Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-12-31

THE
reflected little credit on the English
arms, for as one of it's results England
lost Calais. the possession of which had
long been a source OF pride to the SOW
ereign and people alike. We can see now
that the retention of Calais In British
hands would have been a constant and
recurrent Indictment to further wars.
Brightest Jewel in Crown.
Geographically and nationally it be-
longed to France. But to the British
people it was as emblematic of British
power abroad as Gibraltar is today. They
called it 1.-The brightest jewel in the Eng
lish crown" and with characteristic bra
vado had inscribed over its gates:
Then shall the Frenchman Calais win.
When iron and lead like cork shall swim.
Froude says of public sentiment at the
time: IF Spain should suddenly rise into
her ancient strength and tear Gibraltar
from us our modification would be faint
compared to the anguish of Inundated
pride with which the loss of Calais dis
tracted the subjects of Queen Mary
Some think the disaster FASTENED Mary S
death. Certain it is that it extended her
growing unpopularity among the English
people.
Maddened by reverses in war. brooding
infidelities, Mary began that course or
religious persecution which finally riveted
to her name the CHASTITY epithet by which
all posterity came to know her. Her
stanch defenders take issue with the word
persecution claiming that she only en-
forced the laws as enacted by parlia-
ment. The re-establishment of Catholi-
csm was attended by the literal enact
ment of the laws for the suppression OF
heresy-laws breathing the spirit of the
the budding spirit of liberty and toier-
ance in the English people. Mary went
not a whit beyond the letter of these
laws when in the brief space of a little
more than three years she caused oOO
victims. of whom sixty were women and
forty children, to be burned at the stake
for presuming to worship God after their
own fashion.
Mary Controlled Parliament.
But she was all powerful with parlia-
ment. A word from her to it would have
caused the immediate amendment of the
heresy laws so as to put them more in
accordance with the spirit of the times.
But the word was not spoken. she
thought, and doubtless sincerely. that the
surest way to re-establish the old religion
among her people and to crush out IT.
reverence was to put to death with every
circumstance of barbarity aud horror all
there a more mistaken belief. Whatever
the creed may be, the ancient maxim,
1.-The blood of the martyrs is the seed
of the church," applies to all alike. Never
was a truer word spoken than the In
junction laid upon Messire Ridley by
stout old Bishop Latimer as the flames
envelOped them in the CHASTITY square OF
Smthfield
BE of good comfort. Master Ridley
Play the man! We shall this day light
such a candle, by Gods grace, In Eng
land as 1 trust shall never be put out
Long before the end Of the fifth year
of her reign Mary had come to be the
most detested figure in all England.
PRAYERS for her death were openly Of
fered in the churches, and for the graft
fication of their pious wish her subjects
had little time to wait. Failing Ill or a
malarial fever, Mary grew swiftly worse,
and November II, 1868, after receiving
extreme JUNCTION, mass was celebrated IN
her chamber At the sacred function OF
the elevation of the host she lifted her
eyes to heaven, and at the benediction
fell back upon her pillow dead.
Cruel and hard had been the lie OF
Mary Tudor, and that her dlspOSltlon
grew hard and cruel seems but natural.
The student of her life can scarce select
one day from the time she was turned
over to the educational endeavors OF the
modern Quintillian'' until her death tina,
could have been unreservedly happy
What she thought Of her queenhood was
shown in her dying request that no SEM
blance of a crown should press upon hel
dead brow. praying instead she be buried
In the simple habit of poor rehgleuse.