The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-08-09

as history KNOWS IL. mere nave been innumerable versions of 1t. In some Marie Antointte is held up as a prime con- spirator engaged in practical theft In others, she Is depicted as a beautiful and innocent martyr The weight of evidence IS in favor of the assumption that Marie Antoinette's vanity, coquetry, reckless eXtravagance and selfshness made her the ready dupe of a vulgar swindle, which ended, as Carlyle says, in bringing the throne Into seandalous collision with the treadmill, while astonished Europe saw lie unfold itself from lie, and beheld corruption among the high and among the low"
 Had Marie Antonette not died on the guillotine her history would not now be hidden, as it is, behind a tender veil of pity and romance, and it is probable that she would be assigned to her place as frivolous member of the degenerate au- tocracy that made the name of king hated throughout the world.
 FINANCE was sick-its poor from hun ger and cold. its philosophers from 4 madness, and it's rich from plenty. On the throne sat a moral, well-meaning incompetent, Louis XVI, the son of an immortal, lewd father, Louis XV. By his side sat woman, beautiful as a queen should be and frivolous as a grisette may be. The King studied geography and mechanics, while his ministers and courtiers hoarded grain and other neces- sities. made national taxation a private industry and fed their dogs better than the common people could feed their chil- dren-a vast aristocratc speculation in famine and oppression whose returns they
 zA Mme. Guillotine.
 But Mme Guillotine had not yet been born in the brain of her inventor. True, the Count de Cagliostro had shown fearful red structure in vision to the Dubarry-the mistress of Louis XIV, who, though exled from court, still main- tained some of her old ascendancy over the nobles of the glorious old regime. He had prophesied to the frightened cour- tesan that she should expire by that ma chine and that the King of France also would die on the scafold.
 Society had listened with a little shud- der, half of fear, half of the delight of sated revelers in a new sensation. Cred ulous or incredulous. King. Queen, princes, cardinals and ministers danced on in a Satans revel
 Tt is nothing" said they when ragged hordes attacked carriages in the streets of Paris. Lampoons, pamphlets and books abusing them were answered with a silent, naughty weapon-a let ter de cachet that the King signed in blank by the score and that consigned the offenders to the tomb of any of dozen bastilles
 Marie Antoinette, not hard-hearted. but selfish, not wicked, but vain and capricious, drew a thousand pieces Of gold from the French treasury to lavish on the poor, and before they had time to bless her name she drew fifty thous- and to lavish on herself, so that they cursed her. To get money for the in- satiable court. the authorities stripped the fields of France like locusts, and while the peasants scratch ed the bare ground for roots and tried to make bread from straw, the beautiful Queen and her beautiful ladies of honor danced at Versailles
 All were not blind. But in that sick France, the blind reviled those who
 
 wise: the guilty accused the innocent, and epigrams crushed truth with scorn- full laughter. Cag1iostro, asserting that by virtue of his elixir of life he had remained youthful for two thous- and years, was the friend and counselor of princes and ministers. The Cardinal de Rohan boasted of his conquests. The governor of the bastille of Paris sold the right to smuggle, and starved the prisoners, while lie fattened on the appropriations lnadL for their support.
 Everybody conspired against every body else. The Queen conspired against De Rohan, because he had opposed the Kings marriage to her. Rohan con- spired against the Queen, because he desired the post of prime minister, partly for it's power and partly be- cause he calou oulated that three months of ucl1ce would enable him to restore his fortunes which had been sapped by his excesses and extravagances.
 Cagliostro conspired against the Queen not because he hated her, but because he knew that the people hated her and that her downfall would mean the downfall of monarchy in France; ana he was one of those who saw hope for France and hope for humanity in revolution.
 This mysterious man. whether he were considered a magician or a swindler, pos sessed undoubted power through the won der and fear which he inspired and still more through his extraordinary intelli- gence and sagacity. He possessed mar veous knowledge of every ones secrets a knowledge that added immensely to his reputation for supernatural attributes, although in that age of spies and cor ruption such Knowledge was easily gained by a man of his skill, daring and wealth.
 His purse had paid for many lampoon on the Queen, many a scurrilous song that was chanted in the streets of Paris None could trace a word to him; yet wherever he went he left behind him the seed of some runor about 'the Aus trian," as the populace called Marie An toinette. The people had not reached that sinister frame of mind when they were to christen her Mime. Defcit''
 Slowly he and others like him were making her the symbol of everything that oppressed the people. In the winter of 17S4, that monster that devoured half of France with hunger and cold, he found