The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1891-12-09
JOAN OF ARC.
French Student Says the Legend lis
Away on the Facts.

A French Student Says the Legend lis
Away on the Facts.
The numerous paintings of Joan of
Arc in the recent French salons in al
most every case represent her as
young girl suffering from neurosis.
says Adolphe Smith in the Philadelphia
Telegraph. and it is difficult to under
stand how a proud people like the
French can care to believe that their
nation was saved by a girl afflicted
with nervous disease.
There is one Frenchman, however.
M. Ernest Lesigne, who has raised his
voice. against anything but fattering
France. His book, entitled La Fin
dune Legende Vie de Jeanne dare"
bears the stamp of a true history. and
it might with advantage be carefully
studied. 1t gives much more cred
liable account of what really occurred,
and the result of M. Lesigne's investi-
cations should be widely known, so
that such cobwebs of history as the
Joan of Arc legend may be swept
away. 1t must, therefore, be loudly
proclaimed that Joan of Arc did not
save France; that she was not burned
alive; but, on the contrary, having
with the aid of age and matrimony got
rid of her nervous arrangements, lived
to be the happy mother of numerous
family.
France was saved by the French
people and not by mad girl who pre-
tended to have seen visions. Joan of
Arc was an honest, virtuous, brave
country lass. The grand council Of
France, after much hesitation, made
use of her TO carry a banner. The
spectacle of a young woman on horse
back. who knew how to ride well-for
her father being an innkeeper she was
accustomed to horses-and who was
said to have seen visions was calcu-
lated to encourage an ignorant and
superstitious soldiery. Her presence
was of some use. She constituted
one of the many psychic influences
which raised France from her abase-
ment; but she did not defeat the En-
glish. The slow, deliberate. gradual
reorganization of the French nation,
the disorganization of the English. and
their civil dissensions insured the
triumph of the one, the defeat of the
other.
AS NJ. Lesigne says, use was made
of Joan of Arc; she was given BAN
ner 10 carry. but was not intrusted
with any command. When she was
behind time for combat the COM
batants did not wait for her arrival;
when she came too soon the combat
did not begin sooner than the appointed
hour. whatever she might say or do,
Joan of Arc was in the army an ia-
dividual outside of its ranks and dis
cipline; it was the army that won the
battles and was equally successful
when Joan of Arc was not there. The
soldiers listened to the marvellous
stories of her visions, and they became
subject of camp gossip; but to con-
quer the enemy no one relied on this
idle talk. On the contrary every eff
fort was made first to collect large
sum of money. then to bring together
numerous troops and select expe-
rienced captains. Nor was this all;
| enormous cannon were manufactured,
great pains taken to improve the artil-
lery. and diplomacy employed all its
arts. All the vital forces of the coun-
try were brought to bear.
With the use of gunpowder. the En-
glish archers were beaten. the expen-
sive armor worn by the feudal lords
was shattered to pieces. and the great
| walls of the feudal castles were bat
| I016O dHQ C1uU1U16Q 10 QuSIs DuL 10
bring about this revolution in the art
of war and the distribution of political
power. thirty years constant lighting
was necessary, during which many
murderous sieges took place, numer-
Gus battles ragged. and great diplomatic
and political efforts were made. But
Joan of Arc only participated for
few months in these combats, which
| Ia lfpd than a of
tury.
The book before me quotes numer-
Gus documents written at the time de-
scribing Joan's visits to Orleans and
other places after her escape from the
English. 1t gives some account of her
marriage with knight named Robert
des Armoises. and the title deed is full,
by which 1--WE. Robert des Armoises.
knight, lord of Tichiemont and Jehanne
de Lys. la Pucelle, de France wife oi
the said Tichiemont,n sell to De Equarx
Collard de Filly a property of theirs al
Haurancourt. 1t is well known tina
Joan of Arc was given as an honor
and reward the name of De Lye
The documents quoted show that i
l was the French clergy. and notably
i the University of Paris that wanted tC
e persecute her; that neither the duke o.
r Luxembourg, by whom she was capt
/ ured. nor the duke of Burgundy would
, give her up till the clergy persuaded
} the English king to pay her ransom.
} Tried and convicted of witchcraft by
, the French ecclesiastical court, she
was given over to the secular arm
which alone could carry out executions.
and ultimately allowed to escape. like
r many other persons whom the clergy
| condemned to death, but whom the
3 secular authority readily released in
exchange for ransoms or simply from
r a feeling of humanity. These condem-
nations were sort of moral satis-
2 faction allowed to the clergy, but
/ which were very rarely followed by
= actual execution.