The Irish standard., 1905-04-15

1641-forty years prior to our friends
date Of 16S1-a religious ballet enti.
tied Religion uniting Great Britain to
the rest Of the world" was danced at
London at the marriage of the Prin-
cess Elizabeth to Elector Frederic.
And yet we are told that "in 1851 in
France the modern society dance was
born" and that "the French teach us
how to dance" Well! Well! Well!
Third paragraph. He said: cat the
court Of Louis XIV, the most brilliant,
profigate and licentious court on
earth" We had thought that the Sui
tan Of Turkey had his court and serag-
lilo upon the earth somewhere, also
King Charles II Of England. likewise
King Henry Viii, and while Louis XIV
may have surpassed them all in bril-
liancy and costly grandeur and while
we are no apologist for him or his prof
ligacy, yet it should not be forgotten
that there were many. very many 9TH
ers equally as licentious and by far
more cruel. Louis XIV never impris-
oned his legitimate wife, neither did
he hang four or five other illegitimate
ones. No matter then, how profligate
debauched or even murderous any 9TH
er court or sovereign may have been,
according to the logic of Mr.. Colman,
the court of Louis XIV was ''the most
profligate," and why? Because, for
sooth, they danced. Shades of Aristo.
tle!! Look down upon us poor NOR
tails and see to what vain and illogical
uses the faculty of reason is put.
Fourth, he said: I'm France today
where the virtuous woman is the ex-
ception." Stop one moment, my good
friends, and reflect on that express
sion, where the virtuous woman is
the exception" I stated in my inter-
view to you that 1 was panied to hear
him make that expression and also
the other one equally insulting and
equally false. 1 blush to hear any
man, much more minister of truth,
a follower of the meek, humble but
truthful NaZarene, make such a flag
rant, outrageous, false and defamatory
accusation against the womanhood of
France or any other civilized and
Christian nation. 1t is only by su-
preme stretch of nondescript imagi-
nation that such condition could be
conceived of, even among the Hotten-
tots of Africa. Even they have their
marriage ceremonials, paganistic
though they may be.
If there be anything that strikes the
American and other foreign travellers
in France with impressive force it is
the exceedingly cautious safeguards
thrown around the French young lady
as compared to the free and easy
manners of our own. She scarcely, if
ever, leaves the paternal roof without
being chaperoned by her mother, IA
ther or some one equally reliable, and
surely it is, in charity and truth, to be
presumed that the French mother who
is so strict and careful with her daugh-
ter would not be lost to all principle,
virtue and decency herself. The truth
of such statement and of all the pre-
ceding accusations is on a par with
what follows and their accuracy may
be judged therefrom.
Fifth, he said: "In France, where
one-third of the children are illegiti-
mate"
Just think of it! One-third means,
of course, 80 1-3 per cent. That is an
appalling statement, and am sorry
for the sake of Mr. Colman that he
made it, but in behalf of the ancestors
of La Fayette, Of Rochambeau and
those brave and heroic Frenchmen
who gave us timely aid in the dark
and trying hours of the Revolution,
when King George and his hired min
ions were bribing the savages of the
American forests to scalp our people;
in behalf of the French nation and in
behalf of virtuous and noble woman
hood everywhere, am happy to be
able to say that, according to the
best statistics, such a statement is not
only absolutely false, but it is false
statement four times over. Not only
is it false but it is defamatory.
Here is the table of statistics taken
from the three greatest authorities on
the subject: Mulhall, Leffingwell and
the Statesman's Year Book:
To 1000 births, number of illegiti-
mate children:
81 81 EgE