN nor fora often
hN"N 'ne "oous' cruising on the
yo"s'' or p,lnaps, un No!hge 10 france
!, VIZ a scnooille wen ht'eu 10 develop
nli '"' p''e"' qu"ii'ieS vi " strohg ma
'uie'