The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1886-12-16
BONAPARTE.
Napoleon the First a Desperate Adventur-
er, Who Played for Empire With
Loaded Dice.

| err VINO Played for Empire With
| Loaded Dice.
l have Just come from one of nv
visits to the tomb of Napoleon, writes
| Henry Watterson to the COltrieT-J0ur-
| nal. 1t is altogether the most beaUti-
full, and at the same time the most im-
! posing sepulcher in the world. The
! sarcophagus. OF the richest porphyry,
/ stands in a lowered crypt, or vestibule,
| or basin, and, instead of looking up,
| you look down upon it. The canopy,
! erected in the Hotel des Invalides to
incase this patriotic and martial
| shrine, is magnificent surprising any
| thing of the kind known to ancient or
modern times. 1t is connected with the
| great chapel of this home for the old
and disabled soldiers of France, and
has within it lesser chapels and inches,
which contain other monuments and
tombs, that to the great Bonaparte oc-
cupying the rotunda beneath the dome
Subdued light from many-colored
stained-glass windows fittingly illumin-
ates the place, effigies in gold and
I marble decorate it, and, from a massive
| altar of precious stones and metals,
| death seems to smile upon life.
To my mind Napoleon Bonaparte ex-
lists as type of all that is wicked and
monstrous in human nature and destiny;
an arch-fiend, with frenzied gift of
military ambition and genius; and in
no sense worthy of such temple 1t
could find. indeed, no adequate reason
for being, except that it stands not
alone as a monument to famous war
rior, but also as symbol of national
rrln
be, and unchristian, yet as long as
might can force its way against right,
l suppose men and women will con-
tinue to fall down and worship mere
prowess.
Bonaparte was not a statesman and
he was not patriot. He was not even
a Frenchman. He was vulgar for
eign adventurer, who had discovered a
new trick of war. precisely as gambler
might discover q new trick of cheating,
and, greatly favored by fortune, he
played his marked cards successfully
until they were revealed to other ex-
perts and began TO be played back
upon him, when down he went, like
any other charlatan. He had neither
the self-restraints of great character
nor the sagacity of great intellect
That he was, personally, coarse, vain
glorious bully and egOtist we have
abundant testimony for believing. and
none to the contrary; and. though he
has lain III this gorgeous mausoleum
less than half century, and, though
the land is full of memorials which he
caused 10 be erected in his honor, no in
fiuence of his can be found which is not
distinctly a curse. He founded neither
a system nor q dynasty. The code to
which he attached his name was none
of his. The one successor, bearing that
name, who followed him upon the
throne, was not a Bonaparte at all, but
notoriously the illegitimate son of a
Dutch admiral by Hortense, the daugh-
| ter of Josephine, whose case in equity
was thus at last made good. Even in
this direction, however, the line was
stopped; and there is about as much
likelihood of the son of Plon Plon wear
ing the imperial purple as of the statue
upon the Colome Vendome descending
from its elevation and taking the reins
| of power.
The one titled race in France meaner
than the Bonapartes-the Orleans fam
ily-are in an equally poor way of re-
covering their lost supremacy; so that
whatever may have been the past of
French history, the future. under the
republic, begins to wear a tolerably
hopeful aspect The only part of the
population who would, if they could,
restore monarchical government are the
shop-keepers and the nymphs du pave
of Paris, with whom prosperity and de-
bauchery are more or less Synonymous
terms. The mass and the body of the
people are republicans.
But, to return to the first Napoleon,
He came to Paris when old things were
passing away, and where, amid the
universal shipwreck, great opportunities
presented themselves to unealculating
| Intrepidity. Of this the young Corsican
had abundance. Throughout his entire
career he showed an astounding lack
of reflection and forecast He was
daring and self-confident. indefatigable
and resolute, unprIncipled and incon-
siderate. That he was a born soldier
there can be no doubt; and 10 the usual
retinue of brilliant soldIerly qualities,
such as decision and dash, magnetism
and enthusiasm, he united the genius of
| q discoyerer, or an inventor. He had
worked out of his inner consciousness a
new theory in the science of field opera
| tions,
All that was wanting to develop this
was a command. The minister of war
had mistress of whom he was tired.
She was pretty and sprightly, and Ma
poleon fell in love with her, and, being
willing to marry her, got the army OF
Italy as her dover. The highway to
fortune was accordingly opened to him.
and by the application of his original
art of war victory after victory was
achieved; he rose to the head of affairs;
he captured the revolution; he erected
upon the ashes of the old monarchy an
empire far eclipsing it in glory, sending
the dissensions of the national assembly
and the horrors of the reign of terror TO
the rear, and bringing to the front a
martial spirit which made the people
one again and bore down all before it.
| Bronze cannon rOared:
| France, with redOub!ed might,
Felt her heart swell.
And all went well with the Bonapartes.
At last, when peace had been won and
war had been made, Napoleon found
himself master of the world. He had
created n new map of Europe; he had
supplanted many dynasties with a
single family. Joseph was king in
| Spain, Louis was king in Holland,
Jerome was king IN Westphalia, a
sister was queen here, step-daughter
queen there, and the principalities and
dukedoms were filled with the field
marshals and favorites of the wonder
full little man. All this before he was
out of his thirties. Mark the sequel
Four short lines suffice to tell it:
He fought, and half the world was his;
He died without rood his own,
And borrowed from his enemies
Six foot of ground to lie upon.
And this, observe, not when he was old
and infirm, and had lost his brain
power. his vital energy, and his grip,