The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-04-27
NAPOLEON ".
A YOUNG MAN DREADFULLY BORED
ny THE REVERENCE AND HE
sPECT SHOWN HIM.
what SORT Of n Fellow Prince Louis Ma
pOleOn Is-A Clever Youth Condemned
to Lead u stupid Life-HOw He Came
to Go to the Cape.
New York World.I


New York World
An acquaintance who knows what he Ii
talking about has lately told me some inter
esting things as to the disposition and char
acter OF Prince Louis Napoleon, or, as they
call him at ChiHelhurst, Napoleon Nv. My
informant was among those who saw thu
Prince of when he started for the Cape the
other. day to help the English against thu
Iulua or rather to back civilization In tht
struggle with barbarism. The distinction
means nothing at all, and 1t means every
thing, as will be seen by and by. He was one
OF the last to shake hands with the poor lad
who is really deserving of all of our campas
sion as the most stupendously bored young.
ster Of our time. He was born to heritage
OF boredom, and he will die In full possession
OF It, whatever else be may lose. They will
make him an emperor, and he wants to be
a private gentleman. He enters himself as
candidate for the people to oblge his
mother. lie has to play part, to live, move
and have his being as o savior Of society,
while IN his heart Of hearts all that he wants
is to be saved from the Office. He Is Hot
spurs dish Of skinned milk that has to be
moved to superlatively adventurous action.
His Hotspur IL nj. Paul de Cassagnac, still
young, and with no hope of a happy Issue to
a host of troubles but in restoration OF the
empire. The Empress desires the same
thing because she has woman's passion
ate ambition forthose che loves, II not for her-
self, and because she hates the Republicans
on her own account, as the most distinguished
victim Of Republican calumnies. Thus the
Prince has one counselor possessed by ambi-
tiOn another by ambition and love and hate.
and the two together have 1t pretty much
their own way with his easy, simple nature.
nj. Rouher Is far more temperate because a
more Indifferent adviser. He is too old to
have much to hope from an Imperalist re-
storatton. He has played his part made his
pile. He is now little more than an Imperial
ist OF sentiment. His name is identified with
the cause; he enjoys certain amount of con-
sideration through the connection; he IL the
nominal counsel-in-chef ut Chiselhurst. and
his advise is keep still"
This just suits the young Pretender not be-
cause he lacks spirit, but because he has the
tastes 81 his years; for, as o rule, ambition
hardly belongs to this period OF life. He has
lived long In England, he likes field spol To
and all sorts OF manly amusements and he
thinks there is a good deal more fun in play
Ing at cricket than in playing at emperor
lin other countries thay count as blessed
lew who have good appetite and digestion
and no Ideas. / have written ideas with q
capital letter, because everything Ia In that.
He Is not in the least stupid; on the contrary
he is very intelligent, but he is troubled with
no enervating day-dreams of a mission and
OF decisive action Oh the future of his race
He IL the typical young British supaltern Of
the best sort, and nothing more. He passed
well at Woolwieh; he was the life of the
mess, and was as fond of SKY latkng as any
schoolboy. This tds the picture; the newer
one must be drawn in gloomer colors. He Is
beginning W feel the sadness and WEAKNESS
OF one who has left nature and freedom to
return to the study OF a long and weartsome
part of play. With the exception of his |
Woolwich course he has been at that part
all his days. The Imperial infant had to crow
TO music. His innocence became u factor Ia
politics. He was not 10 be permitted to blink |
at the sun without a suggestion that he re- |
cognized 1t as that old friend of the family,
the sun OF Austerlitz. When he grew little
older and long before they breeched him, he
had to learn to stop his hoop in full career, to
return salutes, to give aims to beggars, to
melt into tears at the sight OF wooden-legged
veterans-in short, to behave not as the child |
OF nature, but as the childd of France" A
year or two more and we find him making
sage remarks on his fathers Life Of Caesar"
In kind Of conversational supplement to
the Commentaries. duly reported II the loyal
day Of the family downfall. Well, the fall Of
the dynasty relieved him of his engagement
for this tawdry kind Of play acting, dun COUP
and restored the boyhood he had 50 nearly
lost From this down to the Emperors death,
and, In fact, for some time after, he was suf-
tered to be himself by mere favor OF circum-
stances. He was in a scene where there were
no Ftenchmen to impress, and the English
about him were, for imperial purposes, not
mother kindly let him alone and he was
never so happy in his life. Then came
the day, the wretcned day, Of his formal as
sumption OF the primary OF his party, and
once more. Busy Imperialist emissaries
came and went between Paris and Chisel-
hurst; a declaration was drawn up for him;
he signed 1t; 1t was issued; he was again on
the boards. His mother insisted on having
him addressed In their ultimate circle as
Sire" placed herself in nominal subsection
To him as head of the house, though, woman
like, still having her own way in everything
This affectation OF inferlority bored him more
than all else for he Is very fond of her, but
just for that reason he let her do just as she
wished 1t was no light sacrifice; her we'll
meant interference for the preservation of
his dignity seemed to stop every outlet Of !
and natural gayety All sorts
OF harmless frolics incidental to his life as a
young officer We're forbidden lest they should
give her pain. She wigged him about every {
report that reached her. What story was he {
telling them at mess to make ali laugh so?
Who ran up to town with him to the theatre? /
Where did they 60 afterwards? II Ne only
could remember his position. The head Of his
house" should not be the buffoon of a ness
table; the head of his house should not run
the risk of Identification as a spectator of a
brawl. And why did he sit in the
stalls at the theatre d box surely would have |
been more worthy Of his rank? Who were I
his companions? Cadets and comrades A |
gentleman of the suite would have been !
more becoming Ole for the head of his house
THE TRIP TOT CAPE
The trip to the Cape was happy thought
Of his own-perhaps one that suggested itself
as means Of escape. He wanted an outing
with his old mates, and he fondly imagined
that no apron strings could be long enough to
reach to South Africa. The Empress feared
that too, and at first opposed the scheme.
The party managers, the gentlemen who have
30 obligingly undertaken to run him in due
season for the empire, took different view