The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1900-12-27
Mrs. Draper Read a Very Interesting
Paper Before the Club Women
Wednesday Afternoon.
A STUDY OF ENGLISH HISTORY.
Mrs. Redeker, Mrs. Rowe, aud Mrs. Colt
fredsen and Miss Brown Discussed
Kindred Subjects.

The Woman's club held their second
meeting in their new quarters We'd
nesday afternoon. The day was de-
voted to the study of the contemporary
eous reigns of Henry VIII of England,
Charles V of Austria, and Francis of
France. The essay was read and writ
ten by Mrs. Draper, and subordinate
topics on the following subjects were
treated of, The C1oister Life of Charles
V, by Miss Brown; The New Learning,
by Mrs. G. V. Redeker; Sir Thomas
Moore, by Mrs. F. J. Gottfredsen, and
Dean Co1et, by Mrs. Rowe.
Mrs. Draper gave very comprehen-
sive sketch of the life and character of
the.great monarchs who struggled for
supremacy in Europe during the first
half of the sixteenth century, Charles
V, of the house of Austria, the cold,
calculating, ambitious master of the
art of government, who, by dint of
two shrewd marriages, had come into
possession of the Netherlands, Spain
and Italy, beside the German Empire
and dreamed of a time when he should
revive the Empire of Char1emagne;
Francis I of France, gallant knight
and courtier, friend to learning and
true patriot, who discerned the shadow
of world empire under the rule of
Austria that would absorb and annih1-
late France, and rallied the strength
of his confined kingdom against the
vaster, but more scattered forces of
Austrian aggression that completely
surrounded him, and Henry VIII,
merry, cruel, selfish, impu1sive, AFRO
giant, whose assistance was the bone
of contention between the struggling
potentates and the weight in the bal
ance of European destiny. Neither
Henry VIII nor Francis I were as well
educated in the science of government
as Charles V, and Francis the least
of the three. The course of the Eng
g1ish monarch was altered at times
by his changing relations with the
church, but the course of Charles was
one of steady and consistent aggression
and that of Francis one of resistance.
In spite of deficient training in the art
of kingship and diplomacy, Francis l,
from Marignano to Crespy, through
trials and reverses, so successfully led
the struggle of France in self defense
against the ambitious designs of
Charles V, that as result of his efforts
Charles at last retired to the c1oister
disappointed and disheartened, while
the fabric of his magnificent empire,
like that of his great prototype, was
servered and disorganized.
The topics were all closely related to
the main subjects and threw many in
teresting side lights upon the history
of the times when these three were the
central figures in the drama. "The
C1oister Life of Charles" brought out
we'll the character of Charles when di-
vested of the habiliments of Empire.
"The New Learning" as treated by
Mrs. Redeker, presented the impetus to
and progress of learning in spite of
and by virtue of the wars that raCked
all Europe. Sir Thomas Moore and
Dean Co1et were sketched by Mrs.
Gottfredsen and Mrs. N. A. Rowe,
showing their influence on the new
learning and the attitude of France
and England, of Henry and of Francis
relative to the renaissance.
The discussion was led by Mrs. ]. L.
Hewitt. After the work of the day the
usual refreshments were served.