The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1933-05-05
Though the old Morse language died

Harfieur and Barfleur, feur, the Morse
fiot, meaning "small river; In Yvetot.
Ivo's "toft" or Enclosure" An.
other proof that this is the land of
William the Conqueror lies in the fair
haired Scandinavian types which per
sist to this day in various districts.
AS to the origin Of the Norman's in
clination to hedge" on every ques-
ton, let historians argue as they will,
but it is a fact that one must usually
labor hard to extract plain yes or
no from him. was the apple crop
large this year?" You ask. His clas-
sic reply is: "Well, for good apple
year, it is not too good; but for bad
apple year, it is not too bad ~
The tendency to avail himself of
subtle distinctions may account for the
Norman's reputation as a somewhat
grasping character, and his fondness
for legal forms and lawsuits has
earned for him and his fellows the
title of 1.-The lawyers of France"
For all that, the Norman has his
own traditions of fun and good fell
lowship. Remember, he likes his CT
der! And never Norman more so than
one Oliver Basselin, he of the red nOse
who sang songs in praise Of hard ci-
der long before Villon roistered and
recited in Paris wine shops. Basselin
ran fulling mill near the little valley
known as Vaux de Wire. From it his
songs took their name, and these. in
turn, gave rise to the corrupted term
vaudeville"
Natural Curiosity.
Thirty miles southwest of Wire, as
the crow flies, on the border between
Normandy and Brittany, towers the
duchy's most imposing natural curl
osity and it's finest coastal monument
of the Middle ages-stupendou Mont
Saint Michel. 1t is granite islet
5000 feet in circumference, girt with
immense walls and towers, plastered
with houses climbing up its sides, and
the whole crowned with an ancient
abbey. shrine of the Archangel Mich
ael, saint of high places. Lovers of
the unique find in its historical asso-
Citations, in the grandeur Of its out
ward aspect, an appeal and fascina-
ton similar to those of Carcassonne.
East of Wire is Falaise, where Rob-
ert the Devil, the Magnificent, looked
out of the castle window and saw Ar
lette, the tanners daughter. Another
story goes that he first saw her wash
ing clothes at the fountain one day
when he was returning from the chase.
However, it was, her pretty feet twin
king In the brook" led to her becom-
ing the mother of the Conqueror.
North of Falaise is Caen, Norman
Athens and unrivaled center for the
study Of Norman art. Here the Nor
mans extraordinary faculty for adap-
tation appears at it's best. Though
they invented little that was new, they
adopted from other countries, devel-
oped and improved. French language
and literature, French feudal doc
trines, and Romanesque architecture
in particular bear the stamp Of their
genius. In Norman hands this archi-
tectural form from northern Italy be-
came a distinctive, living thing, marked
by great size, simplicity, and massive
ness, and love of geometric ornament.
The two abbeys founded here by the
Conqueror and his wife are superb ex-
amples of the architecture which pre-
ceded the rise of the early Gothic in
the Thirteenth century, and which also
crossed the channel even before the
Conquest.
The Conqueror was buried in one
of these abbeys, and Matilda, his cous-
invite, in the other. Both were built
with the hope of conciliating the pope
regarding their marriage.
What courtship was Williams! A
seven-year siege of Matilda's hand, dis
dain from the lady, Sights not to be
endured, and finally a wrathy lover
rushing into Matilda's presence, Selling
her by the hair. dragging her about the
room, striking her, flinging her to the
floor. After that she said yes!
Gathered His Hosts.
Still farther north is Dives. Here
in those stirring days Of 1906, the fu-
ture victor at Hastings gathered to-
gether IAN innumerable host of horse
men, singers, and foot soldiers" wild,
adventurous spirits, the war strength
of northern Europe, eager for the bat
tie over the sea. In the rivers mouth
lay some 700 ships. The largest could
hold fifty knights with all their horses
and men; the smallest boats were not
even decked over and were loaded to
the gunwales with stores and pro-
visions, including small grinding mills
for the grain.
For pictorial history of the Conquest,
go to Bayeux and look at the fifty eight
scenes embroidered on lnen-the ia
nous Bayeux tapestry. Probably no
other fabric anywhere in the world
surpasses it in interest and Importance.
Crude though it is in design, and part
ly defaced, it nevertheless recreates
a momentous period in world history.
But all Norman roads lead to Rouen
at last. Rouen, "Gothic Queen of
France" and the duchy's ancient cap
ital, where leach monument is book,
each stone a souvenir" Yet, more
than architecture, more than antiqui-
ties, Joan of Arc is the strongest lure ;
for Rouen is her town, saturated with
glorious and tragic memories of her.
Her spirit still hovers over the market
place where, condemned for "having
fallen back into the errors" she went
to fiery martyrdom.
Tiger Tortoise, Pet on