The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-03-19
TAfNE's NAPOLEON.

The recent death of the great French
historian, Taine. recalls the fact that to
this great Frenchman we are indebted for
q picture of Napoleon Bonaparte that
would have delighted the heart and
Imagination of Carlyle. who reveled in his
pet world of deitied brutes. glorifed
tyrants and white-washed scoundrels. who
for our own great struggle for national
life. full as 1t was On both sides of blood
and tears. of real heroism. of thrilling
incidents. Of splendid exhibitions of the
highest qualities of human nature, had no
better word than that the "dirtiest CHM
ney in Christendom was burning out"
Lincoln and the other heroes of our great
struggle were not the kind Of heroes that
Carlyle babbled and dogmatized about for
years, whose desolating path in history is
marked by cairns of human bones, and
who pitilessly failed humanity to death
right and left to crafty their own sweet
will. unmoved by the groans and tears and
prayers Of those they found in misery and
succeeded in making more miserable.
Taine's Napoleon stands for the most
terrible foe that mankind can have; man
of enormous practical genius and intellect,
swayed and guided by the enormous sell
fishness inseparable from q cold and cruel
heart. That is to say, the distance between
Bonaparte and brigand was an interval
of intellect, not q difference of moral sensi-
bility or personal humanity. And yet
Carlyle, who was enthusiastic over such
heroes; who sneered at every movement
that had the glow and better aspiration of
stumbling. cropping. suffering humanity in
It. for years with his barbarous philoso-
ply captivated many Of the rising
minds Of America fifty years ago.
His early admirers got bravely weaned
from his doctrines and came at last to
recognize him as cold and coarse in his
intellectual and moral sympathies, as
Frederick OF Prussia and Napoleon were in
all the personal relations of life "Like
master, like man." and Carlyle was about
~ humane as his hero Frederick who
could dictate letter to delinquent gen.
eral telling his wife that he was to be-shot
at sunrise; who ordered thief burned to
The wonder is that Carlyle did not
apotheosze Napoleon. who kidnapped and
then shot to death gallant and honorable
enemy in all the glory and beauty Of first
manhood.
John Morley was right when he de-
scribed Carlyle as one who ''begins with
introspections and eternites and ends
man, Taine. refused to whitewash Napo-
leon as Carlyle whitewashed Frederick of
Prussia; he had the intellectual and moral
courage to tell France that the great war
rior was morally nothing but brigand Of
magnificent genius for war; he described
Napoleon as man born out of his time:
q survival in the nineteen tn century of the
famous Italian soldiers of fortune of the
fourteenth century. Taine said Napoleon
was in blood and temper true modern
representative of Sforza Barbiano and
the other great chiefs OF the condot-
teri. men who united all the qualities
Of warriors, treebooters and statesmen.
freebooter blood. and he simply repeated
on the greater iheater Of Europe the CA
reer of his ancestors. Who in the fourteenth
century fought under Hardwood. or
Jacopo del Verne. Taine points out how
the brigand temper was always a salient
characteristic OF Napoleon: he ruthiessIv
strips all the galleries OF Padua. Florence
Venice and Milan of their famous works
of art and sends them to Paris; he suffers
his lieutenant in Spain. Marshal Soult, TO
rob her cities of paintings by famous mas
tiers; he robs the tomb of Frederick the
Great of that great warriors sword and
sends IL 10 Paris. He is q natural born
freebooter and brigand as well as warrior
and statesman. The harshness, the irrey-
erence of the man IN his dealings with the
pope. reca Ii the cynicIsm OF the great Ital-
ian captains OF condoitieri in their treat
inent OF popes, priests and chu riches.
Taine's picture OF Napoleon is a lesson
In heredlty. he IS not OF French blood.
but Of Italian blood and OF Italian mill.
tsEy brigand blood. running back u ths
days when the leaders of tue cree COM
panions" ravaged Italy from Milan 70
Naples. The French Revolution of
course. was his great opportunity; the
strength OF his hereditary orIgana blood
was his inspiration; he vas falthIess
trescherogs. mentacions, subtle rola
heaIiless, mercenary man who believed :,
nothing save his motto that 10 the victor
belong the spoils; he was br!gand nv
lineage; a man Of magnificent genius for
war. which he conducted exactly after the
methods of his ancestors and prototypes,
the condo;tiera CT the fourteenth century.
This is Islne's estimate of Napoleon
Bonspsrte; 4 picture very repuIs.ye 10
many Frenchmen. and nevertheless a
faithful historical painting Of the great
warrior, freebooter and statesman who
upset all the mona-ehies of continental
Europe and treated the world to the spec
tacie Of kings cropping about their fallen
thrones looking for thsiF crowns.