Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1874-01-02
Napoleon the First.

temple Bar.
History has not represented the first Napole-
on as he was in reality. Poets, private secre-
taries, courtiers, enthusiasts, enemies, and
clamorers have drawn the portrait. We pro-
pose to examine his character from the point of
view Of physiologist and positivist. Napoleon
was neither dark nor fair. He had dark chest
nut hair, eyes gray, complexion of a pale brown,
brain was large; the skull belonged to the lar
gest development ever known. His circulation
WAS slow, the pulse counting forty beats min-
ute; he perspred little, and was insensible alike
to heat land cold, hunger and thirst; his chest
was prominent, and his lips well proportioned;
his height was five feet two inches OF a lynn
phatic temperament, he could support alike ex-
cess of physical and mental exertiOn. 1t was a
constitution of granite. Warm baths, coffee
and strong wines restored his circulation. His
intellect was vast and many sided, applying it.
self to details and generaliza tions; made up of
prodigious memory that rapidly took account of
place, number and cause, and the bearings OF
things; genius, in tine, eminently practical
and positivist. DISSEMINATION, an extraordina-
~ power Of generalization, and sluggish tenn
permanent, make up this wonderful man: these
Qualities are the sources OF his greatness. He
was fatalist. Events are brought about by
power superior 10 human will, he said. There
is neither good nor bad in the world. The NOR
aiity Of an action Is 70 be judged by its expedi-
ency. Religions AT human institutions, serving
as sore OF vaccine to protect US against To- er
superstitious, TO be defended, not in the inter-
ests Of society but in the interest Of the priests
Such was his creed, and he naturally hated
those who possessed higher one. Consul T. m
peror prisoner, and exile, he hated philosophers
from first to last, and accused them of the mis-
fortune he had himself brought upon France -
the failure of the Russian expedition, the sore
discontent of the nation, and 90 on. To sum up
the characteristics of Napoleon, he possessed one
of the vastest intellects ever known, owing such
superiority to his utter insensibility to impress
sions, his sluggish temperament, his wonderful
I faculty of combination and reasoning; war was
to him Q pastime; politics personal AFFAIR only:
he poeeessed neither religious, moral, nor polit-
teal beliefs: he held the human race in profou nd
{ contempt and was the greatest egotist ever
known; . man OF prodigious aptitude for knav-
cry and mystifcation and for administrative
/ power; an intellectual giant, who caused the
! retrogreeslon of France and Of all Europe, and
! who possessed one Of the worst hearts that the
/ history of the human race had disclosed. All
! lovers OF progress ought to mako . pilgrimage
1 b Waterloo once in their lives. not to exult
/ over the destruction OF . French army, but to
| contemplate the spot where this great enemy Of
the human race fell victim to hit own excuses.
! ~ Nice Little Girl-Oh, Mr.. Brown, give nae
one Of the nsh you've been catching. Brown
| who rather fancies himself, and does al he can
20 keep mp the eharActer)-I haven't been fish
| ing, my dear I've been for row. Mics Little
Giri-Why, Emily was looking ct you through
telescope, and Ssid You did nothing but catch
| Judy.