Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-12-07
FAMOUS WOMEN OF HISTORY.
COUNTESS DU BARRY
Copyright. 1912. by Willis J. Abbott

| learned how to write. was power in
the land. because with wealth and tacr
she brought about her the greatest wits
OF the time. And the time was one in
which Wit counted: By wit | mean the
power to see the abuses of the court and
the skill to describe them
, Curiously enough. the influence of the
salons was for long time directed In
favor OF the Countess du Barry. She at
first seemed content to be the ''chera
annie OF the king and to keep out OK
the politics of the court: but that was a.
position which she could not possibly oc-
cupy long. Every courtier who offered
adulation TO her followed IL with some
request for preferment. Though she much
preferred to keep out of the struggle for
place and power. she was inevitably
drawn into IL. They had a phrase OF IL
in France in those days which ran this
way, "Mistresses make ministers. but
ministers cannot dethrone mistresses ~
One Of the first political acts of the da
dismissing his minister OF state the Duke
de Choiseul. and exiting him from Paris
The duke had not sufficiently crooked
the pregnant hinges Of the knee" to the
favorite, SO one morning she remarked
to the king. apropos OF her discharge or.
her cook. Il have got rid OF my Choiseui;
when will you get rid of yours?''
The secretary of state speedily followed
| the cook.
This victory made Nine du Barry an
international figure The Empress oe
Austria. Maria Theresa, who had not
been to proud to address the Pompa-s
dour dear friend and cousin" wrots
| her daughter. Marie Antoinette, to take
| special pains to be friendly with the
kings latest favorite. The young princess.
| who until that time had been haughtily
oblivious to the du Barry's existence,
obeyed. Thenceforward the power OF the
courtesan was absolute until May lo.
1s74, when Louis XIV died of smallpox.
| With him died the reign OF the Countess
| du Barry. Historians say that with the
| extinguishing of the candle that told OF
tiers to congratulate the new king made
| a tumult like a charge OF cavalry: but
| none of those steps was directed toward
the apartment Of the fallen favorfte. =.
Lived on Nineteen Years. s.
In a beautiful villa, Lucienne. given her
by the king and supported by the REM
nants Of his bounty. the countess lived
on for nineteen years. Then the storm
of the French revolution broke and the
spectacle Of her luxury founded on a nfe
of vice reused the wrath of its leaders.
In the days of her greatest prosperity
| she had made pet of a little Bengalese
boy, called Zamora, who served as Q
page. but whom Louis by way OF whimsy
| had appointed governor OF Lucienne.
making the chancellor Of France counter
sign the appointment. This boy. ON
| whom every luxury had been lavished.
| had reached manhood at the time Of the
revolution and became a traitor and de-
| nounced his hapless mistress to the con-
vention, which promptly confscated her
fortune and sentenced her to death.
Fifty three days earlier Marie Antoinette
had met death on the same scaffold-met
| 1t bravely as a queen should. But the
light woman, the kings favorite. died in
| shrieking terror. All along the fateflfl
ride from the Conciergerie to the Place
de La Guillotine she cried aloud for aid
and for mercy. Two -executioners could
hardly hold her in the tumbril. Life,
lifev' she cried to the crowd. only let
them give me life and I will give all my
property to the nation" In the midst OF
a plea to the executioner the knife fell
| and the Marquse du Barry was a mere
| memory. The infamy Of her LIE was
unreAeemed by any dignity in death.