Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-08-30

power to manage men, Of ability to rule or
ruin kingdoms, of mind comprehensive
enough to understand and shape politics,
and patriotism enough to devote herself to
the best interests of her country. Madame
de Pompadour was ambitious. She loved
power. Her moral principles were weak.
Her desire to stand first in the Kings af-
fections was not prompted by love SO much
as by ambition.
MORALITY OF THE COURT.
Judged by the standard of the nineteenth
century morality, she was bold bad woman
to be held in dishonor and covered with
contempt. But in the France of the 're-
Ggious Louis "" it was not the fashion for
husbands and wives among the nobility to
love each other. 1t was very bad form for
them to appear together in public like COM
mon people. A man with any pretensions
to blue blood and style did not dream of
dancing attendance upon his wife. She
found lovers more to her liking in other
men, and he, on his part, bestowed his af-
fections and attentions upon women he
found more attractive. When q married
couple so far forgot what was due to society
ss to appear together in public, they fur
nished great stock for laughter, sneers and
ridicule in the salons. To be in love with
each other gave point to wit and edge to
cynicism.
The court led the fashion. Married usu-
ally for purposes Of politics, kings found
consolation In alliances not made sacred by
marriage vows To be the Kings favorite
was a position most ardently desired by
some Of the proudest DANES Of the court Of
Louis XIV. The great antsgonism shown to
Madame de PompadouD who, by her beauty,
wit and cleverness, secured the affection
and allegiance of Louis, was not from any
virtuous scruples on the part of the nobility,
but was simply owing to the fact that she
was not Of noble birth. That the distinc-
ton Of being the Kings mistress. should be
bestowed upon daughter of the people ex-
cited the rage and wrath of the naughty
grand danes of the court circle. But she
soon showed herself to be possessed of such
tact and intelligence as to make it clear to
most people that she welded the scepter of
France and that to insure court fayors and
secure high places her friendship was to be
sought and her good offices secured The
Queen objected to her being made q dame
Of the palace on the score of her low birth,
but Louis bestowed upon her the title and
estates Of a duchess
HER DESCRIPTION OF THE KING
In her memoirs she describes the King as
Humane, mild, affable, compassionate, just,
desirous of doing good, and the declared
enemy of all that does not bear the char
acter of honor and probity." But she says
little of his weakness, his melancholy dis
position, his incapacity as ruler. He had
a taste for hunting, for amateur cookery and
working tapestry in cross stitch, but none
for affairs of state. These he left to Madame
do Gha IL H. -, sc
tions In the army and appointed the highest
officers in the State. In making these ap-
pointments she aimed chiefly at capacity
and fitness, and did not base these, as did
Madame de Maintenon, mainly on a regular
attendance at church and the saying of many
prayers. But she records of the nobility Of
France:
'They spend their lives In Incidence and
dissipation. Politics is as much unknown
to them as finance and economy. Those
who have ambition enough to push them
selves into the ministry have no other merit
than that of intrigue and caballing. In vain
have sought for Colberts or Louvoisea
The age of able ministers in France II over.
The branches of the administration must bo
intrusted to those who are only versed in
the science of plundering the State since
there are no other"
GOOD THINGS SHE DID
louis was too weak in mind and too law
to apply himself to or take any interest in
the affairs of government, save as related to
him in an interesting and piquant style by
Madame de Pompadour. In addition to en-
him and preserving him from
ennui, she presided at the Cabinet meetings
Of the Ministers, and received the foreign
and gave ear to the complaints
of the people. She was the patron of science
and philosophy. She gave encouragement
ufactures which give prestige to her name
the porcelains of Sevrss-
designs for which she modelled and painted
herself. She established hospitals and
schools, and had ever q warm side for men
Of letters, of science and of art.
In the fragment of her Memoirs" en-
balmed in this Annual Register Madame de
does not dwell upon her servi-
,es to the State, but defends herself from
.he accusations of being the author of the
of France during her hold OF,
power. The French nobility, she writes
mad no genius for war. There was no mill
.ary school-until she established one-and
hey became Colonels and Generals before
hey knew how to be soldiers. "I never"
she says, "placed Minister, or gave COM
nand in the armies to any person without O
certain conviction of his talents and
merits"
That she had poor material to select from
was the weakness of France. Although the
Solic law prohibited women from occupy
ng the throne of France the history of that
country shows they can do it, law or no law,
when they make up their minds to rule and
nave requisite ability, as had Madame dc
THE ROADS OF ENGLAND
When we read in these CHRONICLES" that |
he King of England at almost every ses-
ion of Parliament was signing bills for the |
Improvement of the roads, it is not surpris- |
ng that the highways of the United King
lom are remarkable for their excellence and |
durability. It would have been vastly to
he interest of this country if the fire.
athers had given a little of the same at
ention to the improvement of the roals in
America that was manifested by George III.
md his successors. Pittsburg, as town of
our squares, was laid out two years before
his Annual Register of 1766 was published,
nd few log houses were erected, but with
II its growth and improvements, with all
is boasted advances in trade and COM
nerce, the roads around about it are as
eep with mud in the winter as when Brad
ock with his army was defeated and when
Washington described it as "a town Of 20
og houses"
The last pages of the Register are de-
oted to an account of the books published
q that year, which list forms striking
ontract to that Of our own times Five
ooks constitute the list, viz: "The His
Dry of Greenland" "Swift's Posthumous
,etters," ga Discourse on the Antiquities
f the Isle of Anglesey," ''The Ge1ius and
of Christianity" and 'The His
,rical Events of the Empire of Hindo-
.an." If these were all, as would appear,