The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-01-12
ny - MAK0iIsE DE roNrENoy.

~ ~ htkSiiSE DE EONCESOt.
M llE Due 90 prasiin whose mother
was Miss Elizabeth Forbes OF
/ New York, and who IS now mar
ilcn 10 the very rich and
widowed Mrs, Charles Hamilton Paine
OF BOSTON, las manifcstly been IN the
wrong in sending challenge TO tie
claimant 70 tile pukedom OF Choiscu
and ihcn refusing TO Ugh, him unrl
lie has established his pretenslons to
that dignity. ON general principles.
ana according To the cities OF The
uue!to IN. continental Europe. IMAM
( Is n2t called upon To grant satisfaction
/ On me ilcld OF honor to one VINO bears
! name or II titlc that does not be-
I long 10 hini 1ud II mHy he recalled
tiiat the present Prince OF Monaco on
one occa sion declined. on grounds such
az thcsr' 10 accent Il challenge from
he Due de Prnslin himself who sent
the challenge 10 VI. lie Choi4eul- Beau
Pre- ne ma" no right TO Insist that the
! iuttIt should secure from the Keeper
icatc that he was entitled TO The dig
nifty OF Due de Choiscul. before hight
Ing.
OF course there can he no oncstion
whatsoever as To the right OF the Due
DC Prasiin to the Dukedon Of Praslu
"hlch was created in 1852, the present
duke being the seventh holder thereof
in direct male descent, and consequent
, ~ the former Mrs. Paine Is now a
full-ilcdscd French duchess. the Duke.
/ dom or Praslin having been Invested
WIN the rights of pecragc in lSi7 and
IMP; Moreover in 1915 King Louis
Philippe bestowed upon the nith Duke
&c Praslin. grandfather Of tile present
anKei p,n 'hG dign hio Of pre de cho-
members Of the family have for l5u
Yeas always borne the patronymic oi
! Choseu III Prasln.
But the Due dc i'raslin IS not the
Due dc Choiseul. aud the question OF
the inheritance OF the Dnkcdom OF
rhoiscul, the famous statesman OF the
reign OF Louis Nv, whose downfall
ana disgrace were caused by the en- nifty
OF the infamous Nine Du Barry. and
I VINO died over loo years ago without
male issue TO continue his honorS, re-
today no title Of Duke Of Choiseul
registered by the Keeper of the C;rea t
Seal OF France. who only grants u
certificate OF registration when the
descent Of tho tile in the male line
! from the original holder is absolutely
beyond question.
King George and Queen Mary. in ac-
cordancc with time honorcd custom.
! have just received the sprigs of the
Ga stonbnry Thorn. which from time
ruler of England and his consort at
Christmas time. Not only the thorn
but also the trees which have grown
up elsewhere from it's graftings or
I 81
! inc 9th or 9TH OF January, this being
the Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
| according to the olden calendar
The white thorn in question, accord
ing TO tradition. owes It's origin 10 tho
white thorn stan of St Joseph OF
Arimathca. who it may be remembered
gave his own tomb in the Holy Land
as temporary resting place for the
remains OF the Founder of the Chris
tian religion. In his travels from
ia lcstlnc he brought with him tho
al aHaf Iii
ana when he ended his wanderngs AT
Glastonbury, and erected there tho
first Christian church in England. he
planted his staff in the ground. which
and developed into IA magnificent tree.
For centuries 1t has been revcrcd as
the Holy Thorn. the present tree being.
Of course. the growth Of shoots of an
earlier tree.
There Is IL most clrcunstantinl story
in existence. of a Puritan (who after
having ATTEMPTED to cut down tile Holy
| Thorn at glastonbury, by way of show :
ing his contempt for what he was
pleased to dcserihc as childish and
goes on to say that tho Puritan smo Q
the tree once. but tho next blow
glanced off. disiodging a chip. which
flew M, and put out one. of his eyes,
he blade OF the aNe nnding its home
in his leg, which was badly wounded.
After this the Holy Thorn, at any rate
inc one attacked ny the Puritan. seems
to have been !cft alone.
Glastonbury Abbey--Or rather ita
ruins--consiitutes the most ancient
ana historic Of Christian shrines in
England. being the burial place of tho
early saxon Kings. and the place OF
scpulture, moi only of King Arthur OF
the Round Table. and of Queen GUM
ivrrc, but also Of st. Joseph OF Arma-
thea. The last Abbot of Glastonbury,
who had ST Dunstan among his prcdc
cessors, was perhaps the most power
full ecclesiastic in England Mt the time
OF the Reformation. and having of
feret resistance TO Henry Wills at
tempts TO conhscate all monastic prop
| crty. In spite of the defense put mp
by his hundreds of monks and half
thousand servants. was hanged on the
top Of Tor Hill The numc OF Glaston-