New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-01-01
NEW PUBLICATIONS.

The FIRST NAPOLEON. Sketch. Political and Mill
tary. BY JoHN E1DMAN ROPES. 12mo, PIP. XXI,
SAT. Hougbton, Mihun Co.
Mr.. Ropes dec. ates that the task which he pro-
posed to himself in the composition of this book
was that of "rectifying the fundamental notions
with which nearly all historians have approached
the study of the epoch of Napoleon 1t was rather
large enterprise to be c0mpassed IN " sketch u;
and Mr. Ropes seems not TO have prepared himself
for 1t by any original researches, the study of
any other than the standard authorities. his reli
ance being entirely upon his native powers of argu
ment aud persuasion. Sef-confdence sometimes
rises to an imposing height. The Fundamental no
tion with which he approaches the study of the
epoch of the first Napoleon is that Napoleon must
be cassed among the friends and help
ers of the race" THAT his efforts as
whole were ON the right side" aud
"that he was the unsparing foe of tyranny and il
Justice" In maintaining this advanced position he
shrinks FROM difficulty, however tough, defend
ing the murder of the Duke G Enghlen, the seizure
of States the setting up of family kings, and all the
despotic features of the imperial system His prin-
ciple is that the Napoleonic mvasIons were bene-
fit to the countries which they scourged, harried
end overran. They did not give their victims pol
itical liberty, but they gave them better admins
trations than they had had before and 20 the OBJ
lection that the people of these foreign countries
Never mind it was good for them. The great popu-
lar uprising against French aggressons in the States
of Germany in 1918 leads MIN into some remarkable
reflections upon patriotism. the love of Fatherland,
nnd National unity, which most Americans will
read with considerable surprise. He has not
the slightest sympathy with the movement in ques-
ton. 1T is great thing no doubt" he says.
"for the people of country to be patriotic But in
order that any people should be patriotic they
must first have country. And by country
mean not a vision in the indefinite future, but
fact of to-day and hundred years ago. .
The country which has claims upon Its citizens
must in the nature of things be an organized COM
munlty with history of which all its citizens
be proud. present tangible existence in which
they can all participate, and future to which they
can all look forward" We should like to see Mr..
Ropes apply this doctrine to the American Revolu-
tion. The founders of our Republic had no "cOun-
try,D in the sense of Mr.. Ropes, until they had
made one Were they incapable of patriotisms 1t
would be unfair TO overlook the fact that
Mr. Ropes has had a glimpse of some important
though not novel truths A great change in theO-
RES of government all over Europe was started By
the French revolution or to be more exact result
ed from the general ferment of which that event
was the most startling phenomenon. This change
was greatly FASTENED by the Napo!eonic wars.
But if Mr. Ropes had fully grasped the idea at
which he seems and then TO be clutching he
would not have made the extraordinary mistake of
assuming that the triumph of the Napoleonic sys-
TEN would have insured the happiness of society
and the downfall OF tyranny and injustice, OF
what advantage would it have been to assail '"the
divine right of ki1gs" if for the principle of legiti
macy there had been nothing better to substitute
than the divine right of military dynasty-If. at
the conquerors order, the sacred JUNCTION had been
,esarvad for his sashed and booted brothers and
step-sonsi II was only by the overthrow of Napo-
Iconism that the political reforms for which Mr..
Ropes gives Napoleon tho full credis became possl-
be- We suspect that in spite of this sketch histo
mans will 60 ON treating the NapOooDic epoch in
the old way.