The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1918-04-25
The Maid Of Orleans
Continued from page one.)

with victory after victory till the King of
France was crowned with great splendor in
old Rheims and later regained his ancestral
throne in the city of Paris-for all these,
again the gentle reader must 60 himself to
the histories. There is not space here.
The king was on his throne; the nation
was united; only fraction of the invaders
still occupied trlAe of the nations West.
ern coast.
Joan of Arc, still the same modest, wom-
anly maid, felt that she had obeyed the
voices of the twilight-her mission was full
filled, her great task was done, and she
longed again for the little home, for father,
mother and kin, and the peaceful life of the
little village on the Mouse.
Her name was acclaimed throughout the
nation; she was loved almost to the point OF
worship by the populace; she was knighted
the Maid of Orleans, and her family exalt-
ed, yet she remained unspoiled and pure in
heart, and would have gladly turned away
from all the pomp and insincerity of the
court and from all the trappings and dis
play of military activity, and be again with
the happy children of Domremy, telling
fairy stories under the big tree.
The fatal error of her life followed. The
king and his courtiers besieged her to coD-
tinue with the army in its concluding task
of finally dislodglng the enemy from its re-
naming hold upon French soil.
Weepingly reluctant, and against bel
strong womanly intuition, the maid yielded
to the seeming demands of loyalty to heI
sovereign.
The rest of the story is of sorrow and is
inexpressibly sad. 1t should be told as
briefly as possible and sshave it over
There came turn in the series of French
successes. The Maid of Orleans was
wounded and ''the charm was broken" fol
"God could no longer be with her banner"
The enemy regained courage and fought
with success. Treachery effected the maid
capture and she was sold to the enemy and
taken prisoner to Rouen.
And now behold the cunning of he cap
tors.
If they put the maid to death, it would
unite the French in behalf of vengeance.
If they held her captive it would unite
the French in mighty effort for rescue.
The thing desired was to discredit her to
the French people and destroy the exaltation
of her mission.
A complaisant ecclesiasticism, jealous and
heartless, provided the instrumentality and
found the way.
Sixty eminent dignitaries of the church
we're gathered. The Maid of Orleans was
''vehemently suspected of heresy.'' She
was examined with great formalities. As a
hereto of such desperate type she was chain
ed, guarded with extreme care and bounded
and badgered with all but endless question
ings.
The dear, sweet, brave spirit held out
against this court of human wolves bent
upon trapping her to the consummation OF
her own doom, till mortal nerves could en-
dure no longer. The vile purpose of the
inquisition to torture her into a seeming
status of enmity with the church and destroy
her prestige with her countryman, required
their utmost cunning and months of time
and the contemplate monarch whose throne
she had saved for him, made no effort to
lead the willing French to her rescue.
at infinite pains to bring the
innocent to destruction and then with sar-
donic deceit, handed her over to the secular
arm for execution by burning at the stake
and the careful avoidance of shedding of
blood
Where the precious ashes of the Maid OF
Orleans enriched the public square of Rouen
there now stands monument signalling
the love of the French for the most beauti-
full expression of self-sacrihcing service to
the country in all their history. She be-
longs to the ages. Enshrined in literature,
poetry, art and song, her place is secure
forever in the hearts of the French people
The sweet gentle strength of exalted pur-
pose in the martyr maid, personi6es today
the admirable heroism. of a great nation
united in the defense of their country against
brutality Ubiquitous foreign yoke.
BY the same token, in great, democratic,
liberty loving America, where, In time of
greatest crisis we called the humble rail
splitter of the Sangamon bottoms; whom
our brothers in France have repeatedly
honored, let US take inspiration and courage
from the gentle maiden of Domremy.
Let that beautiful spirit find echo in
every heart of America and give in united
answer
''The people will come. They will
hear the drums; the nation will march"