The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-10-26
NAPOLEON'S SCHOOL DAYS.
They Were Full of bitterness and
Marked by Quarrels and Isolation.

Prof. w. NJ. Sloane's new Life of Ma
poleon, which begins in the November num-
Der of the Century, devotes more attention
than any previous memoir to the youth of
Napoleon. OF his school days Prof. Sloane
writes:
1t was an old. charge that the sons of
poor gentlemen destined to be artillery of
Ulcers were bred ike princes. Brienne, with
nine other similar acadamies, had been but
recently founded as a protest against the
luxury which had reigned in the military
schools at Paris and la Fleche. Both the
latter were closed for a time because they
could not be reformed; that at Paris was
afterward reopeEed as a finishing school.
of the new colleges, and instructed to Sc
cure simplicity of life and manners. the
benefits, each one in its own way in the
school or schools intrusted TO it. The re-
suit so far had been a failure; there we're
simply not ten first-rate instructors to- be
found in France for the new positions in
each branch: the instruction was therefore
much impaired, and with it declined the
notions of hollow court.iness and conven-
tional manner iourished as never before.
Money and polished manners, therefore,
were the thing most needed TO secure kind
treatment for an entering boy. These were
exactly what the young foundation scholar
from Corsica had not. The ignorant and
unworldly Minim fathers could neither tore
see nor, If they had fcreseen, alleviate the
mlseries incident to his arrival under such
conditions.
All Autun Napoleon had at least enjoyed
the sympathetic society of his mild and TN
emotional brother, whose easy-going nature
would smooth many a raugh place. He was
now entirely without companionship. re-
senting from the outset both the illnatured
attacks and the playful personal illusions
with time knit ever more firmly, their in
applicable friendships. To the taunts about
Corsica, which began Immediately. he an
swered coldly, Il hope one day to be in a
position TO give Corsica her liberty" En-
tering on another occasion a room in which.
unknown. to him. there hung a portrait OF
caught sight of il aud burst into bitter re-
Wings: for this he was compelled to I'M
dergo. chastiseInent. Brienne was a nur-
sery for the qualities first developed at Au-
tun. Dark, solitary and untamed, the new
scholar assumed the Indifference OF
wounded vanity. despised all pastimes, and
found delight either in books or in scornful
evaporation OF his comrades when COM
PEELED to associate with them. There were
quarrels and bitter fights, in which the Ish-
maeite's hand was against every other.
Sometimes in a kind OF frenzy he inflicted
serious wounds on his fellow-students. AT
length even the teachers Knocked him. and
the school battalion.
The climax o. the miserable business was
reached when. TO a taunt that his ancestry
was nothing, his father a wretched tip
staff" Napoleon replied by challenging his
tormentor TO fight a duel. For this offense
he was put in confinement while the instiga-
" NtH Il Nao ~ lAlt lllct-
vention OF Marbeuf. who came i'm person.
that his young friend was at length re-
leased. Bruised and wounded in spirit, the
boy would gladly have shaken the dust OF
Brienne from his feet. but necessity for
babe. Either from the talk Napoleon had
with his protector, or through a dramatic
but unaut henticated letter purporting TO
have been written by him 10 his friends in
Corsica, end still in existence, Marbeuf
learned that The chiefest cause OF all the
bitterness was the inequality between the
n0ckar allow noes of tho VnflnC E~annh
nobles and that of the young Cors.can.
The kindly general displayed the generosity
OF family friend and gladly Increased his
gratuity, administering at the same time
a smart rebuke 70 the boy for his readl-
ness to take offense. He likewise intro
duced his young charge TO Nine. De
Brienne. whose mansion was near by. This
noble woman became Il second mother to
the lonely child; his vacations and holidays
were passed with her; her tenderness
softened the rude nature. the more so as
she knew the value OF tips 10 a sch ool5oy.
AID administered them. literally aad ,u-
dicious.y