The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-03-04

easily wounded; always resentful; learning
with lightning-like rapidity, but stopping
short of correctness; vain of his faculties;
patriotism almost morbid; disliking the
powerful foreign race with which his lot
had been cast; looking back regretfully tc
Corsica, and (inost unboylike) thinking
more of his country than he did OF his
home and mother
Already, before leaving Autun, the pale
little Bonaparte fell into frequent quarrels
with his French schoolmates about tho
Corsican revolutionl They insulted him
with the charge that his countrymen had
been cowards-else they would have won
their independence. To this he answered
angrily that If the French had outnum-
bered his people only four TO one, the in
vaders would have been defeated. Mill
tary calculation alreadyl In his childhood
he had made Paoli god; and it is record
ed OF him that he said I'm one of his play
ground disputes: "Paoli was u great gen
eral, and / should much like to emulate
himr'
Tho military academy at Brienne was
one of ten of like kind recently established
In tho kingdom. Besides these there wero
two higher schools, one Mt Paris and tho
other at La Flcche. This system had su-
perseded another which had failed on nc
count of its unpopularity. The military
education and tho right thereto was
plum for the mobiles. Boys Of the Third
Estate had therein no part or lot In the
schools were gathered the weakened repro
ductions Of n moribund nobility. The
governors Of the schools wero even as tho
cadets. The institutions degencrated. un.
Oil tbero was popular reaction against
them. There was n reform, headed by the
Church. New schools were established,
and monks vero put I'm charge OF tbeml
At the time when the boy Napoleon
went to Brionnc tho remarkable condi.
tion was presented of system of military
schools i'm charge of the monastic fathers
The condition was as II West Point and
Annapolis should bc put under the ad
ministration of a General Confcrcncoi The
Bricnnc academy was conducted by the
Minim Fathers good mon in their way,
but as sources OF inspiration To lads with
the CLEAN of military glory I'm their brains
thcy woro mere dullncss and obfuscationl
The courses Of study were in mathematics,
geography, history, Latin, modern Ian
gungos, philosophy, G~ri such poor mis-.
named science as might be squeezed from
the sponge Of clerical dogmntsm In tho
eighteenth century.
Such was the disciplinary faro which
was offered To the boy Napoleon IIc was
now far renewed from friends and kins
mon He mado the acquaintance Of his
schoolmatcs admired one Of thcm-Bou
ricnnc-and seemed TO love another Des
Mnzis; but his character and m q icr wore
rocks of oifcnso TO the rest of t. hundred
nnd fifty. Nothing more striking has been
presented IA personal annals than tho con-
trast Will a the poor Corsican lad, with his
solemn face, long, stin black hair, naughty
expression, close shut Italian mouth, sol
itary pride ~ bearing, and questionable
insulnr suit, afforded O. the throng Of no.
bic. mocking cffCminatCs among whom be
was washed up as from the sea
On bis entrance into the cacadomy--which
was clean, well ordered placc-Napolcon
brought from tho Abbo Chardon ccrtin.
oatCs ci moderate proficiency aud the usu-
81 character, sketch q kll9ssH aSsRil,