Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-07-06

IN love at last.
- And, perhaps, this might have been so,
except for the jealous fates, weaving their
u jealous spells. Except for old hates, old
"a prejudices, old irritations that flared up
almost by pattern in that noble dues
family
Old mean evil passions of this world
lit of mine, this world that was.
HID For almost at once, as you Americans
ElH say it. Jeanne, Marquise de Crussol, had
|'u "mother-in-law" trouble. In short, from
the day of the marriage, she and her
mother-in-law, Duchesse Marie Therese
were keenest rivals. And in their jealousies
and mutual irritations two ways of life
were clashing-the ways of the thrifty,
achieving bourgeoisie, the ways of the
spendthrift, arrogant aristocracy.
Already American readers have heard
much about the rvalres of those two
friends of the War Premiers-
Messieurs Dalader and Reynaud How the
rivalries of these women kept the battle
raging between two ministers who should
have joined their strength for France. But
firmly believe that the pque and jealousy
which flared up between the duchesse and
her daughter-in-laW bred more unhappineSS
for my country than the much more adver-
tised bad feeling between Marquise Jeanne de
Crussol and Comtesse Helene de Portes.
For we all agreed, Marquise Jeanne would
have been well content to stay at home and care
for her children and be comfortable, middle class,
faithful wife to her husband to the end Of their
marriage, had it not been for the constant goads
and ibes and ridicue she had to endure as the re-
sented in-law The rich but t-quite-so-good-as
us relative by marriage. All this belittlng natur-
ally, made her feel so inferior she felt actually
forced to do something to restore herself in her
own esteem And to SHOW that jeering mother
in-law In fact felt at the time that cruel little
question of Duchesse Marie Therese to her
"But you don't really imagine he in interested
in you that cabbage, Daladier ?' might have
been the red-hot iron which branded into the soul
of Marquise Jeanne the purpose will win
Daladier to my side will make him mine. And
then then this superior mother-in-law of mine
what will she say to that"
But when she was making such VOW, that
sighted young daughter-in-law she little realized
that the accomplishment of her purpose-to be-
come a political hostess, to copy other famous
Frenchwomen who had welded power through
friendly ministers, would, in her case, sweep
France and her beloved to ruin.
Had she foreseen all this, l. for one, am sure
she would have held her hand. | am of this.
but others, they do not agree Yet have always
felt that Jeanne de Crusso was kind woman at
heart and an ardent patriot What she wanted
was power for herself, little power to restore
her shattered self-esteem, to make her n-laws re-
spect her; but besides that power, she wanted the
good of France and fame for her "cher ami"
And though you Americans may raise your
eyes and disapprove, | hasten TO explain-such
womans influence behind the political scenes, it is
all in the French tradition. For lovely ladies in
their salons have wanted power and have welded
power in France since Marguerite de Valois. And
even before. 1T is our CUSTOM as the Spanish
phrase it.
But all this is theory and explanation And