The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1872-06-09
Msrnlng Star and Catholic Messenger.
H1w ORLEANS, SUNDAY. JUNE o. lsi2
Fifty-First Annivsrsary Of the Death of Napoleon
the First,

A solemn Mass was celebrated on the 5tl
of May, at the Invalides, in commemora
tion Of the fifty first anniversary of tn,
great Napoleon's death. This 10. q day o
/. mourning for the wounded, crippled, Of
aged pensioners who dwell in the military
hospital. Early in the forenoon the ad
joining church of st. Louis is filed with
all the Inmates who are able to attend ser.
vice, and as they ait beneath some hun.
dreds of unfurled trophies wrested from
nearly every nation, the chaplain delivers
an address on the historical anniversary
After leaving church it is usual for all the
veterans who served under the great Gen.
eral to don their old fashioned uniforms,
and to march in q body to the Place Ven
dome, where they deposit wreaths of i'm
nsortelIes ON the ratings, stones, and eagles
surrounding. the memorial Of Austerlitz:
This year, like the last, the pilgrimage had
to be omitted, for the ruthless Commune
had destroyed the Imperial monument, OF
which there is left only the square shaped
basement. On my way to the Invalides,
passed BY this funeral looking socket, still
guarded by q sentry as of old. Inside the
fresh-looking. wreaths of yellow flowers,
twisted round with black ribbon. aeked
the sentry if he knew who had brought
them. "Scpt vieux de Ia Vieille," he re-
piled, adding, by way of comment, "they
had only got nine legs aud eight arms be-
tween them and you should have seen the
tears roll down their cheeks when offered
to take charge Of the inmortelles. sAh, if
you had been commanded by him. they
said to me, our poor France would not be
in this mess." Further on I met q couple
of Invalides, slowly vending their way
acress the Place de Ia Concorde they also
carried wreaths, and one of them, who was
enfamt de troupe by the hand. l stopped
them to inquire whether the church service
was ended. eyes," replied the youth in
the miniature uniform, before his mentor
could speak: grandfather and 1 were
there" land will there be no full. dress
procession to the Place Vendomef" asked.
No." said the old man gravely; tive had
a meeting last night in the great dining
hail, where we decided that, as there were
now only eighteen left of those who had
taken part in Napoleon's campaigns, it
would be more dignified not to show our
glorious rags round the mutilated remains
of the column. But you see, sir, we can
go by without doing something to remind
our countrymen that we are alive" At the
Hotel des Invalides under the central ar
cade of the first floor stands a very old
friend whom I had not seen since the war
the bronze statue Of the Emperor, wear
cooked hat. Till 1868 he was the admired
and familiar friend of all Paris as he look
ed spontaneously down upon the city
from the height of the Column Vendome
In that year, however, his Majesty Louis
Napoleon happened to be writing history
of Cesar, intended to illustrate the glori-
GUS career of the First Bonaparte, and in
physical likeness, the little man in the
frock-coat was brought down to make room
for a tail rival wearing the classical gown
and laurels. The rejected statue was sent
into exile on the Place de Courbevoie,
where it remained almost forgotten until
triotic souls built him temporary case
ment to protect his person from the in
clemency of bombshells. Finally, when
the German troops were on the eve of en-
tering tie city, three common laboring
men, fearing that he might be carried back
to the enemy's country as trophy, hauled
him down, tied rope around his neck land
dropped him into the Seine, which runs
close BY. 1t was only the other day that
he was pulled out by the same men, and
handed ever to the Government. Within
a hundred yards of his ashes, Napoleon's |
statue could hardly be in a spot more suit |
ed to his fame and to his last wish. The
with flags taken in action-Austrian, Rus
sian, Prussian, Spanish, and even English |
bunting bangs in a torn and tattered state
from the roof, giving lively martial air
TO the nave. Over six hundred young
looking linesmen devoutly kneel, repeating
prayers for the rspose of the dead. Twelve
gigantic tapers are burning on the altar,
where a priest is intoning the prayers.
There are . few women and civilians, but
it is evidently more rendez gous for mill
tary men than for the mass of the people.
The great name of Napoleon has still magic
influence in the army. Nothing makes the
eye of a young French soldier sparkle like
any fact connected with the history of the
First Napoleon. To the sons and grand
sons of the men who fought under the
great chief he can never be dead. The ia
nous words inscribed here az wish my
ashes to rest on the banks of the Seine in
the midst of that French people whom
have loved SO WE'LL" awakes a sympathetic
response in the breast of the humblest and
Youngest Of "that French peoples" de-
scendents. On this day no stranger is al
lowed to visit the tomb or granite sarco-
phagns placed over the Emperor's mortal
remains. None but those wearing the
French military uniform are suffered to
penetrate into the sanctum.