The Osceola times., 1881-08-13
NAPOLEON !. As A HERO.
Some Striking Observations on the Dubjec,
by Prof j. Il. seeley.
Macmillan's Magazine.

Macmillans Magazine.
Few characters are so we'll adapted for
testing the theory Of heroes as Bona.
parte. His name occurs to us almost be-
fore any other when we want examples
of the power of personality. If we
wanted to show how mankind natural.
~ desire leader, how they distinctive.
ly detect the born hero, how gladly and
Loyalty they obey him, what example
but Bonaparte should We quote? Where
shall we find anything similar to his re.
turn from Elba, which seemed to realize
the never realized return OF Arthur from
iairy-land: or. again, to the sudden re-
vival of his family 30 years after his
death, when the mere name Napoleon
carried his nephew to supreme power?
How much more striking than anything
which can be produced from the life OF
Mr.. Carlyle's favorite, Cromwell, who
does not seem ever to have been popu-
lar and who left no very vivid memory
behind himl And yet Mr.. Carlyle IL
strangely shy of Bonaparte. He avoids
the wonderful tale, which 1t might seem
that he above all men was called upon
to write. Occasionally indeed, as If 10
keep up the credit of the theory, he in.
cludes Bonaparte as matter of course
among his divine heroes, coneratulatIng
that age, for instance, upon its two great
men, Napoleon and Gethe-nay, act.
ually putting Napoleon by the side OF
Cromwell in his lecture on THE Hero
as King" But more commonly he
carps and grumbles at this enormous
repuIaton and the short, perfunctorv &C.
count of him given in the lecture i have
Just mentioned is nothing less, If you
will look at it closely, than a helpless
abandonment of the whole theory which
the book PROCESSES to expound. 1t ac-
knowledges, almost IN express words,
that the old cynical theory of heroes
may in some cases, after all, be true, 10d
that in Napoleon TO good extent itIs
true.
In showing that he did not quell man.
kind by irresistible heroism, ! show at
the same time that he did not Mss to
supreme power by charlatanry. In
fact, ne tioated to Supreme power upon
tide of imperialism which he did not
create, and which must sooner or later
have placed soldier at the heed of #
fairs. In this matter all he needed 10
do was to take care that Europe did not
p
periaism would soon have ebb.d again
And we have seen him at this worl
during the first months Of l79S, when
apparently by his agency, the war burs,
suddenly into flame again when it wat
on the point of being extngulshed. But
this point once secured, "his strength
was to sit still" his wisdom lay in doing
nothing-in simply absentlng himself
by his Eastern expedition from the scene
of action.
But though his own share in creating
the fabric of his greatness was perhaps
less than half, 1t was positively large
Had there been no Bonaparte, Moreau
or Massena might have risen to O
position not dissimilar, milht hay,
welded vast imperial power, extend.
ing from France far into Germany and
/ Italy, but assuredly thev would not hav,
| borne themselves in that position q,
Bonaparte did, nor left the same Indell,
| BILE impression upon history.
l In the first place, he showed a mind
capable of embracing affairs Of every
sort, and IN no way limited by his own
specially. His Government was a real
Government, the first that bad been es.
tablished since the destruction OF ancient
France in the Revolution. 1t could no,
therefore help undertaking, and-ss il
was real Government and no mere
party tyranny lit met with no great diff
ficulty in accomplishing, an immense
work of legislation. But an ordinary
child of camps would not by any mean,
have risen to the greatness of the posi-
ton as Bonaparte did; his early admira.
lion and study of Paoli, ! fancy, had
prepared him for this of dictatorial lcps.
lator, while Rousseau had filled him vi
ideas of the dignity of the Office.
have thought could trace to Rou 'seau's
idea that the work of legislation requires
adivne sanction OF Bonapartt's revival OF
the medieval empire and his solemn
Introduction Of the Pope upon the scene