The Washington herald., 1915-05-02

and tossed in the whirlwind which their
predecessors had sown. The domestic
virtues of the royal couple were over
balanced by the Bourbon stupidity of
of the Queen. Together they moved
through the prologue of the impending
tragedy like players on stage where
Destiny sat beneath the prompter's
hood
While famine stalked through the
land and the bitter outcry of unreGuited
toll filled the air. the court played at
poverty. and a mock humility became
the park at Versailles, miniature peas
ant village with its dairy and its pic
turesque mill and its artificial millpond,
recalls that fantastic period when Marie
Antoinette and her attendants, dressed
as dairy maids and peasants. passed the
idle hours in pretty. rustic cottages.
At Rambouillet n custodian showed
me classic little temple. which rises in
was another of the Queens diaries.
where at the exquisite marble round
table. she and her circle slipped milk
from silver gobets. magic door con-
cealed in the marble walls of the dairy.
leads not to the tieup. for that was far
removed from the royal nostrils. but TO
luxurious little dressinE-room. and an
other opens on a fanciful waterfall in
grotto, where a marble naiad presides
America and the Revolution.
While the court OF France thus amused
itself. out of the West and from across
the sea burst storm whose lightning
flash was the Declaration of Indepcnd-
ence For the liberty bell of Philadelphia
had rung the tocsin of the French Rev
olution as well.
Noble and generous souls followed the
lead Of the young Marquis de Lafayette
and sought duty and honor in Washing
toms patriot army The irresolute King
bobbed like a cork on the swelling tide.
while the Queen and court were capti-
waited by the pastoral heroes Of the New
World wilds, because 1t all fitted so
charmingly into their little idyl: How
come on my dear Republicans" Marie
Antoinette eagerly inquired when Lafay-
cite returned to beg ships and money.
Paris was entranced by Benjamin Frank
Inns homespun costume, and modistes
filled their windows with limitations of
To avenge itself against England and
to liberate her rebellious colonies. the
Bourbon monarchy became the cham
pion of republican freedom. After the
surrender at Yorktown. the British plen-
ipotentiaries were summoned to Nersail-
les. and there. in the palace of Louis
XIV. they formally recognized the indie
pendence of the United States. And to
Versailles. after six years had passed.
the people of France went to demand
the recognition Of their own independ-
ence.
The American war had completed the
bankruptcy of the French treasury, with
nothing left in it but two little bags
of gold" containing together less than
s.. 900. Not another straw could be added
to the burdens borne by the peasantry.
The King turned to the privileged classes
for assistance. but the mobiles rebelled
against every proposal to tax them.
And the French Revolution began at
the top. not at the bottom.
In his dilemma, Louis XVI called to-
gether the representatives OF the nation
for the first time in 173 years. Following
long and terrible winter. the states
general of France met at Versailles on
May 5. 17s9-just five days after the IN
auguration at New York of the first
President of that nation whose revolu-
ton France had promoted and whose
Independence had been established with
in those palace walls. ..-
Meanwhile the taxpaying masses re-