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diff --git a/45479-h/45479-h.htm b/45479-h/45479-h.htm new file mode 100644 index 0000000..58bb34f --- /dev/null +++ b/45479-h/45479-h.htm @@ -0,0 +1,1073 @@ +<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> + +<!DOCTYPE html + PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" + "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd" > + +<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" lang="en"> + <head> + <title> + The Story of Joan Of Arc the Witch--saint, by M. M. Mangasarian + </title> + <link rel="coverpage" href="images/cover.jpg" /> + <style type="text/css" xml:space="preserve"> + + body { margin:5%; background:#faebd0; text-align:justify} + P { text-indent: 1em; margin-top: .25em; margin-bottom: .25em; } + H1,H2,H3,H4,H5,H6 { text-align: center; margin-left: 15%; margin-right: 15%; } + hr { width: 50%; text-align: center;} + .foot { margin-left: 20%; margin-right: 20%; text-align: justify; text-indent: -3em; font-size: 90%; } + blockquote {font-size: 97%; font-style: italic; margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%;} + .mynote {background-color: #DDE; color: #000; padding: .5em; margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 95%;} + .toc { margin-left: 10%; margin-bottom: .75em;} + .toc2 { margin-left: 20%;} + .indent5 { margin-left: 5%;} + .indent10 { margin-left: 10%;} + .indent15 { margin-left: 15%;} + .indent20 { margin-left: 20%;} + div.fig { display:block; margin:0 auto; text-align:center; } + div.middle { margin-left: 20%; margin-right: 20%; text-align: justify; } + .figleft {float: left; margin-left: 0%; margin-right: 1%;} + .figright {float: right; margin-right: 0%; margin-left: 1%;} + .pagenum {display:inline; font-size: 100%; font-style:normal; + margin: 0; padding: 0; position: absolute; right: 1%; + text-align: right;} + .side { float: left; font-size: 75%; width: 25%; padding-left: 0.8em; + border-left: dashed thin; text-align: left; + text-indent: 0; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; + font-weight: bold; color: black; background: #eeeeee; border: solid 1px;} + p.pfirst, p.noindent {text-indent: 0} + span.dropcap { float: left; margin: 0 0.1em 0 0; line-height: 1 } + pre { font-style: italic; font-size: 90%; margin-left: 10%;} + +</style> + </head> + <body> +<div>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 45479 ***</div> + + <div style="height: 8em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h1> + THE STORY OF JOAN OF ARC <br /> <br /> THE WITCH—SAINT + </h1> + <h2> + By M. M. Mangasarian + </h2> + <h4> + Lecturer Of The Independent Religious Society <br /> From "The + Rationalist," October, 1913 + </h4> + <p> + <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0001" id="linkimage-0001"> </a> + </p> + <div class="fig" style="width:65%;"> + <img src="images/0003.jpg" alt="0003 " width="100%" /><br /> + </div> + <p> + <br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <br /> + </p> + <h3> + PAST NUMBERS OF THE RATIONALIST. + </h3> + <p> + No. 1. St. Francis, the Second Christ. + </p> + <p> + No. 2. Marcus Aurelius. + </p> + <p> + No. 3. Ships that Sink in the Night; or, God and the Titanic. + </p> + <p> + No. 4. What has Christ Done for the World? + </p> + <p> + No. 5. Lyman Abbott on Immortality. + </p> + <p> + No 6. Voltaire in Hades. + </p> + <p> + No. 7. The Gospel of Sport—What Shall I Do to Be Saved? Play! + </p> + <p> + No. 8. A Poet's Philosophy of Happiness—Omar Khayyam. + </p> + <p> + No. 9. A Rationalist in Home. (A Lecture in Three Parts.) Part 1 + </p> + <p> + No. 10. A Rationalist in Rome. (A Lecture in Three Parts.) Part 2 + </p> + <p> + No. 11. A Rationalist in Rome. (A Lecture in Three Parts,) Part 3 + </p> + <p> + No. 12. Jew and Christian According to Shakespeare. + </p> + <p> + No. 13 and 14. Christian Science and Common Sense. + </p> + <p> + No. 15. A Message From Abroad. + </p> + <p> + No. 16. The First Modern Man. + </p> + <p> + No. 17. The Monk and The Woman in The Garden of Allah. + </p> + <p> + No. 18. The High Cost of Living and the Higher Cost of Superstition + </p> + <p> + No. 19. The Debate between Three Clergymen and a Rationalist. + </p> + <p> + No. 20. Rationalism and Crime. + </p> + <p> + No. 21. Women and Crime. + </p> + <p> + No. 22. Was Jesus a Socialist? + </p> + <p> + No. 23. The Catholic Church and the Socialist Party. + </p> + <p> + No. 24. What is the Trouble with the World? + </p> + <p> + The above 24 lectures will be sent to any address upon receipt of $2 + </p> + <p> + Volume 2 + </p> + <p> + No. 1. Who Made the Gods? + </p> + <p> + No. 2. Marriage and Divorce, According to Rationalism. + </p> + <p> + No. 3. The American Girl. + </p> + <p> + No. 4. The Catholic Church in Politics. + </p> + <p> + No. 5. Christian and Turk. + </p> + <p> + No. 6. The Gospel According to Bernard Shaw. + </p> + <p> + No. 7 and 8. Morality Without God. + </p> + <p> + No. 9. A Letter to My Flock. + </p> + <p> + No. 10. A Missionary's Convert. + </p> + <p> + No. 11. The Ex-Priest in Paris. + </p> + <p> + The Rationalist + </p> + <p> + Is published by the Independent Religious Society semi-monthly. Each + number is to consist of a lecture by M. M. Mangasarian. Price of + subscription, per annum, $2.00. Orders should be sent to The Independent + Religious Society, 922 Lakeside Place, Chicago + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0001" id="link2H_4_0001"> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + JOAN OF ARC + </h2> + <p class="pfirst"> + <span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>his lecture on + Joan of Arc, delivered some time ago, provoked a great deal of criticism + in Chicago. The people who protested against it and wanted to punish its + author were, naturally enough, the Roman Catholics. What interests me in + Joan of Arc is not the fact that the story of her martyrdom and subsequent + canonization could be used as a weapon against the Church of Rome, but + because the story in itself is so very compelling. It is quite true that + the story also illustrates how far from infallible the Catholic Church has + been in its dealings with the Maid of Orleans—first, burning her at + the stake as a witch, and, five hundred years later, beatifying her as a + saint. The statement in my lecture which caused the greatest displeasure + was to the effect that the same church which had burnt Joan of Arc as a + witch in fourteen hundred thirty-one had sainted her in nineteen hundred + and nine. The Catholics deny that they were at all responsible for the + terrible death of the deliverer of France. This lecture will throw some + light on that question. + </p> + <p> + As related in a former lecture, it was at her shrine, in the Church of the + Sacred Heart, in Paris, last summer, that I promised myself the task of + presenting to the American people the truth about Joan of Arc. I shall + speak very plainly in this lecture, but, I am sure, without any trace of + bitterness in my heart toward anyone. I shall speak with feeling, of + course, for it is impossible not to be moved to the depths by the events + which brought a girl of nineteen to the stake—but my passion is free + from anger or prejudice. I can weep for this young woman without gnashing + my teeth on her fanatical persecutors. I am sure I can tell the truth + without lying about the Catholic Church. + </p> + <p> + But I do not wish to be sentimental, either. I have not forgiven the + unrepentant destroyers of the