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Show The Eights of the Women of Zion, and the Eights of the Women of all Nations. Yol. SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, JANUARY 1, 1882. 10. THEN AND NOW. account of her piety, ana attribute her actions of purity solely tto a noble and strength of character. In the height of her prosperity, in the zenith of her glory and honor, she felt the instability of human happiness, and sorrow and misfortune were constantly threatening to overwhelm her. From her early attachment to the young JEnglish nobleman to her banishment from the throne of France, her life was a seriesof joys and disappointments, triumphs and misfortune?, wherein the sweetness of her disposition, the soundness of her judgment and! the generosity of her heart were constantly demonstrated. The Princess Helena Louise Elizabeth of Mecklen burg, afterward Duchess of Orleans, was born on the 29th of January, 1814, which was the year of Josephine's death. They married into the rival houses of France, both of which succumbed to the terrors of revolution and died in exile; and they lived to witness and share the misfortunes of the royal families. Helena, unlike Josephine, was reared in an atmosphere of purity and religious devotion, trained in the Lutherean tenets,and surrounded with every care which love and wisdom could bestow. Although her mother died when she was very young, her place was supplied by a wise and affectionate stepmother, a cousin of her mother, who devoted her time to the training of the two orphan children, Helena and her brother Alfred, who died while yet a young man. This was the first sorrow of Helena's life rand was never forgotten; although such sorrow is sacred and sanctifies the soul, and the buoyancy of youth cannot long be broken, alobthough death should rob it of some of the jects of its devotion. Being of a pliant, kind disposition, naturally obedient and pious, with a cheerful nature, cultivated by judicious training, what was lacking to make her life beautiful ? The position in which she was born and the circumstances attending her, gave ample opportunity for bringing her to the notice of the world. In 1837 she was married to Ferdinand Phil-lippDuke of Orleans, crown prince to the throne of France Alter the fall of Kapoleon the house of Orleans had again ascended the throne. Ferdinand was a handsome, intellectual man, honored and loved by all who knew him. The good report of him and his many good qualities had caused her to admiie his character before she met him, and love, the fickle god, who is so little consulted in the union of royal families, showered upon them his choicest .blessings. She was loved and reverenced, not only by the family, but the counfeeltry of her adoption, and she gave her best ings in return, If not at the zenith of power, she had all that constitutes true happiness, as one after the other her two sons, Paris and Robert, were born. The sacred ties of wife and mother bound her to her new home, and the throne of France was in the prospective. She often wondered if she had not more than her share of happiness, and feared lest in the exuberance of her spirits she might forget her to cloud or duty to God. There was nothing mar her happiness, until the sudden death of her husband, in the prime of his useful and noble manhood, caused by a fall received in horses were jumping from his carriage while the of running away. His death is spoken as by to his well jaa a loss to France, as it was thought thaf the' political- '' family;troubles would never have assumed the proporself-consciousn- On holidays and snch like festive times, We gather up the shreds of other years, And sometimes weave them Into dainty. rhymes, Albeit dotted, not with ink, but tears ; For wc recall the bitter and the sweet Dark lines, you, know, make pictures more complete May be we hide these fancy sketches fair, . from other eyes in the securest place ; And all the while a smiling face we wear, That e'en otfr friends a vestige may not trace Of that we hold bo sacred and apart, Entwied within the tendrils of the heart. ' be more of sorrow, than of bliss, No matter, 'tis a link in love's deaf chain, A "part and parcel " of that happiness Which often comes through the severest pain. We know, perhaps, how years have sanctified The secret which so jealously we hide. ' It :ir ;v But ah, methinks I'm dreaming when I say, So many years, and oh, so long ago ! It only seems to me but yesterday, And yet. 