Mont-Saint-Michel and Chartres
CHAPTER I SAINT MICHIEL DE LA MER DEL PERIL The Archangel loved heights. Standing on the summit of the tower that crowned his church, wings upspread, sword uplifted, the devil crawling beneath, and the cock, symbol of eternal vigilance, perched on his mailed foot, Saint Michael held a place of his own in heaven and on earth which seems, in the eleventh century, to leave hardly room for the Virgin of the Crypt at Chartres, still less for the Beau Christ of the thirteenth century at Amiens. The Archangel stands for Church and State, and both militant. He is the conqueror of Satan, the mightiest of all created spirits, the nearest to God. His place was where the danger was greatest; therefore you find him here. For the same reason he was, while the pagan danger lasted, the patron saint of France. So the Normans, when they were converted to Christianity, put themselves under his powerful protection. So he stood for centuries on his Mount in Peril of the Sea, watching across the tremor of the immense ocean,-immensi tremor oceani,-as Louis XI, inspired for once to poetry, inscribed on the collar of the Order of Saint Michael which he created. So soldiers, nobles,
"I'm with you," said Jones, and Garfield entered the school-room, meekly
followed by the two refractory pupils. There was not much use in
resisting the authority of a teacher who could handle them with such
ease.
James did not trouble them with any moral lecture. He was too sensible.
He felt that all had been said and done that was required.
But how did he spend his time at the new seminary, and how was he
regarded? Fortunately we have the testimony of a lady, now residing in
Illinois, who was one of the first students at Hiram.
"When he first entered the school," she writes, "he paid for his
schooling by doing janitor's work, sweeping the floor and ringing the
bell. I can see him even now standing in the morning with his hand on
the bell-rope, ready to give the signal, calling teachers and scholars
to engage in the duties of the day. As we passed by, entering the
school-room, he had a cheerful word for every one. He was probably the
most popular person in the institution. He was always good-natured, fond
of conversation, and very entertaining. He was witty and quick at
repartee, but his jokes, though brilliant and sparkling, were always
harmless, and he never would willingly hurt another's feelings.
"Afterward he became an assistant teacher, and while pursuing his
classical studies, preparatory to his college course, he taught the
CHAPTER I SAINT MICHIEL DE LA MER DEL PERIL The Archangel loved heights. Standing on the summit of the tower that crowned his church, wings upspread, sword uplifted, the devil crawling beneath, and the cock, symbol of eternal vigilance, perched on his mailed foot, Saint Michael held a place of his own in heaven and on earth which seems, in the eleventh century, to leave hardly room for the Virgin of the Crypt at Chartres, still less for the Beau Christ of the thirteenth century at Amiens. The Archangel stands for Church and State, and both militant. He is the conqueror of Satan, the mightiest of all created spirits, the nearest to God. His place was where the danger was greatest; therefore you find him here. For the same reason he was, while the pagan danger lasted, the patron saint of France. So the Normans, when they were converted to Christianity, put themselves under his powerful protection. So he stood for centuries on his Mount in Peril of the Sea, watching across the tremor of the immense ocean,-immensi tremor oceani,-as Louis XI, inspired for once to poetry, inscribed on the collar of the Order of Saint Michael which he created. So soldiers, nobles,