The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1883-03-17
FOR BOYS To REMEMBER.

When You read the life of Napoleon,
boys, and grow enthusiastic over his
wonderful heroism and military genius,
and wish in your very hearts that You
might have been with the conquercw AS
he scaled the Alps and besicged great
cities and overeame every obstacle in
his way, did YOU ever query what il was
that gave him su h wonderful control
over his soldiers, so that the5 would dare
any hing for their leaderp Did you
suppose that he was admired by them
as a sort OF god, aud, ilying IN M at
mosphere far above the French soldiery,
ruled them us Jupiter did the world in
ancient times, hurting his thunder bolts
among them If they dared disobey his
commando Did youthink that because
for years he was acknowledged the
greatest man in Europe. if not in the
world, that he controlled men and ma
tons through fearp
If You did, you are greatly mistaken.
Napoleon was Napoleon when but a
boy He had when very young the
stuff in him that makes men, makes
heroes, and the discipline and hard
work to which he subjected himself
when boy was one of the greatest
TcuSOUS u Ills ldtci bu tCso, III ~
helped him to enter into sympathy with
his soldiers, and SO control them. He
was General who said: "Come, fol-
low me- instead of: $50, and I'll
follow" to those under his command.
want to relate to you an incident in
his history which occurred when he was
but fifteen years of age, and was a
prophecy of future greatness. He was
sent at that time to a military school at
Paris. which was luxuriously furnished
for the children of the aristocracy 1t
had been founded for them, and as they
had been accustomed to every indulg-
ence at their homes, here they were to
be as carefully looked after. A writer
tells us that leach of the three hundred
young men assen bled in this school had
servant to groom his horse, to brush
his boots, and to perform all other nee
essary mental services The cadet re-
posed on luxurious bed, and was fed
with sumptuous viands. There were
few lads OF fifteen who would not have
been delighted with the dignity, the
ease, the Independence of that style of
living. Napoleon. however, immediate
ly saw that this was by no means the
training requisite to prepare officers for
the tolls and hardships of war. Although
so young, he addressed an energetic
memorial to the Governor, urging the
Punishment of this effeminacy and vo-
righteousness from the military school.
He argued that the students should
learn to groom their own horses, to
clean their own armor, and to perform
all those services, and to jnure them
selves to those privations which would
prepare them for the exposure and tolls
of actual service" The historian adds
that no incident in the childhood or in
the life of Napoleon shows more deci-
sively than this his energetic, self
reliant, commanding character. The
wisdom, the bravery and the foresight
which usually come with mature years,
were exhibited here.
There is no doubt that one distinguish
ing cause of the extraordinary populari-
ty which Napoleon afterwards secured
was TO be found in the fact that through
life he called upon no one to encounter
perils or endure hardships which he was
not perfectly ready himself to encounter
or to endure.
1t would be we'll if our boys would re-
member this incident in the life of one
who is doubtless hero to them, and,
although they may not aspire to become
Napoleons, and we should hope would
not be successful if they did, under
stand that to acquire any commanding
position in life, to be successful in any
department of work in the world great
industries, the heroic an military spirit
of Napoleon is necessary. You must
have high aspirations. real courage, a
determination to understand practically
even the mental departments of work,
and willingness 10 Labor energet.cally
yourselves, if you ever expect to get to-
ward the top of the ladder, and control
other men and achieve success in life.
You will find it true that nearly, if not
all, our great merchants began their ca
reer working hard for small wages, but
dong what was gwen them to do with
a will, and heartiness, and thor