The Savannah morning news., 1903-02-15

flaming argument may be an occa-
sional one provoked by a particularly
close game of dominoes in the cafe
after the afternoon glass of absinthe.
Yet from the middle of the sixteenth
century till near its end, the two great
opposing parties-the followers of the
Reformation and the Catholics-with
one accord looked upon Chatillon-sur-
LONG as the fortress of the stoutest
defender of the new faith.
During the lifetime of Admiral de
Coligny, he was more powerful than
kings to kindle war, more powerful
than preachers to kindle religious We
hemence.
Remnants of the Castle.
To-day there remain only the great
tower, of a curious octagonal shape,
the remnants of a part of the sur
rounding wall, and a beautiful foun-
tain made by the Huguenot sculptor
Jean GOujon, to show what mighty
castle protected the Colignys in their
bloody days.
Few other remnants of those days
are left in Chatillon. The most inter
estlng are the two meeting places
where the rival factions held their
services They are still known in Cha
tillon by the names that they bore in
the past days of hatred, the meeting
place of the Calvinists being pointed
out to visitors as He'll and the
meeting place of the Catholics bearing
the name of Paradise"
In Coligny's life time the castle and
its surroundings were among the most
beautiful Of France. Three terraces
led to the wide portals of the castle
which commanded a beautiful view
over the valley of the LONG
French and Italian painters and
sculptors had done their best work in
decorating the interior and exterior,
and the family seat was one that was
indeed worthy of being visited, as it
was for many years, by some of the
greatest men of Europe-Princes of
Blood and Princes of Thought.
The Grent COIigny.
In Coligny intense faith never be-
came fanaticism. He was one of the
clearest minds of France, and his
projects for the advancement of the
nation were those of a statesman. He
could see far beyond the terrible en-
tanglements of his time, and history
has pronounced the verdict that, had
he been permitted to impress his pol
icies more powerfully on the land of
France, it would have been vastly ben
eficial to his country.
One of his warmest desires was the
conquest of Algeria. 1t was pressed
and urged by him through a great
part of his life. 1t was pooh-hoohed
continuously by the Frenchmen then
in power. Centuries after his death
France took Algeria.
In Chatillon, Coligny lived a SIM
pie life despite all the luxury that
surrounded him. Psalms and prayer
began the d1U and anda6
ever there were disputes he counselled
peace. He never adopted the extreme
and rancorous politics of many of the
leading Calvinists. Nowhere could a
Catholic feel more free to worship and
practice his religion as he chose than
in Chatillon, the town of the most en-
inent defender of the opposing faith;
nowhere in Europe was there more lib
crafty in thought and education.
Centuries before such movements
became popular throughout the world,
Admiral de Coligny established a hui
manitarian school in Chatillon where
boys were taught Latin, Greek and
Hebrew at his exense.
Louise de COIigny.
Admiral de Coligny had no better or
Drawer helper in his aims and strug-
giles than his daughter Louise. A
beautiful and talented woman, she was
as courageous as she was devoted.
Through all the bitterness and terror
of religious feuds, she remained un-
terrified and steadfast.
She married one of her fathers
truest comrades, Charles de Theligny,
who had fought by Gaspard de Colig-
ny's side in almost all his wars
In the night of st. Bartholomew.
Aug. "a, 1872, her father and her hus-
band were both massacred.
She herself escaped only as by a
miracle and managed to reach Switz-
erland where the Calvinists paid her
great honor There, despite the hor-
rors through which she had passed,
she remained a powerful and inf1uen-
tial factor in the growth of the new
faith.
Finally she was permitted to return
to Lierville, her husbands estate, and