innocent. To convert a heretic into a saint + by trying to prove that she was not a heretic at all is not repentance; it + is sophistry. To deny that Joan suffered death at the hands of, and by the + authority of, the Vicar of Christ on earth is not a sign of regret for the + past, but a defiance of history. When the Catholics shall admit that, + through ignorance, and urged on by circumstances they could not control, + they committed the act which they have since atoned for by offering her a + heavenly crown—when, I say, the Catholics shall shed over her body + tears as genuine as those which black Othello shed over the woman he had + smothered—then we will forgive them. + </p> + <p> + But the Catholic Church will have to choose between securing our + forgiveness and retaining her infallibility. If she should repent of a + single act ever committed by her officially, she would lose her claim to + infallibility—for how can the infallible err? If, on the other hand, + she should hold to her infallibility, how can she be sorry for anything + she has ever done? If I had any influence with the Catholics I would + advise them to sacrifice infallibility for the respect of humanity. It is + much more divine to say, "I am sorry," than to say, "I am infallible." But + the Catholic Church will not take my advice. + </p> + <p> + The shrine of Joan in the Paris church is almost as eloquent as her stake + in Rouen. I have seen them both—that is to say, I have seen the spot + on which she was consumed, marked by a white slab; and I have seen the + marble figure of Joan, as a girl, in the attitude of prayer, now in the + Church of the Sacred Heart in Paris. As I stood at her shrine in this + great white church it seemed to me that, even though Joan of Arc has, at + last been made a saint, there was still a prejudice against her on the + part of the people, as well as of the priests. This is only an impression, + and I hope I am mistaken. But let me present the evidence on which I base + my misgivings: In the first place, Joan is not given the preference in the + shrine set apart for her. St. Michael, whoever he might be, occupies the + whole front of the altar, and only on the windows and the side walls do we + find any mention of Joan and the events of her heroic career. There is + also, at one end of the enclosure, as intimated before, a small marble + figure of Joan on her knees. Why does St. Michael usurp the place of honor + over the altar? Who is he? What has he done for France? In the second + place, there was not a single lighted candle at her shrine. St. Mary's + altar, a little distance off, was ablaze. St. Joseph's, too, was honored + by lighted candles. But no one was on her knees and no flame twinkled + before the sainted Joan of Arc. They say that it is almost impossible to + outlive the charge of heresy. In former times, quite frequently, even + heretics who repented of their heresies were put to death, nevertheless. + To have ever been accused, even, or suspected of heresy, is an + unpardonable crime. Joan was suspected, at least, of rebellion against + Rome, and it seemed to me, as I reflected upon what I observed in the + church, that the Catholics had canonized this village maid reluctantly, + and only under pressure, and after five hundred years of dillydallying. + </p> + <p> + But before I left the Church of the Sacred Heart there was a lighted + candle upon her altar. I lighted it. Approaching one of the candle tables, + of which there are half a dozen in the building, I purchased a long, + tapering candle, white as the lily, and I touched it with fire—I + kindled it and set it in one of the sockets to burn before the kneeling + Joan. I left my flaming candle in the Church of the Sacred Heart! I, a + non-Catholic, offered my fire to Joan, not because she had been canonized—for + I never wait for the consent or the approval of the Pope before paying + homage to anybody—but because her sweet, sad story is one of the + most moving of modern times, and her vindication one of the most + stupendous conquests of modern thought. + </p> + <p> + The Church of the Sacred Heart is one of the most beautiful in Paris. It + is built on the highest point in the city and commands a wonderful view. + As I have told you before, I have two friends who dwell on this summit—really, + a superb location. It is approached by a long flight of stairs, or by a + cog-wheel train. Before it, and all around it, sweeps the Paris of to-day, + as did the Paris of Clovis and Charlemagne, nearly fifteen hundred years + ago; the Paris of Julian, Emperor of Rome, older still; the Catholic + Paris, when kings and parlements bowed low to kiss the great toe of the + Italian Christ, or his vicar; the Paris of the Medici—red and + bloody; the Paris of the Huguenots, of Henry of Navarre, of Conde and + Colligny—sad, desolate, and in the throes of a new faith; and the + Paris of the philosophers, whose smile softened its barbarities, lit up + its darkness, and made it a city of light—<i>La ville Lumiere!</i> + There, on that splendid elevation, live my two young friends. They are + both at the age of nineteen. One of them a lad, the other a maid. The girl + is housed; the boy is exposed. Joan of Arc lives in the church—the + cathedral is her home. The Chevalier de La Barre stands on the edge of the + hill, with sun and shower falling upon his head. The Catholic Church burnt + them both at the stake—the boy and the girl; the one because he did + not tip his hat to the priest at a street procession, the other because + she believed in herself! But modern thought has vindicated both of these + outcasts. Joan now dwells in a white church, perfumed and lighted; and the + Chevalier crowns the brow of the hill with his youthful figure and + appealing gesture. The chain which tied these children to the stake in a + dark age has flowered! Is not that wonderful? I believe in the forces, the + ideas, the movement—the thought that can cause a chain to flower! + </p> + <p> + I am not going to speak this morning of the Chevalier de La Barre, to + commemorate whose memory the nationalists of France have erected this + monument, close to the Church of the Sacred Heart. He will be my theme on + another occasion. In this lecture I shall confine myself to the story of + Joan of Arc. And a strange story it is! A young girl of seventeen marches + at the head of a dilapidated and demoralized army, and leads it on to + victory against the best fighters of the world, the English, who, in the + fifteenth century, were trying to annex France to England; she is captured + by traitors, sold to the enemy for ten thousand pounds; and then she is + handed over to the church to be tried for heresy. She is tried, convicted, + and sentenced to be burned alive. This sentence, the most revolting on + record, is carried out in all its literalness, and in broad daylight, and + under the shadow of the Christian cross, and at the very doors of a great + cathedral. All this transpired in the city of Rouen, on the thirtieth day + of May, fourteen hundred thirty-one. + </p> + <p> + In order that I may enter into the spirit of the thrilling events of which + Rouen was the stage, I repaired to that city, and reverently visited the + scenes of the trial and the martyrdom of this latest saint of the Catholic + world. Words cannot convey to you the emotions which, like a storm, burst + upon me suddenly as the conductor on my train called out, "Rouen!" It was + then about a half hour to midnight, and, jumping into a carriage, I was + quickly driven to my hotel. What thoughts, and how they crowded in upon + me, as soon as I laid my head upon my pillow. My brain was too active to + permit of sleep. I imagined I was living in <i>the year fourteen hundred + thirty-one</i>, and that I had just reached this city on the eve of the + martyrdom of Joan. "To-morrow," I whispered to myself, "Joan of Arc will + be led to the stake." Again and again I repeated to my pillow this + shuddering intelligence. "What," I exclaimed to myself, "a young woman who + saved France by her courage is going to be committed to the flames in this + very city <i>tomorrow!