The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1882-05-21
NAPOLEON AND WOMEN.
The Great Soldiers Views and
4 Treatment of the Tender Sex.

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4 Treatment of the Tender Sex.
g An aged correspondent of the FL
caro- gives sundrY particulars about
the conduct of the First Napoleon in
regard to women, which more than
confirm the worst statements in the
memoirs Of Madame de Remusat, aud
even tend to show that the great Cor
sican's ideas in regard to virtue were
more or less On a par with those OF
the later Roman Caesars. Unfortu-
pately some OF these details are not
suitable for English readers. Those
which are We translate in full.
La Grassini and, later on, cele-
bFated Polish Countess, were the only
two women, ont of all Napoleon
mistresses, who had the power Of
moving or of attracting for any length
of time that man of whom Josephine
said; There are not more than two
days in the whole year when a woman
can control him"
Hard, brutal and coarse with WO-
10 en- be demanded their faVors al a
master; and to those who were weak
enough to obey him, be never ex-
pressed the least grateful memory nor
manifested the simple poiteness OF
discretion.
When all the rest trembied before
him, there was one woman who
knew how to repel his advances, and
to reply to bis insolences as they mer-
tied. This was Madame de Chew
reuse.
"Ah! cal you have oarrotty red
hair, your" be said one evening to
this lady, whose hair was a tsWny
blonde.
''Red, quite possible, but until now
no man was ever BLACKBOARD enough
to tell me 30, she retorted.
Fifteen days later, he tried to re-
venge himself at 3 ball given in the
Tuileries.
'Etes vous NAL fagoteel" he said
with disdain an expression the force
of which might best be rendered by
an American slang phrase: what
an awful rig you've gotl" Or "Well,
that is horrid rigl"
"Oh! it is quite good enough to
come to such place as this with, "
retoIted Madame de Ohevreuse.
Noxt day she was banished f ty
leagues from Paris.
At all epochs OF his life, Napoleon
showed so little esteem for women.
that his feeling might best be desig-
mated as contempt.
At the epoch We refer to Bonaparte
was just thirty, the age when the
bloOdEboils in the veins and the imag-
iDation causes man to see all things
in bright colors, as though viewed
through q prism. Yet even at this
age his opinion of woman betrayed
itself in all his addresses to the Con.
sell d. Etst, where the Civil Code was
then being discussed. Ladies even
now little dream that the seventies of
the Code was first called down upon
them by Napoleon. who imposed his
will upon the council at all it's sit
tings.
Perhaps you doubt ii fair readers?
In that case let US choose at
random the meeting held on the 9Th
Vendemaire, when Cretet submitted
the following famous article: "The
husband owes protection to his wife,
and the wife obedience to her hus-
band"
Immediately upon the alterance OF
the word obedience" the illustrious
iurisconsult Merlin asked. Has the
obligation been imposed:Iby preced-
ing laws?"
Now this was Bonapa:te's texnal
reply:
1.-The angel proclaimed it to Adam
and Eve. Formerly it was pronounced
in Latin at the marriage ceremony;
but the woman did not understand it.
This word is especially applicable to
Paris, where women believe they
have right to do as they please. l do
not really expect that its adoption can
produce the desired effect upon all
women but it will certainly produce
it upon some. Women think of
nothing but pleasure and dress. II
one never grew old, I would not have
"a wife. 1t is the duty OF a legislator
not to believe in virtue. Here, to do
SO. would cost him no great effort.
Adultery is no! phenomenon; o'est
ane qfddre de canGpe; it is very com
mon. Women must be restrained in
this age, and this law will restrain
them. 1t is useless to give authority
to women, They have too much al
ready. They must be refined in; for
they forget duty too easily for the
sake OF tinsel, poetry, Apoleo and
the muses., and all that sort of thing.
x %U
And the famous article of "Obedi-
ence" was adopted by the legislators.
Translated by the New Orleans
Times.