The Oregon daily journal., March 21, 1908, Page 17, Image 17

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OAN was bora at DotBrW, France, on January
J ,ma.wUiirimwy, rotnyyertigo. .Tula
raj troubled and unhappy time In history, for
jhe'kings of England had been trying to nuke them,
tehee kings of France for nearly hundred yeare,
The king of France bad one son, who wu called
the Dauphin, though hie real name wat
people of England eald that he wai not the eon of the
Un and $9 had. no right to the throne of .France,
trhJdw of course, gave the Dauphin much unhappineee.
' The people of a village nearby the one where Joan
Jived took lf4e with the English, end the boye of the
;U pWei often had pitched Uttlee with tttfa and
atone, pan nsedto eee her brothel Peter and John,
come home from the battle, with their noaee bleed
ing, and with bUck eye but ahe did not take part
bemlf in them.
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TIME went on. and Joan lived at home fa her
village. Every day the voices told her to aave
France, to drive away the English- She wed to cry.
end eay I
"Ob! I cannot. People -would think me either
wicked or mad."
In the meantime, the Dauphin, the rightful prince
of France, fell into greater and greater misfortune,
and finally only the towfl of Orleani remained true to
him In Tact, everywhere the English were overcom
ing the French.
Joan, who was far away in Domremy, heard of
the danger which threatened Orleana, The voices at
last said:
"Go. daughter of God, to Robert de Baudricourt,
the commander of the French army, and ask him to
send you to the Dauphin, to whom eay, 'I have come
to save France. "
Joan had an uncle who lived ttear Vancouleurs.
She went to Mm and told him she must go to the Dau
phin, and that first ahe must ask Robert de Baudricourt
to send her to him.
SUCII was the life of Joan cntD ehe was 15. Sha
grew to be very beautiful, and her fcair-waa raven
tlack.
One day she end the other girls and boye were
running race for a crown of flowers. Joan was easily
the winner; and as she-was Tinming, a child, who was
looking d, cried, "Joan, yon are flying. Your feet
.re not touching the ground." After the race Joan
bad a curious feeling. a if she did not know where she
was. Then she beard young man's voice near her
wy, -Go home,-my child; your mother needs you.'
She didtwt know- whence the voice came, though
the obeyed its bidding at once. She found, however,
that ber mother had not sent for ber. As ehe turned
to go back to ber friend, a bright light like ehining
cloud appeared before -her. and she beard voice eayi
t
a
AFTER riding for several days, Joan and her
companions reached Chinon. and she was taken
to the castle.
Joan went straight up to a man plainly dressed
who stood among a great n timber of magnificent
courtiers dressed in Ik and gold embroideries. - Kneel
ing on one knee, she said:
Fair air, you are the Dauphin to whom am. hid .
to come.
But this man pointed-to-. knight very richly
dressed, and said:
"That is the king."
"No, fair sir." said Joan,, "ft is o you that I am
sent"
The Dauphin, fdr he-ftnw to evhom she spoke, '
was greatly surprised at this, for Joan had never seen
him before. Ite consented to talk lone with her,
and no one baa ever known what they said to each,
other that day, Some aay ahe told him fas was the
rightful king of Frances but this they do know, that
Joan was. given a beautiful euit'of white armor, nd
that ahe led the army to Orleans. And further, that
the battle was fought and the English' were defeated.
IN A beautiful woods near the viilage of Domremy
stood an oak tree, which was called the Fairy Tree,
There was a story. that beautiful fairy used to meet
her lover beneath ita branches, llere the children of
the village made feists and would hang garlands of
flowers on the boughs of the tree. Joan, however, liked
better to place wild flowers beneath the statues of saint
in the village church.
Though Joan could run . faster , than , the other
girls and boys, and beat them when they ran races, she
preferred to be oet Nobody could eeW and spin
better than' Joan did, and 'she was very often found
praying in church atone, She often left other children
while at play, and would go into lonely places, where
she would kneel and ask God to have pity on ber be
loved country. France. The services fa church, the eing
ing and musk made her very happy. At the sound of
the church bells across the fields sha would fall on her
knees and pray. Any money she might have was spent
oq classes to be said to honor of God. and for the good
of men's souls.
T T ER uncle, of course, was much astonished, but
as he believed in her. he took her to Robest,
Robert laughed at her. edfl told Joan's node to
take her away and box her earas Joan then saidi
If you do not, a terrible misfortune wflj befall
our country on (he 12th of February, for so the voices
have told me."
But Robert said to-hert
"Go back to your homes my child." j
When the 12tb of February came, howvtT,rtt
muds of Joan came true: - the English defeated the
French in a great battle. -Robert de Baudlricourt him
self was forced after this to believe in Joan, and ha !
nt ber witb aoldiere to Chinon. where .the Daupbla '
wist '
7
K5
I O.TTHOU, and - ssvc4 France . from ! Eng-
Sherwa very much arild,'biit the voice aiidt
"Do-not be afraid.; Be a good girl ; and' go to
church,' and save France."
6he said:."! am only a little girVand Tcanfiot
ride, or lead the soidiere into battles;", but the voice
kept on saying again and gain that ahe must marcli
before (he soldiers and lead them to victory. f
After this Joan heard other voices, and saw shin
ing figures of the stmts in heaven, and when they left
br she wept bitterly, with eyes lifted to heaven. - She
told ber friends about what she saw. and heard, and
teemed wy happy.
JOAN rode a horse better than any one in France,
and was most skilled in aiming cannon. So
great a general was she that the English were defeated
again and again; in fa her army never lost.
She was so good that her enemies could not find
anything against her. Finally they poisoned the mind
of the king, who deserted her and allowed her to be
cruelly killed. ' ; .
The story of Joan of Arc, or the Maid of Orleans,
is so strange that it seems scarcely true.-' Bat itrangely
true it is, and wonderful, too; the more so because Joan
was only 17 when she first led the French Into vie"
torious battle against the English, '"'.'- ,