</i>" I could not believe it possible. I could not + believe that there was folly enough, or hatred enough, or stupidity + enough, in the world for so desperate a deed. But, alas, it was true. With + my eyes closed, I fancied I saw the throngs marching through the streets—consisting + of peasants, of merchants, of priests, of princes—to see a girl of + nineteen burned in the fire, and in all that throng there was not one who + had either a kind word or thought for her—her who had given them a + country to live in. Abandoned, hated and spat upon, she was left to suffer + the cruelest punishment that human <i>inhumanity</i> could devise, or the + most perverse imagination invent. A girl of nineteen burned alive! "Oh, + God!" The words escaped my lips in spite of me. Then I turned about and + called upon <i>Humanity</i>. But in the fifteenth century God and Humanity + were both hard of hearing. Then I called upon <i>Science</i> and <i>Reason</i>. + But these were not yet born. "There is no help then," I whispered to + myself, and my heart swelled within me with indignation, and I became + desperate, realizing my helplessness. + </p> + <p> + With my head upon my pillow during that first night I spent in Rouen, I + tried to penetrate into the motives for the persecution of Joan. This + brave girl was feared because she was superior to her age. She provoked + the jealousy of her inferiors. Her independence and originality alarmed + both the Church and the State. Her ability to take the initiative, and her + courage to disagree with her spiritual teachers was a menace to the + authority of the priest with the keys, and the king with the sword. The + English would not admit that a mere girl, a Domremy peasant, tending her + father's cows, could have the genius to whip them—the most powerful + warriors of Europe. The Catholic Church, on the other hand, would not + forgive Joan for distinguishing herself without their help. For a woman to + eclipse the Holy Church and humiliate a powerful State, was a crime + punishable by death. + </p> + <p> + In less than two years' time Joan had saved France, after the prayers of + the Church and the armies of the nation had failed ignominiously. In the + opinion of the world of that day there was only one power, the devil's, + that could outwit the Church. It was not denied that Joan had driven the + victorious armies of the enemy out of France, and made a conquered people + free again; but it was argued that she had achieved this triumph, not by + the help of God, but by the instrumentality of the devil. In those days, + anything, however praiseworthy, if accomplished without the permission and + cooperation of the Church, was the work of the devil. Joan had consulted + her own heart, instead of the village confessor. That was her heresy. Joan + had seen visions and heard voices on her own account. That is the + independence which, if encouraged, or even recognized, would overthrow the + Catholic Church. No one is allowed to receive revelations at first hand. + Even God is not permitted to speak except through his vicar on earth. In + short, Joan was a <i>protestant</i>, inasmuch as she not only had direct + relations with heaven, but she refused to allow the Church to be the judge + as to whether her voices were from God or from Satan. During all the agony + of her long trial, every effort was made to induce her to allow the Church + to be the judge of the nature of her visions. Joan refused the test. There + was no doubt about her heresy. She believed herself capable of judging. + That was her unpardonable sin. + </p> + <p> + Still imagining myself in Rouen, in the year fourteen hundred thirty-one, + I said to myself, "I must arise early in the morning and go to the old + market place to catch a glimpse of the wonderful woman when she leaves the + tower for the stake." As the picture of what I would see on the following + day arose before my closed eyes, I trembled. "I will not let them burn + her," I cried passionately. But, alas, what could one man do against king, + pope, and the mob! And I tossed in my bed like one in a cage who is + conscious of his helplessness against iron bars. + </p> + <p> + Suddenly, a thought struck me, as the lightning strikes a tree. "This is + fourteen hundred thirty-one," I repeated to myself. "I must get up at once + and repair to the palace of the Bishop of Beauvais, the priest who holds + in the hollow of his hand the fate of the bravest maid in history. If I + could only have a half hour with him," I said, "to pour into his ears my + protest, my pleadings, my scorn, my prayers; or, if I could tell him of + the time when Joan will have a shrine in a Catholic Church!—he might + relent and hearken unto reason?" With these thoughts in my mind I jumped + out of my bed, I lit the candle, I put on my clothes. Then, in haste, I + walked out into the night, seeking my way in the streets of the strange + city now deserted. By the help of the moon and the stars of that night in + May, <i>fourteen hundred thirty-one</i>, I traced my way to the imposing + Cathedral of St. Ouen, standing like a towering shadow in the cold light + of the night, and close to which lived the Bishop of Beauvais. + </p> + <p> + I knocked upon the Bishop's door. "Open, open," I cried, as in the dead of + night I kept pounding upon the door. "I wish to come in," I cried. "I wish + to save the Church from an indelible stain, I wish to protect the honor of + humanity." "Open, open," I cried, again and again, and in the stillness of + the night the noise of my blows reached far and wide. Louder and louder + still I cried to the Bishop to open the door. "I wish to rescue France and + England from committing an act of infamy; I wish to save history from an + unspeakable shame. Let me in, Bishop! I come to protect you against the + execration of posterity, against eternal damnation! Open, open the door!" + I shouted. I kept pounding upon the door, long and loud, on the eve of + that foul day in fourteen hundred thirty-one. I grew impatient with + waiting for the door to open, and my voice, which a moment before swept up + and down the whole gamut of hope and despair—pleading, shouting, + sobbing—now became faint and feeble. + </p> + <p> + I could not arouse the Bishop. He was fast asleep. Then I was silent + myself. Suddenly I heard a far away whisper. It did not come from the + Episcopal palace, nor from the Cathedral close by, yet I was sure I heard + some one speaking. I listened again. I could now hear more clearly. "I am + coming, I am coming," was repeated in caressing accents. "I am coming, to + open the door, to awaken the Bishop, to usher in a more joyous day for + humanity. I will extinguish the fires of persecution, turn executioners + into teachers, disarm superstition, and make the whole world sane. In