The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1863-09-20

Plutarch made himself and the great charac-
tiers OF antiquity famous by his ingenuity In
discovering and illustrating points Of resem-
bance between the famous personagcs whose
lives he sketched He found out that between
two men apparently dissimilar to each other in
all that marked their pubic career there were,
here and there, points OF contact which brought
them into affinity and established close re-
semblance And to hisaskll In detecting and
/ describing these parallels Plutareh Is indebted
for much of his own reputation as q historian,
and the great men Of the past are indebted for
the Immortality which they enjoy.
| There are two famous persenages now play-
ing their parts on the stage of the world who.
though apparently as unlike as rcn. can be,
have strong points of resemblance in their
characters. They are the Emperor of the
French and the President of the United States,
and the peculiarly in which they arc alike and
to which each Of them owes his high position,
is their being two of the greatest practical
jokers Of the age. How did Louis Napoleon
attain to the imperial throne of France?
Through his talents as practical joker. How
did Abraham Lincoln reach the Presidential
chair Of the United States, and how is be likely
to bold it for another four yearsf Why un.
doubleday through bis talents as practical
joker.
Let us illustrate. Louis Napoleon, on the
death Of the Duke Of Reichstadt, the. son of
Napoleon Bonaparte. became the heir to the
glory and aspirations Of the name he bore. His
heritage, however. appeare,. to be Of little real
value. His family was prescribed, he was an
exile in Switzerland, ard Louis Philippe, the
Citizen King, was firmly seated on the throne
OF France. AS an ordinary man he would have
succnmbcd TO the force Of circumstances, and
sought for promotion In the regular course as
an officer Of the Swiss army AS q practical
joker he knew . trick worth two Of that. That
trick was TO keep, through the eccentricities Of
his conduct, lis name before the French peo
pie, and to remind them that he was the heir of
the great Emperor. After some disastrous ex-
periencss in support of revolutionary move
ment in Italy, and after identifying himself
with the Polish revolution sf 1881, he perpe-
trated the joke Of getting up hostile expedition
against Louis Philippe. lie landed at Stras-
bourg, Immediately found himself, with ali his
adherents, in the guardhouse, and was soon
after sent on his travels to America. European
statesmen and politicians shook their heads
and pronounced him silly fool They
did not know then what practi- |
cal joker he was. and that no had really
attained bis object, which was simply
to keep his name familiar in France. Soon
after he came very near involving Switger- !
land in a war with France for giving him
shelter; and this too, served hts purpose. Then,
having gone to Loudons and keeping steadily
in sight the same objrct, he published his ia.
nous work. lies 1dees Napoleoniennes" In
1910 we find him once more making descent
upon the coast OF France, landing at Boulogne
With two or three followers and a live eagle
which he had procured from some travelling
menagerie. Again he was soon enjoying the
hospitaities Of the guardhousc. and again
| sensible people exclaimed--"Wbata .. ridiculous
simpicton!" Bot still, as usual he was quietly
playing his game. The great state trial which
followed the Boulogne attempt, and which
ended in his being sentenced to perpetual
imprisonment, was part Of the joke. He car
ried IL out, too, in the fortress Of Ham, where
he was constantly corrupting the garrison and
winning over regiment after regiment to Napc-
leonic ideas At last an opportunity for escape
was offered him, and he availed himself Of IT,
to the great delight Of Louis Philippe, who was
puzzled what to do with him.
Finally came the revolution Of IS48, the
flight of the Citizen King, the bonfire
made Of bis throne and the proclama-
ton Of the republic. Louis Napoleon,
then in London, packed up his valisc
and started for Paris. much to the
annoyance and disgust Of the provisional
government. He was elected to the National
Assembly by one district Of Paris and by three
other constituencies; but, as the decree Of
Punishment bad not been revoked, and as there
was some effort made to have II enforced, be
resigned his seat with great flourish, and again
betook himself to his familiar hsunts In Lon
don. still again people pronounced him fool,
and still again be was playing his game as
practical Joker Of The first order. Elected by
Eve constituencies the following September, he
returned to Paris. tsek his seat In che National
Assembly, and there convinced people that he
had no talents Of . serious order. He was
therefore looked upon ~ harmless, eccentric
Individual. The election for President Of the
republic was approaching. Cavaignac, the
great general, who had endeared himself to
France BY his squelching Of the rod repuoli-
oans, was the prominent candidate, and his
election was regarded a. certain over such can.
didates a Ledru Robin, Raspail and Louis
Napoleon; but when the ballots came to be
/ counted the latter had. out OF seven and half
| million votes i've and a-haif millions ia his
And all this was the result Of the prac-
tical jokes Of Strasbourg and Boulogne By
and By he managed, through the coup
desu Of the ID Of December 1851, to GO
cure for himself the French empire; and