JOAN OF ARC.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2556, 17 July 1909, Page 3 (Supplement)

JOAN OF ARC.

HER CONDEMNATION BY THE CHURCH IN 1431. AND HER BEATIFICATION IN 1903. I /(By Henry J. Markland, in “Munsey’s [ Magazine.”} I For sixteen hundred years the patron I saint of Franco has been St? Denis, the rfirst Bishop of Paris. Of him it is told l that he was sent from Rome in the middle of the third century to convert the Qauls to Christianity. Ilis preaching .and teaching were marvellously successful , and he made his way to Paris, which was oven then a city. The Roman governor of the district caused him to be seized, tortured, and finally bo- ! 'headed. His body was thrown into the river Seine, 'but was taken from t the water by one of his converts, named Catulla, who gave it burial. In the } .years that followed, a chapel was built j above his tomb; and in the seventh century King Dagobert erected there the Abbey of St. Denis. From that time he was the patron saint of France; and under the old kingdom, French soldicrs when charging in battle did so .shouting “Montjoye St. Denis.” It will not, perhaps, be very long before the honors of St. Denis will be -shared by another saint—a woman whose , memory is linked with the war which lasted for a hundred years, and ' * which, ended in the partial triumph of A he. French over their traditional enei m i €S , the English. Four hundred 1 and eighty years ago—on April I 29, 1429 —the French garrison at OrI leans, dejected and almost ready to surrender in despair, was rescued by a force which scattered the English, burst into the .beleaguered town, and rent the air with shouts of victory. This force was led by a young girl of eighteen who rode upon a snow-white horse I * and carried a standard embroidered 1 with lilies, displaying the image of God I? seated on the clouds and holding in ’ His hand a sphere which represented | the world. The girl was Jeanne d Arc—or Hare, as the name should more properly be spelled—a peasant maiden, who, not loner before, had tended sheep in the I foists of Domrfemy, in Lorraine, hut who was now the defender of France •and of its uncrowned king. The story of her early life is almost too well known to be told again at any length. About it there is little that invites controversy. When she was born, the English held possession of. all France north of the river Loire, as well as of Guienne, in s the south. When she had reached her • eleventh year, King Henry VI of Eng- ■ • land, then a mere child, was proclaimed King of France in the Abbey of St. Denis, just outside of Paris. His masterful minister, the Duke of Bedford, had formed an alliance with Duke Philip of Burgundy. It seemed as if, between these two .powerful forces, the kingdom of France would be dismembered and its people crushed. The heir to the French throne, the Dauphin Charles, was of an indolent and passive disposition. He had given up all hope of recovering the throne which had descended to him, - and was spending idle days in a little provincial city, so that he was mockingly described as ‘‘the King of Boufges.”, THE PEASANT MYSTIC OF DOMREMY. .Now, there was current among the French a prophecy that great trouble would fall on France through the depravity of a woman, and that the only path of hope would be opened by a virgin. This? prophecy,,. which was ascribed to Merlin, was especially believed in the province of Lorraine. It was heard in childhood by Jeanne d Arc, the little peasant girl of Domremy, anu it took a singular hold upon her imagination. Over it, in the solitude of the forest, she brooded month after month, until it gave her the guiurng motive of her life.. . Jeanne was typioaLy a mystic. Though her physical energy was very great, and though she had all the French vivacity, she was in mind ana In. temperament sensitively nervous, al- j ways high-strung and intensely. active, j while steeped in religious enthusiasm. Her mother had once made a pilgrimage to Rome —a .remarkable thing for a’WOrthern peasant woman and the impressions which she had received of the Eternal City she had imparted to her child. ■ , , , , As she approached womanhood, Jeanne became in thought a religious recluse. She performed her household duties deftly. iShe was kind, unselfish, and charitable, so that every one who knew her loved her; but she. entered •into none of the ordinary, pleasures of her companions, repelling the advances of young men, and dwelling, in her -hours of solitude, upon religious themes and on the prophecy of MerShe has been described as of middle height, strongly built, but of fine proportions. She was by no means beautiful, .and had not even the rustic comeliness which was found in many young girls of her station. She impressed one I only by the purity and innocence of her bearing, and by her wonderful, melancholy eyes, unfathomable, looking far into the future. She had a remarkable power of resisting weariness, as she afterward made plain. Her voice was sweet and low, and she had a natural dignity, so that even men of rank who came into her presence were awed by it. Like many other mystics who think intensely of a single theme, her thoughts seemed to her to he transmuted into voices. When thirteen years of age, she heard, as she believed, an angel “Jeanne, fail not to seek the church.” - JEANNE AND THE HEAVENLY VOICES. , brittle by little, other voices came to •;hm v sensitive ear, and she identified ilrirtn as the voices of St. Michael, St. Catharine, and St. Margaret. In time, Michael spoke to her and told her of her country’s great calamities, endin o* /with the words • . ‘‘Jeanne, you are called for marvellous things. The King of Heaven has chosen you to give back happiness to v France, and to aid King Charles. Dress yourself as' a man and put on armor. You shall lead m war, and all shall be done, as you advise.” Throughout four years, these words and others like them were repeated. Jeanne learned that every year her country’s life was ebbing. The Duke of Bedford was routing the French armies. Burgundian and English troops

