The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1933-08-25
Howe About:
Marie Antoinette
Cats VS.. Dogs
Ninon de Lenclos
Ry Ell HOWE
BY ED HOWE

| HAVE long taken great interest In
4 the French Revolution, widely her
aided as an uprising of the people
against despotic kings. Finally have
read SO much about 1t / doubt this
uprising was against Louis XVI and
believe it was actually against his
queen, Marie Antoinette.
The French Revolution was founded
on gossip rather than on the political
wrongs of the people. You may be-
| lieve you have heard vivid gossip in
your time, but you do not know how ter
rible gossip may become unless you
have read the story of Louis XVTs
queen. One story was so brutal, Inn
probable, that when told in court dur
ing the reign of terror, it shocked the
most british audience ever gathered,
| and the prosecutor realized he had
| made a mistake in introducing it: the
mistake almost saved the queens life.
Marie Antoinette was German, and
| French hatred Of Germans was as
great then as it is now. OF all the
foolish women in history, Marie An
toinette ranks near the top. Her his
| tory reminds one of a country girl
| determined to go to the devil in spite
| of the warnings and prayers of wise
| and good mother. In this case the
mother was old Maria Theresa, en-
press of Austria. Women should read
Maria Theresa's letters to her needless
daughter; stronger preaching for morN
atty and common sense cannot be
found. The old empress was sound
German, and over and over predicted
follies even our modern fappers have
not equaled Fortunately old Maria
was dead when her foolish daughter
assembled the steps of the guillotine in
Paris and left it with. her head carried
in one basket and her body in another.
I am coming to doubt the people win
ever rebel against their political
wrongs, or have ever engaged in such
rebellion in the past. Besides every
honest citizen walks politician to con-
troll him; the politicians at the cap
itals are few in number compared
with the students Of politics in small
towns and cities posing as honest cit
liens.
Some one wrote land somehow it at
tracted my attention) that dog is q
Eyes" animal and cat mo" ami
NAL. Nearly everything suits dog;
almost nothing suits cat. have
been fond of many dogs, but have
never known an agreeable or intelll-
gent cat. do not like mo" ami
mails; they are always cold, indiffer-
ent, clammy; like the enthusiasm Of
"yes' animal. If the owner Of a
dog is i'll, the dog is distressed anG
wants to do something, but cat, with
it's mo" disposition, is Indifferent.
Books tell of the death of notable
woman in a specially horrible way.
The house cat was asleep at the
foot of the bed through all the ter
rible scene. It has been my
misfortune to know many mo" men
and women.
I am an old man, but there is so
much to read shall never get around
to half Of it. never heard of Ninon
de Lenclos, famous French woman,
until lately. Ninon early believed that
there can be only one sexual law for
men and women, and her father said
to her: "Since you believe that wom-
en- have a right to the same liberties
as men, recognize equally with men all
the obligations of loyalty, sincerity,
and honor" She had many men
friends, but was fair with all of
them. When young and most charm
ing, IL an admirer was disposed to
spend too much on her, she gently re-
strained him. If he too much neglect
ed his wife because of her, she
warned him against that fault also.
She disliked drunkards, gamblers,
idlers, rude people generally, and her
biographer goes SO far as to say she
helped rather than harmed her men
friends.
When fifty years old she retired to
a country place, and the most promi-
uCuL pCOpAC VI cAdASS "a eAACC nun
bred years ago were her devoted
friends. lettering old men, former
intimate friends, respected her in age
and sincerely liked her. One old
man said to her: "Ninon, woman
who has the qualities Of an honest
man is the most unusual character
In the world"
Ninon de Lenclos was neither poet
ess, actress, reformer, nor mystic, but
she had the natural charm of woman.
She combined this with simple fair
ness, and behold, a book has been
made about her! She exists in litera-
ture with women who bankrupted
kings!
The huge racing automobile, often
costing $4,000, and which occasionally
breaks a speed record or turns over
on its driver, is not much of an auto
mobile; the really useful and cred
fable machine is that in the middle
class, which delivers useful service to