Even during this period, it was not only in the countryside that such beautiful counsels were given by parents to children and consigned to writing. In Paris, and among the great families, one finds others exactly like them. The trials of the Revolution flooded souls again and again, creating conditions for some to act more efficaciously in the reform of morals. 18th century society crumbled into dust, the victim of an unheard-of blind rage. In the wake of the upheavals brought by the Revolution and under the threat of the dangers overshadowing the future, the mothers of model families did like the fathers whose inspirations and devotedness we have just admired. Thus, Madame de la Rochefoucauld, Duchess of Doudeauville, outlines the rules her daughter should observe in marriage and family life, and strives hard to convince her daughter that her happiness—and that of everyone dependant on her—is tied to her fidelity in following these counsels.
On the left in the foreground is Madame de la Rochefoucauld, Duchess of Doudeauville. Detail of the coronation of Josephine
“The happiness I mention and which religion offers you—finding its source in the purity of heart and in that peace of soul which is its happy consequence—cannot be troubled by either events or circumstances. It will spread its charm over your entire life.
“The world may go through convulsions, empires be destroyed, men tear each other apart; but there is no human power that can wrest from you this precious virtue, and with it one can endure everything. It is not the impression of sentiment that makes me use this language with you; it is the fruit of my experience. If I could only transmit to your soul the conviction I have drawn from it! Whoever witnessed the French Revolution and survived it can no longer doubt the nothingness of the things of this life. I saw honors and titles vanish without trace, together with those whose brow they graced; the greatest and best established fortunes wiped out; the oldest and most honorable family names dragged through the mud; the most brilliant reputations ruined; the most useful institutions eliminated; and, finally, both altar and throne toppled. And, eight years later, the intoxicating dream itself, for which men sacrificed health, repose, and conscience, was gone.
Whoever witnessed the French Revolution and survived it can no longer doubt the nothingness of the things of this life.
“During this total upheaval, more than once I cried out: ‘Oh my God! Thou alone art great. Thou alone art stable. Thou alone deserveth to be loved exclusively. Thou alone can promise and deliver unto us a lasting happiness. All the human supports I relied on have crumbled. Thou alone art left me, but I can endure everything with this solid support.’”*
Charles de Ribbe, Le Livre de Famille (Tours, France: Alfred Mame et fils, editeurs), 1879, pp. 29-31
* Internal footnote: Vie de Mme. de la Rochefoucauld, duchesse de Doudeauville [Life of Madame de la Rochefoucauld, Duchess of Doudeauville]; pp 140-142. The daughter to whom this so perfectly Christian mother addressed such counsels would say later on: “In loving my mother, I learned how to love virtue. When she spoke to me, I always took it as the voice of God, and, in obeying her, I believed I was obeying God’s will.”
Short Stories on Honor, Chivalry, and the World of Nobility—no. 23
