St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1892-11-05
THE FALL or ST. CLOUD


80Sbt 6s80Os
There is something almost rcpulsive
in the thought that the ruins of St
Cloud in France have been sold at auc-
ton: that all that war and time had
left of the beautiful palace, where
kings and emperors loved to take their
case. has been knocked down 20 spec
ulative purchaser as SO much old build
ing material. That Frenchmen should
desire to remove such conspicuous OBJ
ject Of their humiliation, sufferings
and disasters is perhaps natural enough,
but the most rigid and soulless of ccon-
omists must feel . shock at the manner
in which the French have chosen To
carry out their decision that this
palace must be obliterated. There has
been habitually ascribed to Frenchmen
discernment and tact, yet these quail.
ties seem to be lacking when this his
toric monument. whose every stone has
its history. is allowed to be cartcd away
as rubbish by the purchaser.
81. Cloud has had a famous history.
Although its fame rs royal residence
dates from very early days In the wars
of the Burgundians and the Armagnacs
it was the scene Of frequent combats:
in the religious strife of later age II
played = noteworthy part, and it was
in the castle rs it then stood that the
knife of Jacques Clement ended the life
of Henry Ill. The rare natural beauty
of the scenery began to attract men OF
wealth and taste SO soon rs the fash
So, - -, .sr~, c,>1cnI:.l 49,, hose ~.
in the neighborhood of the court sprang
mp among the ruling classes Catherine
de Melici sometimes resides at St
Cloud, and the magnificent and aspir.
ing Fouquet made himself at home
there. but from the ministry of Mazarin
dates its real life. Then the new lords
of st. Cloud lavished upon it every
ornament which the taste of the age
could devise and q boundless command
of money could procure.
At the time of Mazarin began long
round Of fetes. which outshonc all the
previous rcvelries of that magnificent
society. To this home Monsieur rs
the kings brother was stvled IN the
jargon of the court, took home his
charming bride. the fascinating and
unhappy Henrietta, daughter oi
the English Charles !. And here,
soon after. the greatest OF
French pulpit orators was delivering
over Henrietta's coffin perhaps the most
memorable of all his discourses Here
Mime. de Raviere lived. and here was
laid the scene Of the anecdotes about
br. NluS h~ra c.,,no IDu.v, <n H1,sc a., =,
1t was at st. Cloud that the regent re
ccived Peter the Great when that ex
traordinary man was startling western
Europe with his genius and his extrava-
gance; and here Louis Philippe d Or.
leans sp-nt unprecedented sums in
festivities before he sold the chateau
and grounds to the unhappy Marie An.
toinette. Under the empire St Cloud
was the thcater Of many memorable
scenes. 1t was here that Napoleon took
the first decisive step in that career
which planted him upon the throne.
when his soldiers expelled ''thc 5O0'' nj
the point Of the bayonct.
Here, ton. Napoleon signed the at
proc'airning himself emperor: here he
celebrated his marriage with Marie
Louise of Austria. and here he lived by
preference when in France. During
the restoration St Cloud was equally
favored. 1t was in the palace that
Charles n. signed the Inflated ord:-
nances which lex, to his downfall, and
il was within its walls that he spent
the disastrous days Of July" The
third Napoleon was very fond of
St Cloud, as was his famous uncle, and
it was at ST. Cloud that the former bid
farewell to the empress on the eve of
his last campaign. II is this princely
dwelling. SO rich in historic memories
and lessons, that the French rulers have
sent under the hammer. Ad-
vprtscxsr