Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1917-12-13

C0ucy RACED to the ground,
bombed by the fleeing enemy.
This was the brief, bald
communique which struck a blow to
French hearts second only In, force to
that delivered by the shower Of steel
rained for two years and a half on the
famous cathedral at Reims, writes
Blanche McManus in the Chicago Her.
aid.
1t was the spring before that sum.
mel %cloudburst Of war. We had opened
that day for the first reading the BAL
ladies' Franchises" of that eccentric
and celebrated poet of the quarter"
Legitimate successor Of him who gave
fame to the l~ong-departed Cafe Procope
Paul Fort; opened it, too, at his
adorable musical tribute dedicated to
this same grand old Chateau de Coucy.
Built some coo years ago by a
naughty seIgneur by the name Of En-.
g%uerrand, third of the line Of Coucy,
1t was handed down for two centuries.
Then a royal Louis of the reigning Or
leans family, who evidently had a pref
ty taste in castles, having just built
it's splendid rival, the neighborlng
Chateau de P%ierrefonds (also in the
zone des armees but not vet liberated),
bought 1t for 100000 liyres tournois, a
unit of reckoning comparable to the
franc of today.
After the usual martial vicissitudes
of the times Cardinal Richelieu, In the
seventeenth century. gave the fabric
Its first hard knock by ordering 1t dis.
mantled as a fortress of the time. But
Its mighty walls resisted well, although
the interior was Quilted. Thereafter its
debris served as a quarry for all the
neighborhood, and 1t Is easy to see that
the solid houses of the little town hud.
ding about the walls were built chiefly
Of its stones. Some sixty years ago
1t entered into the public domain OF
the French government, who commits.
stoned the great French architect, Vic.
lette-le-Duc. master of modern Gothic,
to restore 1t to the extent of c0nsoli.
dating its stately shell against further
d~isintegration (; then, too, it came to be
officially classed as Il monument his.
torique and remained the most splen-
did feudal bastile of all Europe and
q Joy and a marvel to the eyes Of all
who came within its spell.
Everything Within Its Wallis.
So much for history. Now for its
reality, ut least up to a few months
ago. The Chateau Of Coucy is the
most perfect example of the self.con.
tanned mode Of existence on earth. and
should make the committing suburban.
tie blush for his wandering life. Every.
thing for the requirements Of the
dwellers within was held also within
Its mighty grip, surrounded by Its four
towering stories Of defenses, taller in
their ensemble than many a cathedral
spire. First the encircling outer wall,
behind which In the old days lived the
serfs In their wooden huts, but today
Enclosing the sleepy little village 80
typical Of northern France. There
was a rampant promenade. along
which we followed, punctuated with
the thirty-tw0 tours Of other days, and
with but three gateways, one leading
to Laon, n to Scissors, one to
Chauny, oil Of them towns which are
making rapid history Mt this moment.
Here were gathered the tiny shops,
the markets where provisions were
brought from where they were grown
In the fields below the walls.
Next the second ring Of walls, sur.
rounded BY a deep n1oat opening only
at n massive gateway. We crossed
iU d~rawbridgc. still hung by the rusty
chains Of other days. These lnclosed
the working parts Of the chateau, an
orchard and q quaint formal garden
10 which the family took their airings.
Grcled about were the stables, retain.
ers' quarters, guardhouses. armory,
poultry yard, dairy, the f~alconry, Gel.
lars. stcrerooms. kitchens and ali In.
- -|.||- N