Tea at Trianon: The Tea at Trianon Forum

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Monday, October 24, 2011

The Tea at Trianon Forum

Please visit the new Tea at Trianon Forum. It will be a place to discuss the same topics we discuss on the blog, but in more detail. Anyone can join. On the forum people will be able to introduce topics for discussion. Comments will be posted immediately, without having to wait for me to moderate them. Members will be able to post links and pictures and make block quotes, which is so much easier for trying to get one's point across.

There are three main rules: 1. Be polite. 2. Be polite. 3. Be polite. The forum is for ladies and gentlemen. If you are not a lady or a gentleman then it is not the forum for you. Courtesy must be observed at all times. Members are asked to refrain from personal attacks, sarcasm, slanderous remarks about ANYONE and general snarkiness. While questions and inquiries are welcome, any attacks upon the Catholic Church or the Pope will be deleted immediately. We also ask that our guests stay on topic. Off topic comments will be subject to deletion. Please be prepared to back up any news or historical assertions with a reference, either the title of a book, the name of an author, or an internet link to a reliable source.

I think it is possible for people to debate topics, to agree and to disagree, without it becoming ugly. It does not mean that we ever compromise the truth but it does mean that others have a right to their point of view (even if it is the wrong point of view.) I really want it to be a forum for shy people, for those who do not usually enjoy forums as well as for those who do. I want it to be one place where people can express their ideas without being attacked. We may agree to disagree, we may express contrary opinions, but we will do it with regard for the basic humanity of our fellow members. Share

5 comments:

May said...: I visited the forum; it looks lovely.

I also want to mention, that I have found the forum at the 'Anne Boleyn Files' to be generally very friendly and enjoyable. For some reason, I rarely post on forums, even nice ones, but I have found the discussion threads there to be very pleasant, lively and often amusing to read.; October 24, 2011 at 6:07:00 PM EDT
elena maria vidal said...: Thank you, Matterhorn. I was hoping you could post some of your posts on the Belgian Royal Family on the Belgium category. Yes, Clare's wonderful forum is what inspired me to start one myself. They say that when a blog has a large readership it is good to have a forum to go with it so that people can continue the discussion.; October 24, 2011 at 6:43:00 PM EDT
May said...: Thank you. I will register and post some links when I get a chance.; October 24, 2011 at 7:09:00 PM EDT
elena maria vidal said...: Thank you! Wonderful!; October 24, 2011 at 7:29:00 PM EDT
Gio said...: What a wonderful idea! I'll go check it out now!; October 25, 2011 at 2:31:00 PM EDT