that + day Joan will triumph over her foes and make their churches her + mausoleum." It was the voice of Reason! But it took five hundred years for + that faint whisper to swell into a mighty chorus, swinging around the + globe. That prophecy has been fulfilled, the Bishop's door opened, and the + Church yielded to the clamor of civilization, and changed Joan's stake + into the shrine where I lit my candle in her honor, in the Church of the + Sacred Heart. She is no longer a heretic, she has become a saint. Her + tears have changed into pearls, her tomb into a cathedral, where she + sleeps in pomp on the bosom that once stung her to death. + </p> + <p> + But I was not in Rouen in fourteen hundred thirty-one; I was there five + hundred years too late. The day after I arrived in the city, I went to the + market place, but, instead of a procession with candles and torches, with + stakes and fagots, I found commerce, industry, labor, in full possession + of the great square. Prosperous looking men and women met and greeted one + another pleasantly; farmers were selling fruit and vegetables; the women, + flowers. Even the priests one came across smiled as they saw the happy + countenances of the people. What a change! Common sense has sweetened + human nature and flooded the mind with the light that destroys + superstition and makes all men brothers. The guide pointed out to me the + white marble slab marking the spot on which Joan of Arc met her death. + "Upon this place stood the stake of Joan of Arc. The ashes of the glorious + virgin were thrown into the Seine." This is the inscription on the slab + which was placed there by the municipality in eighteen hundred ninety-one. + </p> + <p> + Close to this same spot the citizens of Rouen have erected a fountain, in + the form of a monument, to the same heroic maiden. I stood and watched the + playful waters as they fell with a liquid plash into the marble basin + below. Presently, a woman came along with her pitcher. The stake at which + Joan of Arc was burned to death has become a fountain, to which the people + now come to slake their thirst. Walking up to the woman, I said, "What + fountain is this?" + </p> + <p> + "Ah, monsieur," she exclaimed, "behold the fountain of Joan of Arc." + </p> + <p> + "But she was a heretic," I remarked. I can never forget her smile. The sun + had arisen in her eyes. "We live in the twentieth century," she replied. + And, unconsciously, we both heaved a sigh of relief. I rubbed my eyes to + be sure we were not living in the middle ages, when Rationalism was still + a babe in swaddling clothes, and Theology was lord of all. This is the + twentieth century—for we are drinking at the fountain of Joan of Arc + instead of carrying fagots to her stake! One of the sunniest spots in my + memory will be my meeting with this peasant woman, with her pitcher, at + the fountain of Joan of Arc. + </p> + <p> + But my object in this lecture is to help clear some obscure questions in + connection with the trial, martyrdom and subsequent canonization of this + girl of nineteen. I wish to bring about a more intelligent appreciation of + the story of a young shepherdess, beginning from the day she left her home + in Domremy, to the fiery scaffold; and thence to a place among the saints + in the Catholic calendar. This is the only instance in Catholic history of + a person once destroyed as a heretic who has afterwards received the + highest honors within the gift of the Church. In fourteen hundred + thirty-one an infallible body of ecclesiastics pronounced this young woman + to be "a child of perdition, a sorceress, a seducer, a harlot and a + heretic." Five hundred years after, another infallible body of + ecclesiastics belonging to the same church pronounced the same "harlot" + and "heretic" to be "angelic" and "divine." One infallible pope allowed + her to be burned in fourteen hundred thirty-one; another infallible pope + denounced her murderers as detestable criminals—which shows how + fallible is infallibility. + </p> + <p> + A great many untruths are being circulated to help clear this + contradiction. The clergy are proclaiming from the housetops that it was + not the church that tried and condemned Joan of Arc to torture and death + in fourteen hundred thirty-one; on the contrary, it was the church, they + say, which has just vindicated her memory and beatified her with superb + ceremonies. History, however, gives a different version of the affair. + Before proceeding to describe the trial and condemnation of Joan of Arc, + let me state the attitude of the Rationalist toward Joan of Arc's claims + to inspiration. We can do justice to a woman of her description without + believing in miraculous predictions. Joan of Arc claimed to have seen + visions and to have heard voices, which assured her of her divine mission. + She was thirteen years of age, according to her testimony, when she felt + her first thrill. The visions were repeated. One day, at about noon, in + the summer time, and while working on her father's farm, close to the + whispering trees, she saw a radiance out of which came a voice which she + fancied was the voice of an angel or of a saint. It was not at all strange + that she should hear voices. All her education had prepared her for them. + She had been told how others had seen angels and heard voices. The + literature of the Church was full of the miraculous in those days. It was + the ambition of every believer to receive visits from the other world, and + to be told secrets. Joan, the little Domremy girl, shared these ambitions. + In her case the wish was father to the vision. She heard the voices and + saw the faces which her heart coveted. How do we explain her "voices" and + her "visions"? The question is a very simple one, unless we have a leaning + for theology. The voices that Joan heard were those that came from her own + heart. It was her own dreams she saw in the sunlight. + </p> + <p> + The young woman had mused over the acts of brigandage of the invading army + and their French allies; she had seen the smoke of the burning villages + and had heard the wail of her peasant neighbors. The distress of her + people had often melted her into tears and wrung many a sigh from her + lips. She imagined the whole country summoning her to the rescue. So + earnest was she that her thoughts assumed form and shape, and became + vocal. Thus, out of the substance of her own soul she fashioned the + visions which she beheld. She felt herself set apart to be the saviour of + France. The brilliance of that thought darkened every other object in life—home, + parents, money, marriage! + </p> + <p> + To those who will not be satisfied with this explanation, I beg to say + that if the voices were really supernatural, then they should be held + responsible for the cruel death to which they led or drove the young + woman. Why did her voices, if they were divine, desert her when she needed + their help most? Why did they not save her from prison and the stake? And + which of us would like to be guided to the chambers of the inquisition, + and the flames of the stake by "heavenly voices"? Moreover, if these + voices came from God, why did they not speak to the English king, or to + the Roman pope, in behalf of Joan, when she called on them for help? Why + did they not assume the responsibility for the acts for which she was + destroyed? Voices and visions which induce a young girl to go to the help + of a perishing country