The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-08-09

Tn this story Dumas follows pretty closely the actual history of the fa- nous scandal of the diamond necklace, 60 far as history knows 1t. There have been fnnumerabie versions of 1t. In some Marie Antoinette is held up as a prime conspirator engaged in practi- as a beautiful and innocent martyr The weight Of evidence is in favor of the assumption that Marie Antoinette's and selfishness made her the ready dupe of vulgar swindle, which end- ed, as Carlyle says, in bringing the throne into scandalous collision with the tread-mill, while astonished Eu- rope saw lie unfold itself from lie, and beheld corruption among the high and among the low"
 Had Marie Antoinette not died on the guillotine her history would not now De hidden, as 1t is. behind a tender we'll of pity and romance, and 1t is probable that she would be assigned 70 her place as frivolous member of the degenerate autocracy that made the name of King hated throughout the world.
 France was sick--its poor from hun ger and cold, it's philosophers from madness. and it's rich from plenty. on the throne sat g moral, well-meaning incompetent, Louis XVI, the son Of an immoral lewd father, Louis XIV. By hls side sat a woman, beautiful as q Queen should be and frivolous as q srisette may be. The King studied geography and mechanics. while his Ministers and courtiers hoarded grain and other necessaries, made national taxation private industry and fed their dogs better than the common people could feed their children--a vast aristocratic speculation in famine and oppression whose returns they were to collect on the red platform of Mme. Gu4llotine.
 But Mme. Guillotine had not yet been born in the brain of her inventor. True, the Count de Cagliostfo had shown a fearful red structure in vision to the Dubarry--the mistress Of Louis xV.. who though exiled from court. still maintained some of her old ascendancy over the nobles of the glo- Iious old regime. He had prophesied to the frightened courtesan that she should expire by that machine and that the King of France also would de on the scaffold.
 Society had listened with a little shudder, half of fear, half of the de- light of sated revelers in a new sem sation. Credulous or incredulos, King, Queen, Princes, Cardinals and Minis tsrs danced on in a Satan's revel.
 Tt is nothing" said they when rag aed hordes attacked carriages in the streets of Paris Lampoons, parn-- phlets and books abusing them were answered wit silent, naughty weap- on--a letter de cachet that the King signed In blank by the score and that consigned the offenders to the toonb Of any of dozen bastiles.
 Marie Antoinette. not hard-heartsd, but selfish, not wicked, but vain and capricious, drew a thousand pieces of gold from the French treasury to law ish on the poor. and before they had tine to bless her name she drew fifty thousand to lavish on herselfs so that they cursed her. To get money for the unsuitable court, the authorities stripped the fields of France like To- custs. and while the peasants scratch ed the bare ground for roots and tried to make bread from straw the beautt- ful Queen and her beautiful ladies of honor danced at Versailles.
 All were not blind. But in that sick France, the blind reviled those who could see; the chariatan silenced the wise; the guilty accused the innocent, and epigrams crushed truth with scorn- ful laughter. Cagiiostro. asserting that by virtue of his elixir of life he had remained youthful for two thous-. and years, was the friend and coun- selor of princes and ministers. The Cardinal de Rohan boasted of his con. quests. The Governor fthe Bastile of Paris sold the right to smuggle, and starve the prisoners. while he fat tened on the appropriations made for their support.
 Everybody conspired against every body else. The Queen conspired against De Rohan, because he had opposed the