The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-09-08
PITY FOR THE FALLEN.

From the ". T. Commercial Advertiser.
Whatever his sympathies during the war,
one can but pity the dethroned Emperor, who
in these fifty days has been SO suddenly
plunged from high to low estate. He is,
indeed, an object of oommiseration, as
stripped of his royal robes he is led away to
German citadel, while his oountrymen vie
with one another in heaping curses aud odium
upon his name, and in removing from sight
every object which may recall the dynasty
which he represented, and in which he took
such pride. What terrible mental suffering
this unfortunate man must have endured in
addition to his physical ailments during the
past four weeks How keen and bitter his
anguish and self-reproach since the Prussians
burst through his Saar line of defence, and
forced home upon him the terrible con viction
that he had declared war before he was ready
for it, and against an enemy who excelled his
own troops in numbers, generals, and morale!
When one reflects upon this he can but feel
compassion for the fallen Z nperor in this the
hour of his dire calamity.
1t is quite the fashion to denounce and
ridioule Napoleon now that he is down. And
yet he was human. He was and is, like the
rest of mortals, imbued with the same ambi-
ton, love of display, of power, and of pres
tige. 1t was dishonorable and dishonest for
him to overturn the republic which the
French people had entrusted to his keeping
but he did what very many others would have
done under similar circumstances From
infancy he had been taught by his mother
and attendants to believe that one day his
uncle's prophecy, that he should be the ope
of his house." would be realized He pro-
| badly justified himself to himself for the
coup d'etdt on the ground that if he did not
seize the reins of authority and overthrow
the French Senate that body would pursue
just that course of treatment toward him.
He entered upon this war because he was
ambitious-ambitious to win glory for France
and his dynasty. If ambition were crime,
how few there are of us who would not be
criminslsl -.t, ....r.-.-..-, .
Napoleon was furthermore bounded for
ward to the conflict by mad-oap ministry,
we'll typihed in Olivier who openly declared
that every member of the Corps Legislatif
opposing the war ought to be shot. The
Emperor was furthermore cordially supported
| by his people in making war. They were
| eager for the fray, and have been anxious to
| measure swords with the Germans ever since
Sadowa. 1t is hardly the just thing for them
to now turn round and bitterly decry their
| fallen chief as the author of all their humili.
ating defeats and calamities.
The Emperor has unquestionably been as
unscrupulous and dishonest as he was ambi-
tious, but no man is so wicked that he does
not deserve :pity and compassion when cast
down as Napoleon now is. No one is SC
wholly bad that he has not performed some
| good which should be remembered in hii
favor. All France is filed with evidences o.
Napoleons wisdom and judgment displayed
IN some directions. Let us always give ths
devil his due. In this connection we wer,
going to observe, it is very significant tha
the denunciations of Napoleon heard her,
come almost wholly from the French. II il
in the French cafes and business houses, etc.
that his name is execrated. The Germans
on the contrary, express pity for the fallei
| man,