JOAN OF ARC By IDA M. TARBELL Author and Editor DEPARTMENT OF BIOGRAPHY VOLUME 3 NUMBER 22 FIFTEEN CENTS A COPY What is to be thought of her ? What is to be thought of the poor shepherd girl from the hills and forests of Lorraine, that—like the Hebrew shepherd boy from the hills and forests of Judea—rose suddenly out of the quiet, out of the safety, out of the religious inspiration, rooted in deep pastoral solitudes, to a station in the van of armies, and to the more perilous station at the righ

Pure, innocent, noble-hearted girl!... This was amongst the strongest pledges for thy truth, that never once didst thou revel in the vision of coronets and honor from man.... To suffer and to do, that was thy portion in this life; that was thy destiny; and not for a moment was it hidden from thyself. Great was the throne of France even in those days, and great was he that sat upon it: but well Joanna knew that not the throne, nor he that sat upon it, was for her ; but, on the contrary, that she

Monograph Number One in The Mentor Reading Course Joan of Arc , whose name more properly was Jeanneton Darc, and who is now known in France as Jeanne d'Arc, was one of the most wonderful women that ever lived. It is hard to believe some of the strange things that happened to her before she was twenty years old. She was born at Domrémy, over in the eastern part of France, on January 6, 1412. She was the daughter of a peasant, and never learned to read or write; yet later in her life learned men c

Monograph Number Two in The Mentor Reading Course Joan lived far away from Orléans; but her Voices kept saying to her that she must go and drive away the English from that town. She did not want to do this, as she preferred to live quietly in her native village. But the Voices were urgent, and so at last Joan went to a nearby town, Vaucouleurs, and asked the commander there to lend her an escort, so that she might go to King Charles of France at Chinon (Shee-nong). This commander, whose name was

Monograph Number Three in The Mentor Reading Course Joan entered Orléans at nightfall. The people were all glad to see her, and lighted her way with torches. They tried to kiss her hands. In her white armor she was an inspiration to the French. Joan wanted to sally out from Orléans immediately and attack the English; but the commander of the French forces did not think it wise to do so. Shortly afterward, however, Joan had her way. The French planned an attack on the strongest of the English for

Monograph Number Four in The Mentor Reading Course After Joan of Arc had beaten the English at Pathay, she wanted to carry out her plan to have Charles VII crowned King of France in the Cathedral at Rheims. But Charles was badly advised. His counselors were lazy and cowardly, and they told him that it was unsafe for him to attempt to go to Rheims. But at last he decided to march there with his army, and on July 16, 1429, he entered the city. The next day Charles was crowned King of France, while

Monograph Number Five in The Mentor Reading Course Joan had often prophesied that her mission would last but a year, and this year was now fast drawing to a close. Her Voices also spoke to her about this time, saying that she would be taken prisoner soon. They would never tell her when. Joan prayed that she might die before she was captured; for the English had often threatened that they would burn her as a witch if they caught her. She fought on bravely, however, and did not allow her fear to o

Monograph Number Six in The Mentor Reading Course The English turned Joan of Arc over to the Inquisition on January 3, 1431. The Inquisition was a court which tried people for religious offenses against the church. They put her into a cage in the castle of Rouen. Chains were placed on her legs, and five rough soldiers kept watch in the room day and night. Her captors wished to prove her a witch to take away the sting of having been defeated by a girl. The principal enemy of Joan was Pierre Cauch

JOAN OF ARC Admonished by an angel to liberate France by the sword. From the painting by J. E. Lenepveu The girl against whom these vindictive and hysterical charges were made was of peasant origin, not yet twenty years of age, and knew not A from B. She had come to her cruel end because from the time she was thirteen she had heard Voices—the Voices of saints—which she never had doubted had come from God and had never failed to obey, though the orders they gave her were so extraordinary that the

THE ROOM IN WHICH JOAN WAS BORN She was born at Domrémy, France, on January 6, 1412 Her mind was so full of the command laid upon her that once accepted nothing could divert or frighten her. One might expect a girl of her origin to be awestruck at the thought of presenting herself before a court and a king; but not Joan. She passed unabashed through the throng that had gathered to witness her first meeting with Charles, and kneeling told him composedly, "Most noble Lord Dauphin, I am come, and a

KING CHARLES VII OF FRANCE From an engraving KING CHARLES VII OF FRANCE From an engraving published in 1805 The complete ascendancy Joan of Arc had won in France in two months from the time of her first interview with the king lasted from the fall of Orléans to the coronation of Charles at Rheims, on July 17, 1429. The march which proceeded the crowning was most of it through land which the English held. There were sieges and battles, dangers and escapes. It was managed by the Maid with a calm a

But outside of her divine guidance and her unquestionable military and political genius, Joan of Arc had human qualities calculated to make even the roughest of men love and respect her. Peasant though she was, she was beautiful to see. This fresh, untouched young girl with the flame of inspiration in her eye and the authority of the divine in her bearing, clad in her pure-white armor and mounted on a warhorse as spirited as the best of them, must have been a sight to stir the heart. Her sympath

THE VICTORIOUS ENTRANCE INTO ORLÉANS From the painting by J. J. Scherrer With the crowning of the king at Rheims Joan seemed to feel that her mission was at an end. She was homesick when she saw her father and those who had come from Domrémy to witness her miraculous elevation. She prayed Charles to release her, to send her back to her spinning and her flocks, her mother and her friends. But she was too precious at the moment. The king and his counselors would have more of her aid; but they want

At this noble work there now was set a band of some sixty of the most learned and distinguished scholars, judges, and ministers in the land. There was an occasional one for whom the work was too abominable. One such declared boldly that to force this simple girl to reply without guidance to such great doctors, to so many masters, was mocking justice. "They mean to catch her," was his verdict. "I will stay no longer. I cannot witness it." And indeed they did mean to catch her; but what a chase sh

Subscriptions always begin with the current issue. The following numbers of The Mentor Course, already issued, will be sent postpaid at the rate of fifteen cents each. NUMBERS TO FOLLOW Jan. 15. FURNITURE OF THE REVOLUTIONARY PERIOD. By Esther Singleton. Miss Singleton told the readers of The Mentor about American Colonial Furniture in a former number. As she states, there is no furniture after the American Revolution that could be called "Colonial," for then our nation became a republic. Feb. 1