only to use her victories for the benefit of a + depraved and imbecile prince like Charles VII, and desert the young woman + herself to be "done" to death! Defend us against them! + </p> + <p> + Returning to the question of the responsibility of the Catholic Church for + the fate of Joan, there are these points to be touched upon. Being a + matter of history that on the last day of May, fourteen hundred + thirty-one, this young woman was publicly burned in the City of Rouen, in + the square of the cathedral, the question arises: Who put her to death? + Another important question is: Why was she put to death? And when we have + answered these questions we will be in a position to discuss the much more + important question of: Why Joan of Arc was recently translated into a + saint by the pope. + </p> + <p> + Twenty-five years after the burning of Joan, when the city of Rouen was + restored to the French king, and the English were finally driven across + the Channel, it was decided to review the evidence upon which the Maid had + been convicted and put to death. This was done; and with the result that + she was acquitted of all the charges of heresy, insubordination to the + Church, adultery, witchcraft, etc. What do you think was the motive of + this revision? The French king had begun to realize the disgrace to which + he had been exposed by the condemnation of the Maid as a witch. Being + exceedingly pious—piety and crime were united in him as in many + others of that day—he was tormented by the thought that the young + woman who had assisted him in his war against the English, and had been + the means of securing for him the crown of France, and had also officiated + at his coronation in the cathedral of Rheims, was condemned as an agent of + satan by the Church; which, if true, it would make him not only the target + for the ridicule and derision of the whole Christian world, but, also, an + illicit king of the French, who might refuse their allegiance to him + because he was made king by a witch and not by an apostle of God. It is no + wonder that a superstitious man like Charles VII, in a superstitious age, + trembled, not only for his crown, but, also, for his life. Therefore, in + order to make his succession legitimate it was necessary to prove that + Joan was not a witch, but a true messenger of God. For if Joan was a + witch, Charles VII was not king "by the grace of God," but by a trick of + the devil. In self-defense the king of France was not only compelled to + reopen the case against Joan, now that he was free from English dictation, + but he also indicated in advance to the ecclesiastics the conclusion they + would have to arrive at. The king could not have allowed, and he would not + have allowed, the ecclesiastical council, convened at his request, to + arrive at any other verdict than the one which would prove to France and + Christendom that he was made king at Rheims, not by a witch who was + excommunicated by the Church and flung into the fire, but by a real and + inspired apostle of God. + </p> + <p> + Of course, it is a matter of history that it was by the help of Joan that + Charles VII became King of France. + </p> + <p> + As already intimated, at the coronation ceremony Joan was not only + present, but she assisted the Archbishop when the latter placed the crown + upon the king's head. The inauguration was practically the work of Joan. + It was the fulfillment of a prediction she had repeatedly made, that she + would conquer the English and crown the French king in the City of Rheims. + If she was a witch the coronation was invalid. The ceremony of the + anointing of a king is one of the most solemn in the Catholic Church. The + condemnation of Joan as a witch had not only stripped this ceremony of its + sacredness, but it had also made it null and void, nay, more, a blasphemy. + How could a king, anointed by the help of a witch, be the king of a + Christian nation? To appreciate this argument we must remember how bigoted + the people were in the Middle Ages. In self-defense, therefore, Charles + VII was compelled to prove to the French, and to the whole world, that the + woman to whom he owed his elevation to the throne was not a heretic. + </p> + <p> + Let us recapitulate. The King of France ordered the Church to make out a + new certificate for Joan. The Church obeyed the French king, even as the + same Church twenty-five years earlier had obeyed the King of England and + condemned Joan to death. When the English were masters of France, the + Catholic Church pleased them by delivering up the conqueror of England to + be burned alive; when the English were driven out of the country and the + French were again in control this sentence was reversed and Joan was + proven to have been a dutiful child of the Church. Thus it will be seen + that the Church swung with the English when the English ruled the land, + and she swung with the French when the French had driven the English out + of the country. The Church was with England at one time, and she was with + France at another—but never with Joan. I am milder in my criticism + than the facts warrant. I am making strenuous efforts to speak with + immoderation of an "infallible institution." + </p> + <p> + But why was it to the interest of the English to have Joan declared a + witch? Their motives were as personal as those of the French king. The + English felt humiliated to think that a mere woman had whipped them, and + therefore they were determined to prove that she was more than a woman—an + agent of the devil. There was no secret about this. Their motive was very + plain. It was to their interest to show that Joan was the personification + of satan, and that consequently the English should not be blamed for + running away from her presence, because who could withstand the devil? The + English army did not go down before a girl, but before a sorceress. Even + as the King of France did not wish it said that he owed his victory over + the English to a witch, or that he was made king by an apostate, the + English did not wish it said that they were conquered by a saint, for that + would make God the enemy of the English. One king wanted Joan damned, and + the Church accommodated him by damning her; another wanted Joan beatified, + and the Church beatified her. + </p> + <p> + It is admitted that the English could not have burned Joan as a witch + without the consent of the Church. They could have burned her as a + prisoner, but that would not have answered their purpose—she must be + declared a witch in order to vindicate the amour propre of the English + people. It is the exclusive prerogative of the Church to decide questions + of orthodoxy or heresy. No king has the right to admit or exclude any one + from the communion of the Church. Whether or not Joan was a witch was a + theological question and could only be decided by the ecclesiastical + court. Neither could the King of France declare Joan of Arc innocent of + heresy without the consent of the Church. It follows then that the + principal actor in the trial, the condemnation and the death of the young + woman under the English, and her subsequent vindication and beatification, + was the Church of Rome, since without its consent the English could not + have made a heretic of her, nor the French a saviour and a saint. A + secular government may declare who shall be its military heroes, or who + shall be court-martialed and disgraced, but only the Church enjoys the + right