File:The American Museum journal (c1900-(1918)) (18134700676).jpg

Title: The American Museum journal
Identifier: americanmuseumjo18amer (find matches)
Year: c1900-(1918) (c190s)
Authors: American Museum of Natural History
Subjects: Natural history
Publisher: New York : American Museum of Natural History
Contributing Library: American Museum of Natural History Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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306 THE AMERICAN MUSEUM JOURNAL rope, the exemplar of all that was best in his age and the very ideal of a Christian king. Under his just and beneficent rule France enlarged her boundaries and made great advances in learning and the arts. The exquisite Sainte Chapelle, built by him in 1245, may still be seen in Paris; in the palace at Fontainebleau visitors are shown the Salle de Saint Louis; and in the forest, on a main road leading from the palace, is this aged beech, the Tree of Saint Louis, bearing many scars on its trunk and branches from rough handling by wind and weather, but apparently sound and healthy still. Under this tree the king and his court, a large and brilliant company, assembled to worship. The custom was especially in vogue at the close of the seventeenth century
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The Tree of Saint Louis (Louis IX) has added ring after ring of wood slowly marking the years of all the centuries of French history from about 1200 a.d. until today. The peasants of Fon- tainebleau still hang crowns of beads upon the tree in memory of the pious king whose name it bears when Louis XIV created the royal and mili- tary order of Saint Louis and designed a medal bearing his image. This manner of worship doubtless had its origin in druidism, which was common among the Gauls in the days of Julius Caesar. Druids were then men of rank who practised mystic rites in woody retreats and held the oak sacred, esteeming everything that grew upon it a special gift from heaven. Druidism re- sembles oriental pantheism and is probably connected with the ancient religion of the fire worshipers in the plains of Persia, where the plane tree was venerated. Why the beech was chosen in this instance instead of the oak it is impossible to determine with certainty. I noticed, however, that the beech is very abundant and very beautiful in this part of the forest, that the region is level and easy of access to parties coming on horseback from the castle, and that its distance, as well as its attractiveness, must have made it a very de- sirable spot for ceremonies of this kind. The ornaments upon the tree are crowns of beads placed there by the peasants of the neighborhood. After the French Eevolution, such homage to royalty was judged illegal and forbidden, but the descendants of the old ser- vants who were driven from the palace by the Revolutfdii still cherish the ancient cus- tom and come for miles dur- ing the night with their trib- utes to Saint Louis. These crowns or wreaths of woven beads are commonly used upon graves and monuments. The statue representing the city of Strasbourg, in the Place de la Concorde, has been decorated with them continu- ally since Strasbourg passed into the hands of the Ger- mans. They also constitute a large part of the offerings of lovers at the tomb of Abelard and Heloise in Pere-La- chaise. The historic associations connected with the forest and castle of Fontainebleau are of

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