Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1880-04-10
THE SECOND EMPIRE.
Seniors 90 Concentrations ,, Bona.
partisan Behind the Scenes.

wrote IN the height OF NapoIeOnic sn,ondnr
Inc Inc, m Sn, TL iIay was at an end, Austria had
eialmed King OF Italy. The unfortunate exne
clifton TO Mexico had not yet Developed into The
disas'rous result which afterward fell upon 1t.
THE EMPEROR AS SEEN BY A FRIESn
An interesting feature of Mn Seniors cont,i
Duei9n Is the various pictures we have of Napo-
non III sometimes we see him through the
49, VI IIienas and then of enemies Among
tnose VINO loved the Emperor was Nine Cornu
tne VIE OF an eminent artist, whose mother had
Oeeh came de compagnie to Hortense Nine.
Nonn hao oeen brought up as sister to Louis
NapOieOn- visiting him every year during his
imprisonment at Ham and correcting his writ
lngs- she remained devoted TO him until the
Soup Getat, when, being republican she broke
noI IeidIlOnS, and In spite of all Imperial adj
sahCeS was not recOnciled for nearly twelve
YEARS Nine. C0rnu died before the war of 1870.
Napoleon. as seen through the eyes of this
candid companion and friend who had loved
MN IN the days OF his misery, and duarreled
with him In the days OF his power IS curious
Character.
Mime. Cornu thought that the Emperor's long
exclusion from society did him harm In MANY
ways, and that IL would have spoiled his man
nerS but Tor having ALWAYS before him so adj
piTab,e model as his mother. 1t had made
him somewhat of a parvenu-what you call
TUT hunter He locke up to people Of high
rank Win mixture OF admiration, envy, and
dislike The more difficult he found it 10 get
INTO their society the more he disliked them
ana the more he courted them" Nine. Cornu
said THAT the political education OF the En-
PeTor nad been based upon the works OF the
first Napoleon and the Conversations of his
R Rra1e ana her friends, e. He liked England
nss e There, except as a Child, prisoner, and
sovereign. He was Frenchman Of the
france III Inat existed from 1893 to 1913. founded
OF despotisIn. war. and victory. All we hear
ABOUT liberty, SelfgOvernment, economy, SUI
paenacy OF me Assembly, respect for foreign
10 be the silleSt trash" He had no sympathy
with the better classes I'm France, and no desire
which he actually saw. but Indifferent to that
which was not brought before him in detail.
Nine Cornu tells pretty story Of going 10 see
him at Ham one day and finding him In great
grief because servant had died, leaving his
family In great distress, and OF Napoleon giving
me me family an hls money. When he made his
francs. This and the little property he had he
sold and gave In pensi ions to his followers, es-
from Ham he was so poor that he had the ut
most difficulty in getting together enough
money to effect The escape.
THE EMPEROR IN HIS SALAD DAYS
About this time Napoleon was busy writing
MS life of Caesar, in which work lie delighted
he f0und no pleasure so great as stealing into
from Nine. Cornu that before the death OF his
elder brother Napoleon was mild, unambltious.
lmpressionable, affectionate delighting in art
and literature. He often referred to IL as
blessing that he had two before him in the snc-
eesston to the first Napoleon-the Duke OF
kelehstadt and his own brother. 80" ne
Il
instead OF being, as the head OF our house must
be. slave TO mission Nine Cornu
said that =, from the day of his brothers
death the Emperor was another man and she
could compare his feelings as to his mission only
TO those which urged the first Apostles and
martyrs. This mission" Nine. Cornu said,
was first the NapoleOnic dynasty aud then
France" and yet She thought il did not arise
from personal ambition, because he had always
said, and she thought sincerely, that If there
We're any better hands TO whom he could trans
Rut
IL was his duty TO his dynasty to perpatuate iC
ana 10 France that he should give her influence
abroad and prosperity at home This devotion
20 the dy nasty has eliminated In the worship
Of his son, and he feared nothing so mucn as a
revival OF European coalition which would re-
new the prescription OF the BonaparteS. The
Emperor hated restraint and Opposition. br,r to
the one great Object-the perpetuation OF his
dynasty-he would sacrifice Europe, France
his dearest friends and even himself" Among
other OF his traits was willingness to ad.