were marching in long columns toward the south of France. They had beset the city of Orleans, and its defenders were almost without hope. • The mystic voices now became imperative and stern. Jeanne could refrain no longer, but sought out the French commander at Vaucouleurs, near Domremy. She told her story to him, and he thought at first that she had lost her reason; but there was something in the gravity and intense sincerity of her bearing, and in the persuasiveness of her exquisite voice, which finally altered his opinion. The time was one when women, disguised as pages, often accompanied their lovers or their lords to war. There was sometiling romantic in Jeanne’s story which appealed to the Frenchman’s quick imagination. JEANNE’S TRIUMPH AT ORLEANS. Things had reached a desperate, pass, and Jeanne could' certainly not make them worse. She was escorted to the Dauphin, into whose presence she rode in male attire. Charles, easy-going, indolent, and superstitious, put her to a test. He disguised himself and took his place amid -a great crowd of soldiers and civilians. Jeanne at once, moved straight through the throng and knelt before him. It seemed a supernatural feat: and soon after, when bo ly of theologians had questioned lier and a.aided that she was orthodox, she was allowed to have her way. She'declared that under the altar of St. Catharine would 1 e fen ad an ancient sword. The altar was removed, , and the sword was discovered hmg there. Then at once a suit of aim or was given to the maid; the.long, twoedged sword was bugkied at her side; and under a lily standard of lie - own making, she. rode out at'the head , of five thousand men-at-arms. Reaching Orleans, she .attacked and dispersed the English, forcing them to raise the siege. From that moment she was known to history as the Maid of Orleans. This achievement turned the tide of war. All that was chivalrous in the French flamed up, dispelling doubt, and rousing men to indomitable deeds. All that w r as superstitious in the English made them feel that the power of Heaven was turned against them. Jeanne d’Arc conducted the Dauphin to the ancient city of Rheims, where, like his ancestors, He?was crowned, anointed, and proclaimed the lawful King of France under the title Charles VII. JEANNE’S DOWNFALL AND CAPTURE. Jeanne now believed that her mission was accomplished. The voice which she ascribed to St. Michael had told her merely to advise the king, to lead his army, and to see him rightly crowned. This had now been done, and the girl desired to return to her little home at Domremy, where her parents waited for her. They had been ennobled by the king, receiving a. new name, Du Lys. - But Charles, quite naturally, was unwilling. to let her go. She had done so much for him and for his cause; wh y should she riot do more? Then occurred an incident which confirmed Jeaune in her belief that her task was ended. Riding through the camp one day, she passed some women of vile character, whose language accorded with their profession. The virgin soul of Jeanne was stirred to anger, and she struck one of these women with the flat cf hefr sword —the sword which had been found beneath the altar of St. Catherine. The blade immediately broke, and all the skill of the French armorers could-not weld the pieces into one again. Jeanne felt that Heaven had onded her career, but against her judgment she consented to lead new expeditions, in most of which she failed—most signally of all in an attempt to recapture Paris. Still, she fought in many combats, until in May she was besieged by the Burgundians in Compiegne. With reckless valor she headed a charge against the besiegers. They cut her off from her followers, <and took her prisoner. . From that moment, belief m her miraculous power waned rapidly. The Duke of .Burgundy, after some hesitation, surrendered her to the. English, who took her to Rouen and imprisoned her in. a fortress, part of which—the so-called Tour de Jeanne d Arc -still exists. .Her captors bade her once more dress in woman’s clothing, but she steadfastly refused to do so, declaring that the “voices’ 0 had forbidden it and saying also that she was exposed to vile assaults from her jailers. THE TRIAL OF JEANNE D’ARC. Brought before the inquisition, she was charged with heresy and .witchcraft, with cutting off her hair and with wearing a man’s garb. An ecclesiastical court, over, which the .French Bishop of Beauvais presided, heard the charges, and also heard the girl reply to them. It was a grave gathering of church dignitaries from the University of Paris. The chief inquisitor tried hard to turn the frank and touching story of the Maid in a way to justify her condemnation. Secure in 'her own innocence, she protfdlv faced her judges, and they could find little or nothing upon winch to pronounce- her guilty 7 , ilt was a piti- ' d and yet inspiring sight, this gentle, pure-faced girl, facing undauntedly _a >< ithering of the greatest men m France, every one of whom she knew to be her enemy. Yet she never faltered, and the trial dragged on for months. One of the judges went so far as to. disguise himself and to enter her cell, pretending to be. her fellowprisoner. While there lie tried to worm out of her something which could be used to her disadvantage; but even he at last gave up this attempt an very shame. She was threatened with torture, hut her great, dark eyes looked unflinchingly into the face of him who made the threat. V JEANNE IS SENTENCED TO DEATH Nevertheless, where all were agreed to find her guilty, the result was foreordained. She was condemned on twelve separate charges, and sentenced to death by burning. Some of these charges .related to minor matters of religion, wherein the theologians declar-. ed that Jeanne had erred. .For these things she expressed beer penitence, and the court commuted her sentence to a life imprisonment. Then, however, the English seemed to have taken things into their own hands. Precisely what happened in the, next few days is not fully known. What we do know is full of a sinister and frightful It is recorded that/she once more put on men’s clothing. It is almost certain that her jailers subjected her to outrage, and to such treatment that lier i spirit was wholly broken. ' In her wild words sjhe expressed re-

