The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1873-01-18 00:00:00

E4e 3tourpge qserirer.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 18, 1873.

NAPOLEON.

The grave has closed over the mortal remains
of one of the most remarkable men who have
lived and died during the present century. The
little Roman Catholic Chapel at Chiselhurst will
now become an object of attraction, a shrine for
the devotion of pilgrims from even distant lands,
so long as the Emperor finds his last resting-
place there. It is probable, however, that in
due time the body of the once powerful monarch
will be removed, to be interred at Napoleon St.
Len, near Paris. This village, formerly called
St. Leu, had the imperial prefix Napoleon at-
tached to it by the then Emperor of the French,
now lying in the grave at Ctiselharst. The
church was enlarged and beautified by him, and
a special vault was constructed by his orders for
the reception of members of the imperial family.
The grave, which levels all distinctions, ought
to annihilate all party animosity and soften poli-
tical asperities. It may be that posterity aloue
will do justice to the Emperor—in all probability
the last Emperor of the French ; but he was a
man of such mark, he exerted such an influence
on the age in which he lived, and played so many
and such important parts in the life-drama of
' European history, that our contemporaries have
, already freely expressed their opinions on his
character. We live in an ago of freedom of
opinion, and none of us feel inclined to depute
! to posterity the finding of a verdict as to any
man of note who has lived and died amongst us.
It may be that the Emperor of the French has
been too highly praised by his partisans, espe-
cially as death exerts such a kindly influence on
' the living; and certainly some of his political
' opponents, in their violent articles in the French
press, have indulged in language which is as
ungenerous as it is unwarranted and untrue. In
our own country there has been a pretty general
expression of sorrow at the death of the Ernue.
ror and of sympathy with the illustrious widow
and fatherless Prince. The expression of regret
and condolence on the part of the Royal family
must be especially gratifying to the mourners of
Chisellmrst, and certainly the British public
must approve of this manifestation of kindly
sympathy. The order for the Court to go into
mourning for ten days at once recognises the
deceased as " his late Majesty the Emperor Na-
poleon the Third," and pays a just tribute—al-
beit official and formal—to his memory. We
could not expect that the President of the Re-
public of France could go so far as this. There
is no Court now in France; it fell with the sur-
render of the Emperor and the flight of the
Empress; but it is gratifying to find that M.
Mien; gave his sanction and aid towards the
Bonapartists showing their respect to the
memory of their chief. When Marshal M•Mahou
asked permission to write a letter of condolence
with the Empress, and to attend the funeral of
the Emperor, M. Thiers replied, "It is your
duty," and at once gave him permission. Both
in England and France—and perhaps in the for.
flier country more than the latter—there has
been on the part of all classes an expression of
sorrow and sympathy which is quite compatible
with a fair criticism of the faults and failings,
the virtues and great qualities of the deceased
Emperor.
Napoleon the Third, the foremost and most
prominent man of our time, had a inarvellonsly
varied career, and may be said to have lived
many lives in one. If any ever doubted the im-
portance of this remarkable individual when
alive there could not be any doubt of it when
death laid him low. The space which the jour.
nals of Europe devoted to his life and death,
therefereucee wade to his career from thousands
of pulpits, and the fact of his death being the
leading topic of conversation in public and pri-
vate circles, all prove this. It is to be regretted
that souse of the comments of the press, and es-
pecially of the French press, have been made in
the worst possible taste. Mark Antony, speak-
ing over the dead body of Clem, said,—

I come to bury Cesar, not to praise him,
The ea" that men do lives after them;
The good is oft ;oteited with their bones;
So let it be with Cesar.
But some of the Republican journals indulged
their earoeeme and revengeful ap4ril in reference
to the death of the Emperor as soon as they
heard the news. Extravagant and even
served praise is far better than this. But the
true estimate of his che-acter has yet to come,
to be founded on facts which are at present but
imperfectly knoan. There are, however, some
leading facts in his history which can scarcely
be disputed. We may dater as to the means
which he used to acquire power, but the verdict
of history will be, we believe, that on the whole
—with exceptional circumstances, of coarse he
used that power wisely for the interests of
France. For nearly twenty years he preserved
order amidst an impetuous and impulsive people,
and he developed the national prosperity of
France employing the workmen in the great
cities and compelling the revolutionising classes
to be, outwardly and ostensibly at least, good
citizens and peaceable subjects. He made one
great and fatal mistake—in going to Wet* Viith
Prussia when unprepared for battling with a
more powerful foe. But how far he himself was
answerable for this; how far he was forced into
it by the people; and how far his terrible failure
was owing to circumstances beyond his control
there are still disputed points. Had he suc-
ceeded, France would have forgiven him all his
faults, but he failed, and France forgot his vir-
tues and his great qualities. England, at least,
has nothing to reproach herself with. He was
always a firm friend to England, and England
was always a true friend to him, whether in exile
or on the throne.