JourD, to change or give up his means IL bet
Ter occurred and TO confess mistakes. He en-
Joyed the pleasure OF astonishing people s:in
making Europe and France and. above ali. his
own ministers stare" When he resolved TO aot
he Old SO without consulting his friends or his
ministers" He would talk freely give loose
to his ideas, let them flow one after another at
their will. .'tlll at last something pleased
hls imaginatlon he seized 1t and thought him
sell inspired" He was subject to fitS Of pas
sion, when ne would break his furniture In his
rage, but his powers OF self command were
really marvellous" The first sign Of emotion
H. n
nOstrils, like those of an excited horse; then his
eyes become bright and his lips CULVER His long
mustaehe is intended TO conceal his mouth, and
he has disciplined his eyes. When first saw
him, In ls4s, / asked him what was the matter
with hts eyes. Nothing he said. A day or two
after saw him again. They had still the odd
toming himself to keep his eyelids half closed
and TO throw into his eyes an affected dreamy
expression. cannot better describe the change
which came on him after his brothers dea1h
than by saying that he tore his heart out OF his
bosom and surrendered himself to his head
NAPOLEON AS EMPEROR.
Nine. Cornu thought, now that his ambition
was fulfilled this, you Will remember was In
the balcyon days Of the Empire-the Emperor's
former cbeerfulness was returning. His SON
was an intelligent, serious boy, mo ordinary
child" and the Emperor was becoming mild and
aneetionate. HE adOreS his childS she said.
with the affection rather Of the mother than
OF The father He puts one 10 mind Of the pie !
FAINT Jesus, with an expression half love and half
worship" On the whole Nine Cornu thOught
Napoleon ILL., to be the best OF the BonaDarfes.
standing his detestable encourage Sue feared
ne was bad judge OF men,-shy, hating new
faces, hating to refuse anything to ANYBODY.
kepn gd on1x about nun unable 70 give him adj
She thought In 1862 that his prestige was |
SroInns;r anu ne would try Is restore it by
= pubilc prosperity and the approach |
~ a constitutional government
The Prince Imperial Is brought in, and Nine. |
COrnu endeavored 70 make him repeat one OF !
his fables, but he had forgotten the end or IL, |
then he had forgotten the beginning and then |
the middle, and 50 he was allowed 10 90 to his /!
pony. Mime. Cornu in 1863 was in the habit OF !
seeing the Emperor two or three times week !
She generally found him at work uoon MS
Caesar" and quite unembarrassed. flor his |
conscience did not feproach him." Indeed |
she says. mo Bonaparte ever had Go complain |
OF Lis conscience, and / shrank from the en-
brace OF a man stained with the blood of SO
many or my friends AS FOR the Empress Eu-
lGnie, Nine. CoTnU found her all kindness and
gracionSneSS, q SpaniaTd in knowledge and etu-
cation, very seductive aud strict with the child
managing him much better than the Emperor
who does not manage him at all" Nine Cornu
described TIE Emperor as slow In conception
ard execution. Ineditat1ng plans for long time
thinking over every detail. waiting for oppor-
tEDit1es which he dtG not always seize" She says
That III lS49-Jnai IS. within six weeks after he
became President Or FTance-he intended coup
detail and had-reaG the plan TO Changarnier
but the instant Ch2ngarT,eS began TO oppose IL
he folded up the paper and was silent. But he
never abandoned II, and two years and half
afterwaTd he executed IT. In these DAYS In
1863, The Emperor was falling into bad habits
riding little, walking less, and growing fat.
Absorbed and consoled by his Cesar" hating
more and more the details OF business and at
the same time more and more afraid or trusting
his ministers, he was ambitious OF being elected
TO the Academy in place OF PaSquler and In
tended 10 De present al his own reception and
.sfO road In fhp TriVhtfri Acadanv frr.an cot