New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-12-26

make the latter wiser. The heir to the throne
was good-natured and shy, he was as ignorant
OF what his position required II him as Marie
AntOinette was herself. From him she could
expect no help To whom. then, was she to
turn? To the Comtesse de Noaies D lady
abundantly qualified to give her good advice
on points Of court etiquette. but utterly I'M
fitted to afford her more than this Maria
Theresa herself was lavish of admonitions, but
they did not go to the root OF the matter BE
obliging, amable, and amusing" she said, land
you will find that you have made a happy
marriage" To these counsels she added innu-
merable others. No doubt they were good.
But they were not the outcome Of frank inter-
course between her daughter and herself. She
based them the letters Of a spy who daily
set down every word and act Of the unsus-
pectng princess. Marie-Antoinette used to
wonder how her mother became well ac-
quainted with her doings. All she learned was
that she was to follow her mothers Instructions.
that she was to conide in no one, that she must
do one thing and leave the other undone with
only the sketchiest knowledge OF the reasons
for her behavior. Naturally she found herself
In the position Of an arbitrarily managed pupil
or servant. and. just naturally. when her
spirit rose In rebellion 1t led her to the commits
sion Of all sorts Of indiscretons. Nowhere did
she find the assistance OF which she stood so
rarely In need The Empress might protest
against her fippant ways. but the protect WAS
too imperial: what needed was affection
ate and prudent counsel what was needed was
the right word spoken at the right time and
with an effort to make her feel in her inner
most being the Justice OF the matter. She seems
to the modern reader like a Gagged bird that
Ao~ Lnn TIC ti,,it, and &c lin "
full OF song. Nevertheless the bars are there.
and the poor victim constantly hurls himself
against them to his own discontinue and the
scandal OF the beholders
Keep a neutral position in everything" ad
vised Maria Theresa. Her daughter tried her
best to follow this advice. But she opened her
mind freely TO Mercy, the SPY of the Empress,
and when she found herself unpopular she did
not know that 1t because she
pected Of too close a connection with Austrian
Interests The Empress naturally sought to
profit by everything that Mercy could tell her.
Here she was true. as she had always been,
to the interests ~ her state She not true
to the interests of her daughter. And there Is
something exquistely fatuous In her watchwOrd
OF neutrality when the character OF the French
Court is considered on one side was Marie
Antoinette. with no desire to rule but with an
instinct to rule impcriousy when the obligation
laid upon her on the other hand is Nine.
Adelaide. striving with all her might to adj
vance the interests If her own favorites In
this opposition may be found dozens OF the most
experienced courtiers in French history. Could
Marie-Antoiuette submit to be completely VIC
tmlzod by their intrigues7 The Queen awoks
In her AS the adherents Of the Du Barry pressed
upon her. the Queen resented the insuiferable
pcdantry Of the Contesse de Noaes but the
woman pu: even quicker upon the de-
fensve. Once her spirit was reused Marie-An
toInctte had the passionate hrmness Of a born
ruler There is the strangest contrast between
her submissive demcanor as Dauphne and her
proud carriage az Queen God help us and
protect us. We are too young to reign" With
these words the young King and Queen fell
upon their knees when Louis XIV died But
once on the throne Marie AM oinette forgot 10
be cautious When the dowagers Of her court
came TO make their obesances she allowed one
Of her ladies' to play childish tricks in the same
room. and the levity Of her conduct was imme-
diatcly reported throughout France. The NAL
contents took it for pure insoence 1t was
nothing nor less than the gaucherie of one
who accepted power as her right. but had never
been instructed In the proper use of II. Miss
Bicknelrs pathetic story is one Of almost UNI
interrupted error. Errors. not crimes the
Queen would cXpiate on the scaffod. as she was
quick to assure the priest just before her death.
and history is fan to pallate the errors. they
seem to have come from so gracious spirit
The great charm II Marie-Antoinett" springs.
too. from the fact that beneath all those errors.
beneath all those years Of extravaganza and
thoughtess dissipation. there flowed an under
current OF the most womany sweetness and
strength. Few Of her contemporaries perceived