New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-09-13
Pity for the Fallen:

From the New York Commercial Advertiser.1
Whatever his sympathies during the war,
one can not but pity the dethroned emperor,
who in these fifty days has been SO sudden
ly plunged from high to low estate. He
is. indeed, an object of commiseration. as
stripped of lis royal robes he is led away
to German citadel, while his countrymen
vie with one another in heaping curses and
Odium upon his name, and in removing from
sight every object which may recall the dy-
nasty which he represented, and i'll which
he took such pride. What terrible mental
suffering this unfortunate man must have
endured, in addition to his physic ailments
during the past four weeks How keen
and bitter his anguish and self-reprOach,
since the Prussians broke through his Saar
line Of defense, and forced home upon him
the terrible conviction 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 emperor il this the hour of
his dire calamity.
1t is quite the fashion to denounce and
ridlcule Napoleon, now that he Is down.
And yet he was human. He was and is,
like the rest of morta!s, imbued with the
same ambition, love of display, of power,
and of prestige. 1t was dishonorable and
uiSUOutSl lcI Illu 10 ONtItuIn INC republic
which the French people had entrusted to
his keeping; but he did what very many
others would have done under similar cir
cumstances. From infancy he had been
taught by his mother and attendants to be-
lieve that one day his uncle's prophecy,
that he should be the hope of his house,"
would be. realized. He probably justified
himself to himself for the coup d'etct on the
ground that if he did not seize the reins of
authority and overthrow the French Senate,
that body would pursue ust that course of
treatment toward him, He entered upon
this war because he was ambitious ambi-
tious to win glory for France and his dynas-
ty. Ii ambition were a crime, how few
there are of us who would not be criminals
Napoleon was furthermore bounded for
ward to the conflict by a madcap ministry
well typitied in Olivier, who openly de-
clared that every member Of the Corps Leg
is!atif opposing the war ought to be shot.
The Emperor was furthermore cordially
by his people in making war;
They were eager for the fray, and have been
anxious to measure swords with the Ger
mans ever since Sadowa. Il is hardly the
just thing for them to now turn round ami
bitterly decry their fallen chief as the au
thor OF all their humiliating defeats and ca
1amities.
The Emperor has unquest;onably been as
and dishonest as he was am
bilious, but no man is SO wicked that he
does not deserve pity and compassion when
cast down as Napoleon now is. No one is
SO wholly bad that he has not performed
some good which should be remembered in
his favor. All France is filed with evil
dcnces of NapOleOn's wisdom and Judgment
in some direction. Let us always
give the dell his due. In this connection
we were going to observe. it is very signiti-
cant that the denunciations of Napoleon
heard here come almost wholly from the
French 1t is In the French cafes and bust
ness houses, etc, that his name is execrated.
The Germans, on the contrary, express pity
for the fallen man.