Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1878-11-05

statesman. Il ~ $40 1.--.-.7
We took a last farewell look at tn
, tomb and its surroundings, scarcely ex
pecting ever to see it again, or least no
look upon it together, such barrel,
being probable in the course of human
events. This same thought appeared t,
pass in the mind of my friend, for b.
even expressed as much, partly in word
and partly in looks. formally anG
finally asked the Judge (as we both hes
itated) if he was ready to leave. In +,
very subdued manner be signified hi.
readiness, and we started --,ff.
Stopping for a moment, before passing
out, at the depository for canes and um
brellas, I handed the old woman in
charge my check, with couple OF
SOUS, and received in exchange my um
Ebrella previously deposited 5 ~
/ While crossing the spacious court as
we approached the main entrance, felt
impressed by what we had seen, and
proceeded to unburden my thoughts to
the Judge in about the following man
ner:- W sss
Napoleon Bonaparte was unquestion-
ably very great mana genius of the
universal order, and his fame rests not
with posterity on his military renown
alone, but there will also exist q lasting
monument to his craftsmanship in the
Code de Napoleon. His was the rare
combination of soldier and law-giver.-
A mighty man in war, and great ruler
in peace. All the conspicuous elements
of human greatness appear to have been
| embraced or included in the formation
of his character. No man of mortal
mold has ever left name to the future
that will be recorded oftener or longer
in all the annals of time.
| His genius did not shine moro rs-
splendently on the field Of battle than in
the councils of the nation. The CODE
NAPOLEON that most complete, exhaas-
| tive, and elaborate system of jurispru-.
dence ever presented to the world as
defence and barrier for human justice,
as clear exponent of human laws, was
prepared under the personal aid and su-
peryision of the great Emperor. The
| universal genius of this wonderful man
shone pre-eminent among the profound
est lawyers and statesmen of his day
whom he called together in the prepa-
ration of the work which bears his name
1t is well known how justly proud he
was of it. He is reported to have
| said to Count Las Cases on one oc-
| casion when some revision of it was
suggested sir! toll them it shall
not be done; It is all right enough
1t suits me and my people as it is; no
improvement is either desirable or neg
essarY. After my death it will remain
as 6 grand civil record, making my
name as imperishable as my military
fame.n Asascnlar code of human laws,
based upon equity between men 1t has
never been excelled, certainly not in
Europe, and for the most part it has
been adopted by all the European pow :
ers. Having submitted these Napole-
| onie remarks to the Judge, and think
ing them o fitting Termination to our
visit, / hailed cab and told the driver
to take US to No. 13, boulevard des Ital-
| lens, the eafe AngSa;s, as / knew this
| restaurant to be first class one. I then
remarked to the Judge that we could get
a good lunch and bottle of elegant wine
and. be resting at the same time, before
starting Tor the third place on our list
for the day. This met with my friends
approval and was consummated to our
mutual satisfaction, so that while one of
the large clocks of the city was striking
the hour of three p. NJ, we were
standing in front of the cate waiting to
engage a voiture de reDaise to take us to
the noted cemetery-Pere Lachaise. A
voiture was soon secured and half
hours drive found US at the extremity
of the rue de la Roquette, boulevard d.
Aunay, where this famous burial place
is situated. We entered the
CEMETERY OF PERE LAcHAIsE
in serious and solemn mood, remem-
beriug as we did at the very Threshold
of this place. the host of distinguished
dead who rested both above and Beneath
| if,c sol J., 4 fl,s. k<~l L. Al -
and largest cemetery in Paris, being
rich in costly and elegant vaults, tamhs,
monuments, chape!s, statues, &c, being
large in extent, embracing about forty
acres of a commanding eminenee; and
famous for containing numerous tombs
of the most illustrious and celebrated
persons of all the various professions
1t has been a burial place for three
fourths of century, aud it receives the
bodies ofpersons for whom their families
have perpetual concessions of ground,
this being different in this respect from
some of the other cemeteries, where
families only own the ground for GER
tain lease of years, say from twenty to
thirty, the ground then reverting back
to the municipal or State authorities, to
be disposed of az they may see fit, regard
less Of the past capacity In which it was
used. The Judge regretted that his uncle
and several members of his family were
buried at Cinaetiere 1lontnaarfre, instead
of Pere Lachaise. 1 proposed to my
friend, since we had two hours to spend
in this sad and interesting locality, that
we take our time in looking about us
and not be hurried in trying to see toe
much. We first visited the family vault
I-above ground-of the Thiers family,
the l. st body it received being that OF
the distinguished ex-President of the
French Republic. Here we found as
sembled quite number of people stand
ing about the entrance and peering into
the interior. Votive wreaths of mourn.
ing were thickly strown on the the tomE
of the great statesman, and large record
book was lying open for visitors to reg
lister their names. We observed also
that many of these people with pencil:
wrote their names on the stone and mar
BILE wall and pillars of the vault. We
remarked upon the bad taste of this
there being hundreds of names, all Gun
known to fame" scrawled on every
available spot. The Judge was indig
nant felt certain if he could hav,
{ spoken the French language the scrib-
blers would have heard from him in
manner not to be misunderstood. Thi
may have been French method O
showing respect to the illustrious dead
but it looked to our American eyes lik
wanton and sacrilegious act, almos
vandalism, all things duly considered
. Of course, in two hours visit, W,
could not go to all the tombs and vault
, containing the moral remains of mel
so profound in science, SO erudite in lit
erature, so famous in the fine arts: me,
who had gained lasting celebrity,
Justly earned reDown in all the prou,
and exalted departments Of human re
searches and attainments. All of whicl
, thinking, honest posterity, is com
) PEELED to admit imperatively require
+ the possession of brains and intellec
E sustained by every manly energy TO
, their proper development and success
| full prosecution.
!, From such long and noble roll c
!, fame as we here encountered. we fel
necessitated to make selection of tn
+ best known, simply to briefly look upo
f their earthly sting places during ou
: present visit. We propose to enumel
j ate some of them without observing an