The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1882-11-09
Napoleon 1Ir. and Men Of Talent,

Napoleon III. and Men Of Talent.
Napoleon III. and tho Empress
naturally attached importance to draw
ing eminent men Of letters to court !;
but for the very reason that honors and
more substantial things were showered
upon those who came, every author and
journa!:t. who declared himself u Bona
partist, got accused of selling his pen.
and lost influence. From his rock ut
Guernsey Victor Hugo exercised a
dreaded pontificate over the world Of
letters, laundering anathemas against
those who held any parley with "The
Man Of December" He had sworn in
magnificent verses written in his Chat
iments, never to rc-cntcr France SO
long as the empire lasted, and he kept
his word; yet on one or two occasions
the Emperor caused him to be treated
with digniiicd courtesy. When LES
Miscrablcs' was published, Theophile
Gautier. who was literary critic of The
Moniteur. wrote brilliant panegyric
on his book; hut the editor was afraid
to insert it until lie had submitted a
proof to the Emperor. Napoleon Ill.
at once ordered that the article should
appear: and when next he saw Gautier
ut one Of the Empress Monday night
receptions, said few kindly words to
him in praise Of Victor Hugo's genius.
He was always gracious lin this way to
those who approached him in n friendly
spirit, and it may truly be said that no
sovereign ever treated writer's with
such high consideration as he did.
There is story of the Princess Ade-
laide, Louis Philippe's sister, having,
in the fondness of her heart, sent fifty
francs by . footman to renowned
critic. who, she had heard, was in
Strengthened circumstances. Napoleon
III. never affected to regard writer's
after this lofty fashion, as Bohemians.
He put Prosper Merimee, Ponsard and
Sainte Beuve into the Senate. thereby
giving them salaries of Gl.2OO year.
He made the Corps Legislatif vote a
pension Of 10000 francs year to
Lamartine. Republican; Octave
Fenillet he appointed librarian ut Fon-
tainebleau: and Jules Sandeau, libra
rian at Compeigne. snug and well-paid
little sinecurcs. Edmond About was
sent by him on special missions, and
commissioned to write pamphlets; and
numbers of other agreeable writer's.
taking the definition given in Lothian"
OF agreeable people, were made happy
with inspectorships Of fine arts, custo-
dianships OF museums. and SO forth.
The Emperor was even sedulous to pro-
vide halfway houses for men of talent
who were willing to forsake the opposi-
ton without going over Mt once to the
Tuilleries. The Princess Mathilde used
to offer charming hospitality to these
demi-rallies. and ut one time Prince
Napoleon made Of the Palais Royal a
place of resort for men like Ernest
Renan, Emile de Girarlin, Emile Olli-
yier, and others who were trying to
form an Imperial Liberal party. All
this was no use. however. and the En-
pcror got little more assistance from
the authors whom he petted than from
the loyal cures whom he promoted to he
bishops. The cures. when they had OBJ
tanned their mitfes. ceased to gush
about the Napoleons. and tried to curry
favor with the Vatican: while the men
of letters who went to court, avoided
writing a line iii favor of the empire,
but rather gave that institution sly digs
with their pens to avoid the reproach Of
servilits. Among the papers found at
the Tnilerics after Sedan, was the plot
in the Empcror's own hand Of novel
which he had desired that some popular
writer should work up for him. 1t was
to describe the adventures OF one Jean
Bernard. who, coming up to Paris full
Of aisloral IDEAS put into his head bv
Republicans, was to be converted TO
Bonapartism by the splendors of the
capital, and the sight Of the many great
and good things which the Empire had
done for the workingman. The novel
was never written. hut the hero. Ber-
nard. whether he came from the French
provinces. from England. or from across
the Atlantic. was type Of Bonaparti>t
pro>elyte common enough.-LOndOn
Times.