The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-02-11


Ns-slss-fs Fstvsss EAaN
The NEST remarkable Outcome Of the rsviva
Of the Napoleonie legend nov going on n
France. r. the work entitled The Prfpats DOs 81
Napoleon, By ARrHUR Lew. an English trans-
lstion Of which IL now published By sortbnsr.
The authors aim II TO effacs the conception
ofNspoleon's character which Tame essaTed
10 propagate: the conception Of monster
Of selnshness entirely destitute Of human
syInpsthiea lawless and goddess oondotieTe
trsnsplsnted from the Italy Of the fourteenth
century 10 the France OF hundred years ago.
NJ Lew. vhile not pretending to possess q
1.-THE Of Talns's literary skill undertakes to
dsmolish his conclusions By . candid and ex-
haustIvs exhibition Of evidence He under
takes TO prove By unimpeschable testimony.
drawn alike from the beginning and the close Of
his subjects career. that Napoleon. far from
being sort Of Frankenstein. devoid OF heart
and conscience. was, In fact. almost UNIQUE
among Generals and statesmen in respect OF
magnanimity. long suffering. generosity. SYM
patty. and humanity. The multitude OF Wit
nesses brought forward TO sustain this ples
will render It extremely difficult even for po-
litical opponents TO withhold q favorable judy
msnt II II be said that q political purpose can
be detected IN these volumes. this must be
found, II anywhere. in the ultimate averment
20 which all the eonvereinR lines Of testimony
point that Napoleon. In both his private and
public life presented Q eonsummate example
Of the bourgeois type
In these two volumes. which comprise some
nins hundred large octave pages. almost every
aspect Of Napoleon's private life is scrutiniEed
IN the light OF data furnished by lrst-hsnd au-
thorities Il is impossible to convey By ex-
tracts an adequate idea OF the scope and dill
Rsnos OF N. Levy's researches 1t is only tho
ssndor and spirit Of equity that, upon the
whols, characterize the book. which can be
here exsm pliHed. and. for that purpose. we
shall draw from those parts Of the narrative
which deal with Napoleons personal habits
and ideas with the sociable side OF his nature
and his generosity. with his relations to wo-
men. and with his treatment OF his family.
n. Levy dsvotes q hundred pages. made MP.
for the most part OF quotations from the recol-
lsctions Of those nearest to Napoleon. to dem
enstrate what he terms the absurdity OF try
ing TO forge q genealogical chain connecting
4 man of hereditary middle class simplicity
with the robber chiefs OF the fourteenth aud
fifteenth centuries Those who have declared
him to be the descendant OF Italian bsnditti
wished. In the name Of the laws OF atavism. TO
show that he also was q briRsnd. Tame. how
evidence. aud. In support Of It marshalled Il
large number Of quotations from the memoirs
OF Nine. de R9musat and the works OF Nine. de
Btael. After attacking the credibility OF those
witnesses. and undoubtedly succeeding in i'm
peaching it. N. Levy arrays against It an over
whelming mass Of counter testimony. We be-
gin with the data bearing on Napoleons per-
sonal habits and ideas. which are shown to
have retained . bourgeois stamp throughout
-. N.tI. - aANl. VRt.
this stamp is sscribed to the habit OF consider
ing the moral portrait Of Napoleon without
discerning In It a double image. The truth is
that In the foreground was the man OF o sys-
tenn" to use his own expression. that is to
sal. Tho rescuer and aggrandizer OF France and
the holder OF the highest rank In the ad
ministrative hierarchy. Behind this image.
however. II scanned atteDtively. may be de-
serted the features Of the only man in France.
or perhaps in Europe. who was not in the least
dazzled By the tinsel and glitter. the effect OF
which upon the people he had carefully calcu-
lated. Ono seems. indeed. the victim OF an
illusion when one sees the sovereign put of
the supreme function and become the same
sim pie tempered. easy-going. economical
bourgeois that the sub-Leutenant OF artillery
used to be
Constant. his valet. left memoirs behind him.
and We learn from these that he used to enter
the EmperoPs room every morning about
o'clock. There disorder reigned supreme.
proving that on the previous evening. the
solemn etiquette associated with the coucher
OF q king had been neglected. His clothes were
scattered In all directions. his coat on the
floor. his grand Gordon on the carpet his
hat on b chair His first question always re-
ferred to the hour and the weather The only
luxury the Emperor permitted himself when
he rose was o IRE In his dressing room. but this
he insisted upon. even In the height OF sum
NOR. After a bath in very hot water. he was
always rubbed with eau de cologne. During
this operation the freest conversation would
take Mace between Napoleon and his val
ct His Majesty" says Constant. would
question me respecting all had done the pre-
vious day. He would ask me II had dined
out and with whom; II had been kindly re-
csived and what We had had for dinner Ho
often, too wished to know tho price Of por-
lions Of my dress. / told him. and he would
exclaim ut the prices and say that when he
was a sub-lisutenAnt everything was much
cheaper. that he had often dined at Roses. a
restaurant Of that time. and that he had dined
there very well. moreover. for forty cents"
notes that "ons OF the things that
most astonished Nine. Walewski was hearing
Napoleon. whom going to bed. chatting with
his valet. and making him repeat TO him all
tho gossip Of the town, even the speeches
and quarrels OF the servants" Sometimes the
morning conversation would be interrupted
By the arrival OF the court physician. whom |
the Emperor would greet thus; We'll. you
quaek. have you killed many people yet to- |
day p To which the physician. not In the least |
would reply in similar tone The |
Emperor protested. It seems. In regard to doc |
tors. a skspticism that 10 seldom ASSOCIATED |
from perfect health 1t Is suggested that man |
endowed with his marvellous mental equilib- |
Hum. man who spent as many days |
along high roads and nights in |
tents as he did days In his palace |
and nights In his bed. can scarcely be con-
seiVed OF as delicate. For this reason N. Levy
leaves to the inventors OF legends the stories
Of the eeLsmA contracted ct the siege OF Tou-
lon and driven inward to the internal organs;
the epilepsy which served to render plausible
and 10 explain medic ally the scenes Of Agin-
Ary violence. accom- panied with rolling eyes.