Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1894-09-20
From tie Iriss c.tns,;e

From tie Liss c.sttyse
The 18th OF May, 1894, stands
out forever IN Id relief i'm the
bloodstained anna Ii Tho French
Revolution, as tbt aay hat witnessed
the execution of u laJam Elizabeth
Of France. This execution, let us
s-y at once, was ore of the most
odious and atrociods crimes COM
mited by the saas-ealo'tes who
drowned France in an ocean Of
blood, slaughtering the innocents,
whose sole crime it was to be of no.
BILE birth and steadfast adherents
of faith and fatherland. At time
when, in France, certain partisans
of the terror try to rchabilitate the
memory of their grandfathers, the
murderers, at the service of the
Revolution, is it not becoming
duty to venerate the noble victims
whose names adorn The pages of the
last edition of the martyrclogy, and
whose courage on the scaffold shows
what religion and patriotism can
doa even in the weaker sex, for
Goa and ones country? The pious
princess. the sister Of the ill-fated
Martyr-King, Louis XVI, is one
of those victims whose noble fea-
tures, as delineated by historians,
it does one good to behold even in
death.
This noble lady, we are informed
by her contemporaries, united in
her person the virtues of saint
with the most graceful charms of
exterior beauty and accomplish
ment. Her soul was noble, pure,
and devoted without parallel; her
mind most resolute and perspiea-
cious. She was, it seems, the only
person in the royal home who saw
clearly as the events of the Revolu .
luton unfolded themselves day by
day in darker and more mysterious
colors. Her great soul can be read
through in two words +: les pauvres,
les panrres. One day the jeweller
to the royal household showed her
q fine set of jewels, which at first
sight she seemed most anxious to
purchase. Chow much 2" she said
400 liEres, was the reply. Then
after few monTnts' consideration,
"No ~ said She, "4OO livres will
enable me to set mp four little house
holds tO. the poor" In her letters
she very frequently speaks of tie
pOor-"The winter is likely to be
severe, what is to become of the
poor? If / had treasures nobody
would be in want; oh |. that / had
plenty of money that nobody might
bc poor any longer z As to her
determination and frnness of will,
nothing could be more admirable
and self-sacri6cing. She refused
to marry, because she hild resolved
to remain always with her loved
brother, the king. Nor would she
leave France, though she clearly
foresaw the future. Her devoted
ness to the king and royal family
was highly appreciated by Mary
Antoinette; "mysister, Elizabeth, "
the queen wrote, "sustains us all
by her calm courage" and the peo-
pie of Paris, 1.-THE true people," not
the saas-calottes revelling in satan.
ical forgies, called her ISL. GENE.
pieUs Of the Tnilleries."
Let us now give short report OF
the execution of this holy princess.
When she was sentenced to death
twenty-four other people were sen,
fenced with heras being aecOmplices,
amongst them being some noblemen
and ladies of high rank. Dumas
the president of the tribunal wht
pronounced the sentence of death
limited to this fact, as be concluded
with an insolent and mean iron,
saying "She will not complain
Elizabeth Of France, she will b,
able to imagine herself at Versatile
on finding herself at tile foot of tn