New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-05-17
N4POLKONIzLNG RELIGION

On the 18th day of August will be the CEN
tenary of tue great Napoleon. His thrOned
descendant in letter to one of the shrewdest
and most flexible of his instruments, apprises
the world that he intends to celebrate the day
by adding $50 to the pensions of all soldiers
of the Republic and the First Empire. The
words he adds sum up great deal of perncious
doctrine: Though many ruins have been
made says the Emperor the great figure
"of Napoleon has remained erect 1t has made
"me that which | ann Nobody will attempt
to deny what the Emperor thus asserts with
the force of a conviction, and which is in some
respects the worst thing that conld he said of
Napoleonism, rs we do not doubt it is the
best which the present general absorber of
France could find it in his heart to say. 3" AT
"an epoch when complaints of the progress of
" skepticsm are rife" continues Caesars histo-
rian, cit is good to reeompenso patriotic de-
"yoton and to remind new generations" Put
into another form Of maxim, this means
When the church is failing, pay the barracks-
when the crozer is weak, strengthen the bay
onet But tho Emperor makes still
grander announcement of imperial philos-
Ophy when he says that to recall
grand historical memories is to strengthen
faith in the future to DO homage to the mem
cory Of great men is to recognize the most
brilliant manifestations of the divine will"
This platitudo is uttered with gravity and
stoldity that should excite by turns the ire
and laughter of that class of sensitive and
thinking Frenchmen who follow the lead of
the satirist of Napoleon the Little There Is
little upon its surface worthy of remark, but
the general utterance OF the Emperor looks
unconsciousy baSphemous and stupid and the
humbest of us may charitably suppose that he
knows no better
Not for the first time has the man who rep
resents the great sponge principle of Empire
ut work In Europe intimated the great capacity
of Napoleonism rs an absorber of men and the
opinions of men. II the Emperor were only
Pope, and battles were religious sacrifices, and
bayonets were points of faith, then Napoleon
ism would be divine, and the Old Guard IN
assembly of the saints and in short, the
worlds future state would be handsomely
provided for. No one could stray into skep-
ticism, if he tried. for would not patriotic
"devotiOn,r with bayonet in hand, be album
dainty recompensed, and would not every
child of tho new faith of Napoeonism believe,
rs in duty bound, that the greatest Slaughtercr
was the greatest saints It is one thing that
religion should he Christ, and another that it
should be Cesar but it seems that the En-
pcror of the French prefers Caesar. Our simple
objection to his plan is that he would Napo-
leOnize religiOn--worse than that, he would
Nap0leonize God. If we must remember his
tory with certain plcty, let MS then bring TO
the service of our faith in the future only its
good chapters. If We must render homage to
great men, let them be good men; and let us
understand, in sheer despite of NapOleonism
and in reverence of Christianity, that in the long
run only the good are the great We should
not forget either, when we recall, FOR purposes
OF faith, "great historical Memories and
when in respect TO the Most High We do hom-
age to great men-to remember with the live
liest gratitude both Waterloo and Yelling