to damn or to canonize. This point is so clinching that even the + most zealous papist must admit that at one time, when all Europe was + Catholic—England as much so as France—and the pope was as + supreme in one country as in the other, a girl of nineteen, who had + rendered heroic services to her oppressed country, could not have been + declared a heretic and cast into the fire at the door of a cathedral, in + the presence of bishops, priests, a cardinal and a representative of the + holy Inquisition, without the knowledge and consent of the Holy Roman + Catholic Church. + </p> + <p> + An attempt has been made to throw the entire blame of the proceedings + against Joan of Arc upon the English. There is no doubt about the anxiety + of the English to punish the Maid who had robbed them of the spoils of + their victory over the French and brought dishonor upon their arms. But a + mere military punishment, as already intimated, would not have been + sufficient to satisfy the English—she had to be excommunicated from + Christendom as one possessed of the devil. That was the only way to save + the English of the disgrace of having been beaten by a woman, and the + records show that the Church, instead of reluctantly carrying out the + wishes of the English, was more than pleased to bring Joan to the stake. + Letters were written from the office of the Inquisition to the English + king, complaining against his lukewarmness in the matter of prosecuting + the young woman. The Catholic University of Paris, also, sent a special + communication to King Henry of England to remind him of his duty to help + the Church to put down heresy. The English were urged to hand Joan over to + the bishop and the Inquisition, that the ecclesiastics might proceed with + her trial without delay. And when finally Joan faced her judges, forty in + number, every one of them was an ecclesiastic, and out of the forty, + thirty-eight were Frenchmen. + </p> + <p> + Moreover, the Archbishop of Rheims, who was also Chancellor of France, + wrote a letter which is still in existence, in which he congratulated the + French upon the capture of Joan of Arc, whom he denounces as a heretic—"a + proud and rebellious child who refuses to submit to the Church." Being the + superior of the Bishop of Beauvais, who was in charge of the trial, the + Archbishop could have stopped the prosecution if he had the least sympathy + or pity for the Maid. But to try to save a heretic would be the worst kind + of heresy. That explains the utter desertion of Joan by all France—people, + priest and king. + </p> + <p> + In this connection a comparison should be made between the zeal of the + clergy to bring Joan to trial for heresy and the slowness and indifference + with which the Church proceeded to obey the summons of the King of France + twenty-five years after to reinstate her into the fellowship of Catholic + Christendom. The records show that it required considerable urging and + manoeuvring on the part of the French government to bring about a revision + of the ecclesiastical sentence against the Maid. As long as Nicholas V was + pope nothing was accomplished. The case was reopened under Pope Calixtus. + Not until it was realized that further delay in the matter would greatly + irritate, not only the French king, but also the populace, now freed from + English dominion and seeking to live down the evil reputation of having + harbored an apostate in their midst, did Rome stir itself in the matter. + It will be seen that it was not the pope nor the Church that took the + initiative in behalf of Joan of Arc. The Church only yielded to the + pressure from the State, that had now become powerful. Had the English + remained in control of France the Maid of Orleans would never have been + remembered by the Catholic Church, much less restored to honor and + immortality. + </p> + <p> + "We do not deny," answer the defenders of the Church, "that <i>some</i> + bishops and even cardinals persecuted Joan of Arc to death. But is it just + to hold the whole Church responsible for the crime of an insignificant + minority?" This is the main defense of the Catholics against the arguments + of the Rationalists and the facts of history. Be it noted that I am not + trying to abuse the Catholics; I am only sorry that they should be + unwilling, even at this date, to say, "We are sorry." To commit mistakes + is human. But why should the Church move heaven and earth to prove that it + has never committed a mistake? The attempt is also made to prove that the + ecclesiastics who are responsible for the death of Joan were wicked men + and have been repudiated by the Church. To this is added the further + defense that it was the gold of the English which corrupted these priests. + But such a defense, I regret to say, does not reflect credit upon the + intelligence or the honor of the Church of Rome. In this day of general + information it is impossible for anyone to wrap up the facts of history in + a napkin, as it were, and put them away where no one may have access to + them. The judges of Joan were all ordained ministers of the Church. The + presiding priest was a bishop—the bishop of Beauvais. He was + assisted by a cardinal, a vice-president of the Inquisition, and a number + of other ecclesiastics who were connected with the University of Paris. Is + it reasonable to suppose that the Inquisition and the Catholic University + of Paris, and all the clergy of England and France represented only a + discredited section of the Church? + </p> + <p> + It is the pride of the Catholics that their church has never been divided + or schismatic, and that it has been one and indivisible "always and + everywhere." How is this claim to be reconciled with the excuse that a + considerable portion of the Catholic Church in the fifteenth century + openly ignored the authority of the pope and did as they pleased without + incurring the displeasure of the Hierarchy for their insubordination? + Furthermore, if only a part of the church persecuted the young woman, what + did the rest of the church do to save her? We would like the names of the + priests who interceded in her behalf. It does not give me a bit of + pleasure to prove the Catholic Church responsible for this as for many + other burnings at the stake, but it gives me pleasure to be able to show + that any institution claiming infallibility, to defend that claim must + persecute. And why do I take pleasure in proving this to be inevitable? It + might open the eyes of the religious world to the danger of + supernaturalism. If the Christians no longer burn people they do not like, + it is not because their Bibles have been altered, but because they no + longer believe in them as they used to. It is good news to report that + supernaturalism is waning, for it means the progress of science and + sanity. + </p> + <p> + There is still another point to be touched upon: When all Europe heard of + the fate that had befallen a girl of nineteen through the machinations, + let us say, of a few naughty Catholic priests—what did Rome do to + these same priests who had so disgraced their "holy" profession, as well + as brought lasting shame upon civilization? Is not this a pertinent + question? Joan's trial lasted for four months. Not only France and + England, but all Christendom was interested in the outcome. During all + this time not only was there not a word of protest from Rome, but what is + more significant, shortly after the trial and