Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-09-12

piety, obedience and industry, had been
elected this years rosiere, and begged their
permission to take her upon his arm to
the Marie for the observance of the civil
ceremonies"
Didn't the old folks know 1t before?" I
asked.
For sure. my good monsieur replied a
stout matron who had got into the CONVEX
sa ton. Were not all the girls of her
sodality there waiting with her. dressed in
white? Everybody knew she was elected
yesterday.
Before the Council
The girls In white. who had walked be-
hind her. took their places round the plat
form below in the front row of the crowd.
Behind them, to prevent their being pushed,
there stretched a single rank of Field
Guardians ("garde champetre') and local
gendarmerie. When the mayor led the
rosiere girl to her place on the platform,
there marched up and took places seven
severe-looking men past middle age, in
frock coats. dress shirts and white ties.
THE municipal council?" l asked the
stout matron.
Justly, monsieur. Do you the one
with dyed side whiskers? He ought not
be there. He is no better"
'Silence!" Silence, for monsieur the
mayor!
/ cannot tell all the mayor said but he
began by telling how. some fourteen hum
$50 A. D., the first browning of a virtuouS
young girl was held by Medard, bishop of
Noyen at Salency, town in the Disc dis
trict, forty miles from Gisors.
1.-The good girl received from the hands
of the holy bishop a crown of white roses
and marriage dot of % pounds grum-
bled the stout matron. why don't he say
that? He says Medard, not ST. Medard
Atheist of mayor!
The mayor was, indeed, something Of q
free thinker. He went on to tell the his
tory of French rosieres, down the long
ages. Guessing over their suppression by the
French revolution and their redistribution
under Napoleon. The rosiere of Salency, in
the old days-such were the pretentions of
ariStocratic times-waS obliged not only to
be irreproachable herself from every point
of view, but also able to show that her an
cestorS four generations back were also
strangely virtuous. Here in Gisors personal
merit alone counting. we make no such
aristocratic pretentions.
"A good thing, too" muttered the stout
matron. 'or where would you find your
rOSiere?
How She is Chosen.
Following the example of the Lord of
salcncy. who stood by Medard on that an
Client first occasion. the Seigneurs of old
France regularly pretended to the right to
choose the annual rosiere. even when their
family had not given the money for the
allowed to present three girls for them to
choose from. We have changed that, too.
No such dangerous privilege is vested in an
Individual, often frivolous The town coun-
ell this year. after diligent investigation,
had elected Marie Cecile Flora Catherine
Leocadie Dupont"
Here the crowd cheered vigorously. Some
thing else the mayor said. in his conclud-
ing observations. from which 1t was posi-
BILE to gather that both he and the majority
of the town council would submit to the
religious section of the ceremony now to
follow, under all reserves. The girl signed
the Choral Society broke into song deco
rously The procession reformed the mayor
took the girl upon his arm again, her girl
friends in white fell In behind her, and all
marcaed down the main street to the an
Client village church.
They only do it for the money" grum-
bled the stout matron, as l helped her in
the crush.
Howl"
There are 1900 francs a year to vote;
and naturally they want to have the voting
of it. Otherwise they would not go to the
church, where she must be crowned by
monsieur the cure. Ours is religious
foundation"
Does the girl get 1000 francs $500"
asked, in surprise at the amount.
Yes" said the stout dame, but not to-
day She gets 1900 francs the day she
marries-always if she has conducted her
self well meanwhile: then 1900 francs more
ten months later, on condition that she is
still living with her husband"
Crowned With White Roses.
Inside the village church, at the end Of