Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1876-07-12
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An Extract from "ImpressiOns and
ROuveufFH."

One ofthelss things written by George
Sand Wss,a eu1tetpn iAthe Temps called
Impressions and Souvenirs" 10 which
occurs a remarkable sketch Of Napoleon
III, which runs thug 'thHaia boa Ifinp
liseWhen Trend ia the journals yester-
day that the state Of the siek man at
,Ohiselburst was serious, i felt that he.
was dead. Was he not already dead at
.Seda12' For three years past Napoleon
had ceased to EXIST Events had no more
effect upon him than the voltaic pile on.
a. corpse. His liberal tendencies Of the.
last honr We're, in the Situation in which
he was placed, ildsiens Uncontrolled by
lreasonlq Hhe war with Prussia, however,
was not an Illusions he could not shut
ont from his eyes the spectre o., defeat
which hurried him fatally to his destiny.
Alexandra Dumas ills said that lin
surreadtring his army he Thought he
should save biz hrmy AMI France, This
illusion was madness, and was only pos
sible to a dying man, whose soul, Hoat-
ling hither and thithet, was incapable oi
either cowardice OF beroism, and could
no longer distinguish the dteam from the
reslity. Basidesr any one who IS an IN
~prejudiced observerhad carefully studied
the whole life ofothis fatal man would
haveTassured hmself4nev to say, but
old ia history-thatg certain historical
persensges were not free agents. and did
not exist in the geHerar acceptatioh OF
the term. Napoleon III has been treated
as a cbimericap man. And this is cor.
lteet, iti " means that his brginRas 6lled
with ehimerail more correct still it. il
means a prohlemstical being, not to be
anaIyzed. / viii tell you my personal
Impression Of The man. Q Inthe days iot
his Imprisonment at Ham he wrote q
great desl-was a young man without
energy, always haunted by q vision cen
lceivedi III his infancy and encouraged By
Those who surrounded him-a vision tC
whose pressue he submitted with a feel
ing Of lassitude and resignation; no rea'
Instruction, a great deal Of intelligence
the rudiments and even the s%cintillationl
Of geniusar literary than philosopb
ieal, rather philosophical than political
bad healthi vitality tottering, unequal
Buspehded Ut times. No bitterness sbou
thim, no raneoF, little anger, too contem
plttive to- be psssionste yamiable, loving
to be loved in private, life, disin
t%erested himself, and yet (see what con
trasts) capable Of the greatest politea
crimes, because his nations. of humal
J law differed entirely from ours. When.
!, saw him, when, i spoke to him at th,
Elysee Twice in3lhe same week, i wa
completely deceived by him, and beliey
ing myself tricked, / refused to see hi
again. However, | continued to write {
him, when / tb0ughtaI could save a viz
B Etim, to pass. comment on bislanSwers
and TO watch all his actsH 1becamelcot
, vinced that he did not wish to deeeiv
l any one,-snd that herdeceiYed every on
and himself. He believed siunwbdt b
said but looked upon himself as investe
2 with a mission for which he bad iAeitht
physical energy nor the moral force, Il
adopted every idea which. was suggeste
to bin in the form Of an oracle. Wet t
try II, he would y;aud"i if it be imp1
sible, cato something else. With III
e aid OF enjoying absolute power, this i'll
sion. ofplayiug heads or tails with even
became p motomsnie, and bis quiet az
patient fatalism assumadtbe lappeaTsn
n o~fttoree and skill He was. an, hone
man, who allowed himself to be .borne
d, triumph by ambitious and u~nsct6pqlor
people, He considered himself the i
y stFumedt Of Providence, whom he W
81 only the Instrument OF chance HeeC
le dered hisIimperiaI mantle, and while.4l
W5rkwOmkn were embroideriDg it vi
le beads, be still said to those WHO we
re urging him on that he would not betri
he republic, He was his own duPe
Q the last moment yi~a.i1O ho y