'tis longer far, lean but know, . For many dim old pictures do I find in mind. crowded Historic relics, my Perchance it would be well to illustrate Some of these histories at the present time ; do I not know why one should hesitate, As old things now are reckoned "half sublime." But If we tell old stories o'er again, Retouch them carefully with modern pen. s, Yes, there are many critics Who pick in pieces what they could not do, And seldom volunteer a word of praise, E'en though the work is beautiful and true. One need be brave, if he would truth rehearse, A real story, polished np in verse. now-a-day- Sure, I've been wand'ring, if I did not dream, Over the hills, and very far away ; And I'm afraid its not a fitting theme Tve chosen for the happy New Tear's day ; For I've been thinking of deserted halls, With faded garlands hanging on the walls. Well, let us welcome in " the glad New Year," For there is much td make it bright and gay, And banish from us every doubt and fear,' And live within the present, just And like the modest lilies, take no thought With what the uncertain future may be fraught. But trust in Flim who docth all things, .well, Knowing His power can guide the helm of State, Can bring forth truth though hidden in a well, And e'en confound the wisdom of the great. lie leads His chosen ones in pleasant ways, And promises the righteous length of days. e, to-da- . Emits. o( THE DUCHESS OF ORLEANS. BY M. J. TANNER. Parallel, but not contemporary, with the Empress Josephine of France is the character and destiny of the Duchess of Orleans, Both were noted for the beauty and attractiveness of their personal appearance, and for tbe and purity of their character. Both strength enjoyed the height of prosperity and .happiness, and felt the depth of sorrow and affliptinn .Tnp. phine s destiny was capricious, and constantly attended with light and shadow. In the of her sorrow and affliction there was a depth buoy-- 1 ancy of spirit which sustained her and,caused ' v her to see something of hope or" resignation; even though her biographers seem te have no . , , his-ttfria- ns -- No. 15. tions they afterward did, if he had lived to, aid the king with his wise counsel and ' tion. The loss of her husband was a shock froni which she never fully recovered; but .while striving with God for resignation, she gave her closest attention to the rearing of her childien, procuring for them the best masters, and training them for the positions they were expected to fill. A few years passed away, when the spirit of revolution wra3 once more manifested. The fiery impetuosity of the populace, as they clamored for a republic, overawed tn.e.,king, and after an ineffectual attempt to hold his power, he fled for his life. The young Duchess, with her two children, after a vain, attempt to hold the crown for her son, was obliged also from the demons who were thirsting for royal blood. Separated from the royal, family, and for a while from her youngest son, she endured much hardship before reaching a place of safety. Her father was dead, but her mother, the Grand Duchess, met her and offered her a refuge at Esinach, in Germany, which she gladly accepted. Added to delicate health, she had many trials and sorrows to endure. The situation of her country, harassed by war and rapine, her friends and associates robbed and exiled, suffering poverty and hardship in foreign lands, their property confiscated and their families in want These were the pictures constantly presented to her mind, to add to the poignancy of .her own grief and suffering. Torn from a home of ease and luxury, separated from her hnsband's family between whom and herself there existed the warmest attachment, and exposed to hardship and poverty so extreme that a cup of tea was a luxury seldom indulged in, she was yet cheerful, and sought to alleviate the sorrows of others instead of dwelling upon her oVn. She clung to her children, who were' a constant source ofhappiness to her, as well as a diversion from solitude, although auxiety for their future often oppressed her. After many delays she received her dowry, which enabled her to proceed with their education, and she attended strictly to their religious training. According-tthe king's wishes, they, were instructed in the Roman Catholic Church", although, she herself was a Protestant She lived to see them on the threshold of manhood, they being about seventeen and nineteen yeare of age. She died in 1858 at Richmond, in JEngland, where she had made her home, in order to be near the royal family, JJonored and Joyed by all who knew her, her .'name is handed down as a testimonial of goodness and. beauty. co-oper- a- 5 to-fle- , . Among the persons who recently received the decoration of "Palmes Acadnmiques". from M. Jules Ferry, the French Minister of Public Instruction, were seven women; those Mn4eJfavy husband on his mission through Central' Asia. To his tragedy of '''Mary Stuart" (Chatto and Windus) Mr. Swinburne has prefixed the following dedication: "I dedicate this play, no which it longer the first part of the trilogy completes; to the greatest exile, but simply to the greatest man of France; to the chief of age, living poets; to the first dramatis.! o JheVictor master . to my; beloved andjievered , Hugo. 4 |
