The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1881-09-22
PRINCE NAPOLEON.

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Granville Murray in the Continental Times.
Napoleon Joseph Charles Paul, the head
81 the imperial part of the House Of Bona
parte, has often but incorrectly been styled
Prince jerome Napoleon. For this trifiing
error he has himself to thank. During his
cousins reign it was obviously impossible
Tor him TO sign by his first Christian name
alone. 1t might have led to confusion, and
would have been discourteous to the SOW
ereign. He accordingly adopted the sigma
ture Of Napoleon (Jerome),." the latter
having been his fathers name. though not
his own. When the republic seemed to be
definitely established,at least for the while,
he assumed the more splendid signature of
Napoleon Bonaparte. Since the death
OF the Prince Imperial he has dropped the
"Bonapsrte; "and otherwise given the plain
est Indications that if France ever returns
to the Cesarist form of government, he
means to be Cesar. They little know the
prince who dream that he will abdicate in
favor OF one Of his sons or any other human
being. He has on ambition which is
bounded only by prudential considerations
and O desire to have the substance rather
than the shadow Of power. II,
The fates alone can tell whether we shall
ever see that face, so like the face Of the
conqueror of Austerl:zt, on French coins
and postage stamps. Enough to say that
the chances of Napoleon V. are not worse
than those Of Napoleon III. when forty
years ago the future emperor lay in the fort
ress of Ham, a prisoner under life sentence,
and, what seemed worse, covered with
merited ridicule. The French character
has not materially change since eight mil
lions Of Frenchmen ratified the Coup d
'Etat. What the nation hates and despises
to day it may love tomorrow. And yet
there was in the temperam ent Of Louis
Napoleon an element of success which is
wanting to the present chief of his line.
The mystic and ratalist Louis had . genu-
inc belief in his mission as the heir # the
emperor. Prince Napoleoa has
no such belief, and the lack Of
faith is but poorly supplied by the conf
dence he entertains in his own abilities,
though these are Of no mean order. An
other circumstance, damaging to the
princes prospects. is too notorious to be
overlooked, very unjustly, as there is every
reason to believe, he has incurred the re-
proach most fatal to soldier and a man
who aspires to rule over his brother men.
Why persons not blinded by party passion
should have stigmatized the prince as a
coward is difficult to see. He returned
from the Crimea before the war was over;
but SO did the Duke of Cambridge with
out his losing reputation for courage.
Both highnesses we're in fact recalled for
the same reason, that they showed dispo-
sition to set their own wills above that of
their respective commanders. Prince
Napoleon, again, refused to fight
the Duke Of Aumale. With only
child's life between him and the French
throne, he was bound, as good citizen, to
refuse the challenge which, in truth, was
never meant to be accepted. Who can con-
ceive Of duel between the Crown Prince
Of Germany and the Duke of Cumberland?
For all that, it is to be regretted, in Prince
Napoleon 8 interests, that he did not cross
swords with the Duke of Aumale. The
fatal mark is now indelibly branded as
though with hot iron. In 1870 it was
thought to place him in command of the
Baltic fleet, but a number Of officers OF
the French navy signed round robin re-
fusing to serve under him. There were
too many Of them, and some were too dis
tinguished. to cashier.
Napoleon III. tried to conceal from his
cousin that terrible afront of the naval Of
les for employment against the enemy,
begged him to undertake confidential
mission to his father in-law the king of
Italy, assuring the prince he could be CT
most use that way. In spite of occasional
quarrels. the cousins loved each other bet.
ter than was supposed. To imagine that
the prince wished to play the part of Bon
napartist Egalite is to fancy him at once
more wicked and moro foolish than he is
His interests were closely bound up with
the empire, as he we'll knew; he is more
over too epicurean to care to play with rev.
dictionary fire, and too good hearted to
mean deliberate harm to a kinsman. He
seemed profoundly affected by the death of
the prince imperial, nor did his intimate
friends doubt of the sincerity of his grief.
The prince has committed the blunder of
openly scofing at religion. To do him
I justice, the agnosticism he paraded was
perfectly sincere; but the most honest con-
victions need not be bawled out on the
housetops. When one sees the faculty with
which some Of the religious orders were
broken up last year, one is apt to underrate
the influence which Catholicism still retains
over the minds of Frenchmen. The truth
is that the vast body Of serious and we'll
to-do men in France like outward respect
to be paid to the church. They do not
think the worst of q man for disbelieving
Christianity, but they are impatient of noisy
expressions Of unbelief. Their sense Of
decorum, revoltsf from such sins against
taste as the giving dinner party on Good
Friday and receiving bishop stark naked.
When one thinks of the last escapade
one inyoluntarily recalls the proverb which
notes how silly clever men can be. That
Ptince Napoleon is more than clever no
one who over conversed with him can
doubt. Heis a wonderf ally pleasant com.
panion too, whether as MBcenas or as.
equal. No one can tell an anecdote better,
or do a small kindness more gracefully. AS
emperor, one presumes, he wonld be under
enough restraint to refrain in telling what
in Oxford slang used to be called aanato-
mical' stories, and from cracking Jokes on
the Bible. He would make good sovereign
Of the Louis Phi'ippi, or Leopold the
First pattern.
English Mulishness.
Paris Correspondence Boston Joura1
A really American hotel 4 aerican
in everything, cookery included az
would be a. paying speculation in
London. But it would be diff.
cult to get it built The local architects
would sinuously prevent the builders from.
getting the Yankee qu1rk on things; they
would raise embarrassing objections in the
most unexpected manner: and would final
1~,y 4. ~