THE MAID OF ORLEANS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2803, 4 December 1907, Page 85

THE MAID OF ORLEANS.

By Bolivas. (Paper read before fhe Invercargiul Club.) The story of Joan of Arc or the Maid of Orleans, is rather a sad one. She was a French peasant girl,- born in 1410, who, in the early part of the fifteenth century, s*>v«d France from what appeared to be it* inevitable conquest by the English. In the course of the wars which were then devastating France, her quiet rural life was in upon. A party of Burgundiane, allies of the English «2ainst that small portion of the French who still struggled for their independence, drove Joan and ber parents from their home, burnt most of the nouses, and then passed on to do mischief elsewhere. This circumstance appeared to confirm the impression that had already taken hold of the sjirl's mmd — >that it was she who was to deliver France from her enemies. It was useless for hex parents to try to put wheit they thought &o absurd an idea out of her head; and she contrived to prn-ent herself to the governor of the \? vtn «i<i to persuade him that sbe had indeed a mission from heaven to save 'her countn*. Joan announced that her design was -o drive the English away from Orleans, which they were besieging, and then conduct ♦•he young king Charles VII to Rheims to be crowned. The governor accordingly sent her to Chinon, where Charles held his court. He was not at first much disposed to accept the help of a country girl, but Joan at length prevailed. Cl»d in armour, sword by side, and bearing a consecrated banner she rode iorth as a military commander amid the enthusiasm of thereoplo, who doubted not her inspiration The maid was right; Orleans was relieved. She had first summoned tho English commander to abandon th« *iege, ard on his refusing to do *o assaulted him w.*b such fury that in ten days she forced him to retire. The desire of Joan » heart ■was now accomplished. The English got rid of, the, marched to Rheims with Charles, and stood with him when he was crowned. The maid now thought that her task was done, and would have returned to her simple country life again. But Charles would not allow this, and she remained with the army, carrying on the campaign with varying success. For her services «he was offered honours and rewards, but the only boon •he asked for was th*t her >wn village should be free from taxation. At tength her good fortune eeems to have deserted her, for she was beaten back, and, deserted by her own troopa, taken prisoner by the Burgundians, and afterwards sold to *he English. The crimes of witchcraft and heresy, and, wlwt was considered a very dreadful one, that of having worn <* mans clothes, were laid to the onarge of the unfortunate maid, instead of the real one— that of having defeated tbein in battle— and ehe was condemned to be burnt alive. Her ungrateful sovereign made no attempt to save h«r who had eared him, ar.d to the disgrace of her persecutors tlie sentence was carried into effect in the market place of Jtouen on 'the 31st of May, 1431.

— Some interesting facts relative to the profit on beer were laid before a Coventry compensation authority. In one instance it was stated that the brewery calculated a profit of from 12s to 15s for each barrel cold. Another firm's representative estimated the gain on brewery beer at 14s per barrel. The profit on spirits in gtfttea *o be 3» 6d per gallon.