grot that she had been penitent, and this was made the pretext for her. execution. She was no longer a 'heroic figure. She was something which appeals infinitely more to-the hearts of all who read her story—a terrified, insulted, trembling; girl. On the 30th of May, 1431, she was told that she must die, and at the announcement she burst into girlish tears. She cried out : “I would' rather be beheaded seven times than burned! I appeal to God against all these great wrongs which they do me.” Then, after the passion of sobs had died away, she grew calm, and. asked ■ b she. might receive the sacrament. This was granted, yet the sacrament nm t,' be auministered to her without ceremonial, without the customary candles, and without any vestments _ for the priest. To one 1 so deeply religious as Jeanne, this seemed dreadful, and the cruelty of it touched some unknown heart without the prison. This churchman did all within his power, sending the Host with _ a train of priests who chanted litanies and carried torches, so that at least she received the rite which nerved her for her frightful end. THE TRAGEDY OF THE ROUEN MARKET. This girl of nineteen, dressed in white, was escorted by eight hundred English soldiers over the rough cobblestones of the ancient streets of Rouen until she reached the Old Market. There was driven a stake, about which wood was piled in an enormous mass. Facing it were two platforms for her judges. Before she was bound, a ghoul-like creature preached to her, calling her a rotten branch to be cut off from the church, a heretic, a blasphemer, and an impostor. When he had finished, the bishop himself_ arose and covered her with abusive epithets. It is likely that she did not hear him, for she was kneeling and* crying to her own St. Michael for help. At last, she was bound to the stake. At the foot of it, and a little removed from it, was nailed a parchment with the following words:. Jeanne, called-the maid, liar, .reviler of the people, witch, blasphemer of God, pernicious, superstitious, idolatrous, cruel, dissolute, invoker of devils, apostate, schismatic, heretic. Before she was bound, she begged for a but none was at hand. One of the English soldiers on guard, with an impulse that did him honor, seized a stick and broke it across his knee, hastily binding the two parts together. This rough emblem Jeanne carried to the pile of fagots. Soon the flames began to rise, enveloping that white figure in ruddy gleams, until there gushed forth great clouds of smoke which obscured the victim. At this moment there came from her lips a cry whicli pierced through the’crackling fagots: . “My voices were from God. They have not deceived me!” This was the end of what was mortal of Jeanne d’Arc. Her death caused an extraordinary revulsion of '■ feeling. Strange stories were- told of how a white dove had fluttered forth amid the flames. Her executioner was stricken with the horrors of remorse. One of the secretaries attached to the household of the- English king went home, crying out as he went: . “We are'all lost, for we have burned a saint!” Indeed, from that day to our own the figure of this young girl stands out alike in history and in art with wonderful purity and clearness. Only a short time after her death, the Pope revoked her condemnation. In 1456, her trial was revised by royal order, and she was formally declared to have been innocent. In ratification of this finding, Pope Calixtus 111 pronounced her to have been “a martyr for her religion, her country, and her king.’ HER REGENT BEATIFICATION. Dong ago a movement was begun to canonize her and to place her name among those of the saints. In 1870, the subject was seriously taken up by the Roman Curia. A Jong and searching canonical investigation was carried out by order of Pope Pius IX. The ecclesiastical law of the Roman church is most minute and scrupulous, and it was not until 1894 that Leo XIII directed the three final inquiries to be made. In January, 1904, Pius X, presiding over the Congregation of Rites, approved a decree which advanced the cause; and last December, in the hall of the Consistory of, the Vatican, the Maid of Orleans was declared by the Pope to have received beatifioation as the personification of chivalrous France.” Before long, St. Peters will witness an impressive ceremony to make this known to all the world. . Jeanne d’Arc, therefore, as now beatified, and is to bo spoken of as the blessed” (beata, bienheureuse). lhero are many now living who may he able to speak of her as-“ Ste. Jeanne. It is worthy of mention that the English, who have been held mainly responsible for her death, have most admired and most strongly defended her. On the other hand, her defamation lias come from French writers., Io the everlasting shame of Voltaire, he burlest.ued this chaste and heroic girl m his mock epic “La Pucelle.” Only a short time, ago, the cynical Anatole hlanoe, more seriously, penned -an unfavorabl criticism of her life and .character. , On the other hand, English w.riteis such as Mrs Oliphant, Doughs Murray, and Andrew Lang bko the Geeman poet Schiller, depict her as a virgin mystic, spurning all earthly love and nersonifying whatever is fine and chivalrous and noble in the race from which she sprang and the, nation, foi whose very life she went foitli .to battle.