condemnation of Joan, the + pope rewarded her accusers and persucutors with ecclesiastical promotion. + Again, I must hasten to explain that I am not interested in embarrassing + the Catholics; my point is to strike at <i>dogma</i>—which turns + hearts into stone, and makes of the intellect a juggler's instrument. Joan + was sacrificed, nay,—the honor of France, of Europe, of + civilization, of humanity—was flung into the fire with Joan, to save—what? + Dogma! + </p> + <p> + Not only did the church fail to punish a single one of the forty + ecclesiastics who tried Joan, not to mention hundreds of others who + cooperated with them to bring about her destruction, but, as intended, + gifts were conferred upon the principal actors in this awful drama. + Roussel, one of the ecclesiastics who figured prominently in the + proceedings, was given the archepiscopacy of the city of Rouen—the + very city in which a girl not yet twenty, and who had served France on the + battlefield, and brought victory to her flag, was beaten and burnt to + death. Pasquier, an ordinary priest when he was serving as one of the + judges, was made a bishop after the execution of Joan. Two others, Gilles + and Le Fevre, were also advanced to upper ranks in the church. Thomas + Courcelles, one of the most merciless judges of Joan—who voted in + favor of subjecting the prisoner to physical torture to compel her to + admit she was a witch—this priest with the unenviable reputation was + also promoted to a lucrative post in the famous church of Notre Dame, in + Paris. Finally, the man who engineered the trial, who presided over the + sessions, and to whom Joan said, "You are the cause of my misfortunes"—the + Bishop of Beauvais, the man whom all Catholics justly execrate today—even + he was rewarded by the "Holy Father"; he was given the episcopal seat of + Lisieux. Does it look as though the crime against Joan were the work of a + discredited minority in the Catholic Church? I repeat, it was dogma, it + was revelation, it was infallibility, it was supernaturalism, and not this + or that priest—that should be held guilty. + </p> + <p> + To meet these arguments the Catholic apologists call attention to the fact + that the church "has a horror of blood," and that it has never put anyone + to death for any cause whatever. But this is true only in a Pickwickian + sense. It is like the head saying to the hands, "I have never committed + the least violence against anyone." The hands, it is evident, commit the + acts, but whose hands are they? The hands only obey the head, and for the + head to blame the hands for carrying out its orders, realizing its + thoughts and wishes, would not even be amusing, much less convincing. It + is the judge, or the court, that takes the life of the culprit, for + instance, and not the executioner. The Catholic Church demands the death + of the heretic. Is this denied? Read Thomas Aquinas, the most honored + saint and theologian of Catholicism; read the decrees of the general + councils of the church and the encyclicals of St. Peter's successors, and + a thousand, thousand proofs will be found in them to substantiate the + statement. It is the Bible that commands the death of the heretic. No + church founded on the Bible can afford to be tolerant. The theory of + Christianity as well as of Mohammedanism is that the sword which the king + carries has been blessed and put in his hands that he may put down the + heretics. The civil authorities then, in bringing Joan of Arc to the fire + were carrying out the instructions of the forty ecclesiastical judges who + condemned her to death. Had these judges found her innocent, the state + could not have destroyed her life; it was the will of the priestly court + that she should die, and the secular authorities fulfilled its wish. + </p> + <p> + But was Joan a heretic? Strenuous efforts are made to show that she was + not. This point is a vital one. The church, in self-defense, is bound to + produce arguments to prove that Joan of Arc was an orthodox, obedient, and + submissive child of the church. If she was not orthodox, then the church + has sainted a heretic in the person of Joan of Arc. One of the questions + they asked her at the trial was whether she would be willing to submit the + question of her "visions" to the church; that is to say, would she consent + to the findings of an ecclesiastical court concerning herself and her + mission? To this the answer was that she held herself responsible only to + God. This was considered a rebellious answer, and it was—from the + church's point of view. According to Catholic theology the church is + divided into two branches,—the church militant, which is composed of + the pope, the priests and their flock; and the church triumphant, which is + presided over by God and the saints in glory. Joan said she was prepared + to submit to the church triumphant—the church on high, that is to + say, to God, but to nobody else. This also was a heresy. Her clerical + judges insisted that to be a good Catholic she must bow to the will of the + church on earth—the pope and his representatives. Her heresy then + was both real and serious. She appealed from the pope to God. She placed + her own conscience above the authority of the church. She believed in + private judgment, the exercise of which is forbidden by the church. In + refusing to let the pope act as the middleman between God and herself she + was threatening the very existence of the papacy. There is then no doubt + that both by her independent conduct and by her original answers Joan + attacked the very fundamentals of Catholicism. It follows, then, that the + pope a few years ago made a saint out of a heretic. + </p> + <p> + Although Joan was an uncultivated girl, able neither to read nor write, + she was gifted with good common sense. She saw at a glance that if she + were to submit to the church she would thereby be casting doubts upon the + genuineness of her "visions." She preferred to go to the stake rather than + do that. She was really between two fires: the priests threatened her + body; God in her conscience threatened her soul. She decided to obey the + voice within. The decision cost her her life. + </p> + <p> + Some of the questions put to her and the answers which Joan made are + really remarkable. They show the craft of her judges, on the one hand, and + the courage and common sense of the victim, on the other. + </p> + <p> + "Will you not submit to our holy father, the Pope?" they asked her. "Bring + me before the Pope, and I will answer," she replied. In other words, they + were trying to have her admit that she had no right to think for herself + or to exercise any independence at all. But she was too serious and + earnest a person to subscribe to any such doctrine. She had never + understood that to be a Catholic meant to be a bondswoman. "Take care," + she said, turning her fiery glance upon her inquisitors, "take care that + you do not put yourselves in the place of God." By such an answer, the + young woman, still in her teens, had shot the Catholic Church in the + heart. + </p> + <p> + The nature of the charges against Joan as formulated by her judges also + goes to prove that she was considered a heretic and condemned to death for + that offense. The eleventh charge against her reads: "She has adored her + saints without taking clerical advice." Charge twelfth reads: "She refuses + to submit her conduct and revelation to the church." When asked if