Tea at Trianon: The Great Decline

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

Tuesday, August 9, 2016

The Great Decline

From Roman Catholic Man:

I believe we need to prepare ourselves for a “trigger” that God will allow, and will “get the attention” of the world … something that will, quite literally, bring us to our knees again … like we once were a half a century ago. Why? Because history has shown that God has done this many times before. God does everything He can to “move us” to love Him and obey Him. Positive reinforcement is found in that inexplicable and amazing inner joy found in leading a life totally devoted to God. Negative reinforcement is found when folks feel that aching emptiness inside by living a life without God. St. Augustine once said, “Thou hast made us for Thyself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee.”

But, like any good parent, when these measures fail to “correct the child,” that good parent resorts to a kind of behavior modification that can be unpleasant for the child, but helps the child learn correct behavior. Of course we are talking about “punishment.” Again, parents who resort to this are VERY loving. Unlike bad parents who are content to let the child run wild. These good parents know the child has to learn appropriate behavior in order to live their life in happiness and fulfillment, and these parents are determined to instill the “best” in their children. And, God is a perfect parent. (Read more.)