Belt Valley times. [volume] (Armington, Mont.) 1894-1977, 1926-11-11
THE WORLDS
GREAT EVENTS
ALBERT PAYsoN TERHUNE


a french court WIS crowded 10 tbs
doors. On a dais at the upper end Of
the room sat gorgeously attired man
surrounded By fattering courtiers
Into that brilliant asseInblage a poor
peasant girl was HsAered. Her
tanned face was homely. but lighted
by unusually large, melancholy eyes.
She was Joan, the peasants daughter
of Domremy.
Her eyes swept the gay court, rest
ed lndifferently on the gaudy form In
the chair Of state. then passed on to a
far corner Of the room, where she
singled out plainly dressed man who
stood unnoticed In a lesser group OF
courtiers Going up to this man, she
knelt before him. saying
you are Charles, the dauphin
fcrown prince) of France !"
A murmur Of amazement ran
through the listening crowd. The
dauphin raised the peasant girl to
her feet The smile Of derision that
had curIed his lips gave place to a
look of awe. Joan Of Arcs career
bad begun.
France and England had for CEN
turtles been bitter foes. They were
forever at war with each other.
(These wars endured at intervals
until the battle Of Waterloo, In
1851 France had been repeated
~ beaten by the er-discipllned
Islanders. Invasion after invasion
on the part of the English had
torn away more and more French ter
ritory and had annexed 1t to Eng
land. Edward III had several times
invaded France, and his son, ''the
Black prince" In the battles OF
Crecy and Of Poltiers (1S36 and 1850
had wrecked Frances military power.
The Black prince has come down
through history as the very flower OF
chivalry; whereas. as a matter Of
fact. he was a brutal freebooter.
Later, Henry OF England had fur
Their subdued France, until, early In
the Fifteenth century, England had
conquered all the country north Of the
River Loire. and the infant son OF
Henry V was crowned not only king
Of England but Of France as we'll
France. lying helpless. almost pas
sive. 10 the grip of her British mas
tiers. Charles. son Of the French king
and rightful heir to the French
throne. should have been crowned on
his fathers death. but he had no
genius or ambition and was content
to spend his time In idleness and dis
sipat'On. uncrowned, while his king
dom slipped away from his nerveless
hands.
Affairs had reached this point when
Joan OF Arc appeared. She had
passed her childhood ia the forest OF
Domremy. at the edge Of the prov
ince of Lorraine, where she tended
her fathers fiOcks. excelled at house
wifely arts and repealed all offers Of
love. She could neither read nor
write. But she had heard Of the
made OF old by the magician,
Merlin. that France, In the hour Of
direst need, should be saved by a
maiden. Tradition had added that the
maiden should come from Domremy.
Joan brooded over this prophecy In
her long hours of solitude in fields and
woods until she hypnotized herself
into the belief that she heard divine
voices telling her STE was the Holy
Maid destined to rescue her country
from ruin.
At this juncture the English cap
-ured Orleans. the way to all south
srn France. Joan declared that the
voices" babe her to wrest Orleans
rom the invader and to crown Charles
It Reims. With. this double aim in
1iew. and backed by the eIamor OF
popular feeling. she secured an In
erview with Charles To deceive her,
le decked out a courtier In his royal
Obes, and himself stood. disguised. In
remote corner Joan at once saw
through the imposition. SO impressed
vas Charles that he gave her an army
Il about $500 men and sent her
gainst Orleans.
She had no military knowledge, no
ducati0n Of any sort. Yet she had
bsolute faith IN her own inspiration,
nd she inspired her soldiers with the
ttut UEttCt- AnCiuGHAdttys sue WI 49,
trongIy upon the superstitious fears
Z the English. Clad In mail and car
wing sacred banner, she rode at the
cad Of her fanatical army. captured
orleans. beat the English In battle
fter battle and drove them helter-
keller beyond the Loire. Then she
aturned and assisted at Charles cor
nation at Reims.
Her double mission thus accom-
IIshed. she begged leave to go back
, her fiocks and the quiet life Of her
Iilage. But Charles would not hear
T Il. He ennobled her and her fam
y and sent her TO wrest Paris from
le English In vain she pleaded that
he had no further divine call. Charles
allied on the fanatic enthusiasm OF
er soldiers to sweep all before them.
D she obeyed But she was hence
nth no more than a mere woman
n September s. 1923. she attacked
arts. but was beaten back and
ounded. Her luck-or divine power