Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1914-03-18
TRIVIAL CAUSES
MAY START ALMOST
ENDLESS TROUBLE
QUARREL OVER THE SIZE OF A
WINDOW THAT LED TO NINE
YEARS WAR.

Two men in 1868 stood looking at
the still unfinished Palace of Versailles
one OF the two was short, pompous
and gorgeously dressed. Absurdly
high heels adorned his red shoes and
his hooked nose jutted out from un-
der an enormous periwfg. He was Louis
XIV, king Of France At that moment
he was at the zenith of his power
Within the next few minutes a trivial
cause was to lead TO the downfall Of
much VI MS greatness. a t~ ,-
The man who accompanied the king
on his inspection of the new palace
was the Marquis de Louvois, minister
OF war and of public buildings. He
had unanswered his way into both
positions, since the Kings two chief
hobbies were war and building. And
on the minister's success In each line
Of work depended the royal favor.
The king suddenly paused i'm his
talk and pointed at two windows in
the palace wall, declaring that they
were not of an equal size, although
the plans had called for two windows
OF precisely the same dimensions. Lou
vols knowing how severe the king
could be when a flaw i'm architecture
was detected, hurriedly assured his
majesty that the windows were pre-
cisely Of a size. The dispute waXed
as warm as a quarrel between bully
and toady can hope to. Finally the
king ordered the windows measured
lone of them was decidedly larger
than the other.
lLouvois was I'm despair. King Louis
could forgive anything sooner than a
bungle i'm the construction of one of
his beloved palaces. The error might
readily cause Louvois to fall from ia
vor. 10 be stripped of his offices and
honors; TO end his days perhaps in
prison, whittier better men had been
sent for lesser faults. There was but
one thing to do. His blunder as min
lister of public buildings must be blot
ted out by his prowess as minister of
war. To friend he said:
II must find war to give him a
new idea and to make me necessary
TO him" tj
He had not far to look. The elector
OF Cologne had just died. Two candi-
dates were named to fill his place.
Louvois persuaded the king Of France
to declare war; to avenge the social
ed affront. 'eHt
The war lasted nine years. tt grew
until il involved-nearly all Europe. Be-
fore peace was at last declared there
was lighting not only in Germany.
but in Italy, Spain, the Netherlands
and Ireland as we'll lin Ireland-a
Identification of the original conflict
the French troops fought TO reinstate
James III, on the English throne. And
at the Battle OF the Boyne they and
James other adherents were beaten by
King William il, of England--almost
the only genuine victory won by King
William in all his many years OF war;
fare.) i+n' 80 h.ts "'fH
At Louvois's instigation, King Louis
marched a big army into Germany.
The French seized the Cologne lands,
devastated the whole Palatinate, burn
ed and sacked Heidelberg, and Phil
Hpsburg -onrthe Rhine, and many
.another fair city. Rich territory was
ravaged Towns and villages We're.
wiped off the map; more than 1907,
600. r"aceful, defenseless people in.
one region alone were driven forth,
homeless and penniless, to starve.
Into Holland swirled the red tide
Of war. Pillage, murder and the torch
followed in it's wake. 1t was an era.
Of merciless slaughter and unspeak-