she + would obey the church, her reply was, "God first being served." Luther + said no more than that—and the Catholic church was split in two. + Everything goes to show that the Domremy peasant girl was a private + thinker, that is to say, a heretic. Listen to this: "I will believe that + our Holy Father, the pope of Rome and the bishops and other churchmen are + for the guarding of the Christian faith and the punishment of heretics, <i>but + as for me and my facts, I will only submit to the church of heaven</i>." + To be sure that is insubordination; it is placing herself not only on an + equality with the pope, but even above him. Of course, Joan was not a + Rationalist—far from it—but she was an independent Catholic—that + is to say—not subject to the church—and that is heresy. Is it + any wonder that her sentence read: "Therefore we pronounce you a rotten + limb, and as such to be lopped off from the church." And the reason this + sentence gave satisfaction to the Catholics all over the world was because + such initiative and self-respect as Joan had manifested, if tolerated, + would bring about the collapse of the infallible authority of the church. + The University of Paris wrote to the pope, to the king of England and the + bishops, lauding the priests who had purged the church of this dangerous + girl with her "I think so," or "I believe so,"—with the emphasis on + the "I." In this same letter the Bishop of Beauvais, the evil genius of + Joan, to whom she said, when she saw the stake awaiting her, "Bishop, I + die through you!" is commended for "his great gravity and holy way of + proceeding, which ought to be most satisfactory to all." + </p> + <p> + It took five hundred years for the Catholic Church to discover that the + young woman burnt as a heretic was really a saint. But the church did not + make this discovery until modern thought, benign and brave, had taken the + outcast girl under its protection. The French nation had already made a + national heroine of her, when the Vatican decided to enroll her name among + the hallowed ones in its calendar. The beatification of Joan was brought + about ostensibly by the report that certain sufferers from cancer, and + other incurable maladies, had been completely cured by praying to Joan of + Arc for help. The Maid had become a miracle worker, and hence worthy to + receive a medal, as it were, from the pope. Joan is now a new income as + well as a saint. + </p> + <p> + Joan owes her Vindication to the Rationalists of France. The man in recent + years whose books, position and influence did more than anything else to + bring about a new attitude toward Joan of Arc, was Marcelin Berthelot, who + now sleeps in the Pantheon as one of the glories of his country. A few + years ago, I received an invitation to visit him at Bellevue near Paris. + To give you an idea of the great man who did so much to rejuvenate Europe + and throw its whole weight on the side of justice to the Martyr—woman + of France. I shall reproduce in this connection what I said about him + after my interview with him: + </p> + <p> + "Who are the Rationalists?" is one of the questions frequently asked. + Well, they are the intellectual leaders of the world, as what I learned + about Berthelot clearly shows. He was the man upon whom two European + sovereigns had conferred the highest decorations in their power for + services rendered to human progress,—whom his own countrymen had + honored by making him a senator for life; who twice had been appointed + minister of foreign affairs; who had been elected an honorary member of + all the scientific associations of the world; upon whom the Royal + Scientific Society of London has bestowed its most coveted honors; who is + the perpetual secretary of the Academy of Science of Paris; a member of + the Academy Française, and, therefore, one of the immortals; and whose + volumes, inventions, discoveries and contributions have placed modern + civilization under inexpressible obligations to him. With all these + dignities and titles, richly deserved, M. Berthelot is as gracious in his + manners, as unassuming, as childlike and modest, as one could desire. He + displays all the charms of the real man of worth—the man of genius. + </p> + <p> + Though in his seventy-sixth year, the sage and diplomat still possessed + the vigor of a man of fifty, pursuing his studies and interesting himself + in the politics of his time, with the ardor and fervor of youth. The + accumulation of his years and his indefatigable labors had by no means + impaired the faculties of his mind, being still regarded by his countrymen + as one of the most fertile brains and sanest intellects of modern Europe. + </p> + <p> + Two years previously all France, one might say, had met in Paris to + celebrate at the Sorbonne the completion of Berthelot's fifty years of + intellectual labor. It was on this occasion that the foreign potentates + sent their delegates and decorations to him. Every civilized country was + represented at the festivities by its foremost men of letters and + diplomats, while all the senators of France, the president of the + republic, the members of his cabinet, and all the heads of the colleges + were assembled to applaud the <i>master</i> whose half a century of study + and service had so greatly augmented the horizon of man and increased the + light of the world. + </p> + <p> + When this distinguished scientist was admitted into the French Academy, + Jules Lemaitre, in his address of welcome, declared that Berthelot was the + real creator of the modern industrial era, which had multiplied the + resources of man a hundredfold. He called Berthelot the discoverer of + modern chemistry, which has in so short a time transformed the face of the + earth, and which holds the secret of the solution of the social and + economic problems of the day. "'Chemistry" declares Berthelot, "'is a new + gospel, which brings tidings of great power to mankind.'" "It will put an + end to the cruel struggle of classes, and make of warlike politics, now + one of the scourges of nations, a lost art. It will do this by placing + within the reach of all an inexhaustible wealth of food and raiment, + thereby curing man forever of the disease of discontent." + </p> + <p> + "There are only two things worth living for," said M. Berthelot, in an + address at the Palais de Trocadero before six thousand Frenchmen—"the + love of truth and the love of one's fellows." + </p> + <p> + That <i>love of truth</i> opened for Joan the doors of the Catholic + Church, shut against her five hundred years ago and it opened to Berthelot + the doors of the Pantheon—the Temple of the Immortals! + </p> + <p> + A final word. I have as much compassion and sympathy for the Catholics as + I have for the martyred girl—indeed more, since they need more. Joan + has been vindicated by the broader and more benign thought of this! age. + The same serene and sweet power will transform the Catholic Church and + make it one of the most progressive forces of our America. I have + delivered this lecture to hasten that lovely day! + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="linkimage-0002" id="linkimage-0002"> </a> + </p> + <div class="fig" style="width:65%;"> + <img src="images/0042.jpg" alt="0042 " width="100%" /><br /> + </div> + <div style="height: 6em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + +<div>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 45479 ***</div> + </body> +</html> |