The age-herald., 1898-01-30


 adroitness and sagacity of that lion-hearted | princess. Her obstinaey, however, with | the indignities which it brought her, af- l fected the worlds history. It called forth that memorable ontburst from Burke in his "Rehections On the French Revolu- tion,' in which e.said: .'It is now sixteen or seventeen years since saw the queen of France, then the dauphness, at Yer sailles, and surely never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. Little did I dream that I should live to see such dis asters fallen upon her in nation of gall lant men-in q nation of men of honor and or cavaliers" Burke here voiced the re- action against. political progress which the excesses of the French revoutionists in- cited throughout Europe outside of France, and which put off reform in England until lSS2, the year in which the first of Eng lands great franchise extension bills passed.
 De Stael, Tallien and Roland are few or the great personages among the women whes hgured in French politics on the con- stitutionalist side during the revolution Mme,. Roland is remembered by the invo- cation, 70 liberty, how many crimes are committed in thy namei" which is at- tributed to her as she was about to be beheaded. She was gifted and courageous, but the historical research of the past quarter of century has shown the Girondist faction. to which she belonged, to be little less admirable than had formerly been supposed. Mme Tallien, wife of the revolutionary leader of that name, took a prominent partsin planning the movement which overthrow Robes pierre and sent him to the guillotine Like Mme Roland, she had a salon, to which many of the greatest men in France were attracted.
 But Mime. De Stael, the sultan among women," the .'whirlwind in petticoats,'' some of her admirers called her. was by far the most brilliant and influential of all the women who figured in French politics during the quarter of a century which elapsed between the meeting of the states general in 17S9 and the overthrow of Bonaparte by combined Europe. Bona- parte disliked her because she refused tt render him homage, and because her power over the minds of many of the leading spirits of the day was used against his political schemes He at last told her that Paris was too small to hold both of them at the same time, banished her from that city and forbade her to come within forty leagues of it again. After Bona parte's downfall in 1915 she took up her residence in Paris once more, but died two years later
 In Socrates, who called himself one of her disciples, Aspasa had follower whose name will live forever. Mime. de Stael had as admirers many of the first men of the age. She enthralled Benjamin Constant, Monmorency. Schiller, Schlegel Wilhelm won, Humboldt, Lafayette, Narbonne, Mo- Icdu, DcTnduOll6, CndIeuDr1and ana scores Of others famous in various fields of en- deavor and various countries. Goethe Pitt Fox and Talleyrand were also among her friends. Her conversational gifts were marvellous. Her passion, intensity and en- thusasm, and the directness force and impetuosity of her language gave her spell over her hearers which was hypnotic in its abso1uteness. Schlegel said there was far more eloquence in her conversa- ton than there was in "Corinne," "Del- llav.or -pt
 by which she captivated Europe "If I were empress of the world" exclaimed the brilliant Mime. de Tesse, q would com mana Mime. de Stael to talk to me for ever"
 Engiands and America's women in noli- ties had far less influence than their french sisters who have been mentioned and 1t has been exerted in a different way Michael MacDonagh, in his Book of Parliament,' speaks of the Duchess of Devonshire, who is mentioned bv Horace Waipole and by other English writers of her day, who was power for years in the canvasses for the whig side. She had beauty, talent, courage, enthusiasm and tact, and in making personal visits to the residences of electors, and in appealing to them on the streets and at their places or work, she made many votes for her party. She had particularly warm ad- miration for Fox the great whig leader 'The Duchess of Devonshire is indefatiga- Die in her canvass for Fox" wrote Lord Cornwallis in 1884. "She was in the most blackguard houses in Long Acre by 8 CLOCK tnis morning" During her can viss,'' Horace Walpole wrote, ssthe Ouch, ess made no scruple of visiting the hum- blest of the electors dazzling and enchant- ing them by the fascination of her man. ner, the power of her beauty and the in- fuence of her high rank, and sometimes carrying off to the hustings the meanest mechanic in her own c arriage" Your eyes are so bright" said an Irish labor CT to her at Covent Garden, that I could light my pipe by them" It is related that no other compliment received by the duch- ess in her long career of social and politi- cal conquest pleased her as much dis this
 On the tory-side at that time and on both sides safterward were many women who were as active in politics as the Duchess of Devonshire. The Primrose league. an asociation of both sexes, was organized in | the latter part of the earl of Beaconsfietd's days, and in his interest, which is still in | existence. The lady members of it have | been active in every canvass. On the lib- | eral side women have been almost equally | prominent. Some female politicians have | been eloquent and persuasive orators. Oc- l castonally one of them is on the opposite side from her husband. 'I prefer not to stand for election this time," said the Unionist Earl of Carhle few years ago. just before he got that title and went to the house of lords, to a committee of citi- zens who wanted him to represent their
 
 radical and she'd be sure to make speeches l for my opponent"
 Dolly Madison, by far the best known | and most popular of the earlier mistresses | of the white house. was understood to have had great political influence over her hus- band and also over Jefferson, his pre- decessor, in whose cabinet Madison was 1 secretary of state. Clay and Blaine were | favorites with the ladies, while Mrs. John A. Logan was as active and powerful an aid to her husband in politics Terentia | was to Cicero. Clay, indeed, had about | many active and ardent women sup | porters as Fox, his great prototype, had | in England My husband is a Polkite,' said the wife of the man who presided | over the Baltimore convention in which | Polk was nominated, ''but I am Clay | man. Nearly all the ladies of my ac- quaintance, regardless of the politics of l the male members of their families, are Clay men," On one occasion a woman was the means of breaking up a cabinet in the United States This was Mrs.