The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-02-25

rounded my cradle Mt my birth" Tho ut
terance shows how hardly the future om-
peror Of the French himself In youth be-
came a Frenchman.
When, from tho sixth to the ninth yes.
of his age, the boy Bonaparte attended
school in his native town, thrco lines ra-
dated before his feet. One of these was
dim and clouded, but glorificd with patches
of extreme light. 1t was the way into tho
kingdom of that New Philosophy which
was just then revealing itself with such
brilliancy in France. A second and we'll.
trod way led straightly TO the Church.
Rome was great and honorable. Her re-
wards for diligcnt ambition were rich and
certain. The young asprant who entered
her colleges might well expect emolument
and reputation. The third path led dan
gerously TO the military life. None might
at that time discern the coming upheaval
of society, with its concomitant reign of
tho sword. But the apitations Of the
epoch were sufficient TO encourage war,
and TO offer measure Of induceInent to
follow in the path of military glory.
The taciturn schoolboy of Ajaccio had
these three open ways before him. From
the first, he was precluded by the disposi
tions of his family, intensified In himself.
He never had tho scholastic trait. His
abilities as pupil, and afterwards as a
military cadet, showed nothing of the
philosophe. Indeed he conceived-bow
early I'm boyhood we know not--a preju-
dico against philosophy and the philoso'
pliers as well AS for the Church, he had
an inbred admiration for Rome; but the
kind of life offered in tho priesthood was
without attractions for him personally.
He was willing that Joseph and other of
his friends should become priests and
bishops: but not himself Neither the
scholars gown nor the priests surplice
offered the slightest attraction to his i'm
aglnation.
The condition OF the Buonapartc family
about the years 1919 7s was critical. Car
10, the father, had given On interested adj
hesion to the French. lie had his hopes
from the annexation. He would keep his
titles and recover the properties formerly
belonging to the family. The Buonuparte
estates in Corsica had been mostly lost
Some had been oonfscated by the Genoese
party aud converted into Jesuit schools
The recent revolution had reduced Carlos
means almost To naught. lie was himself
of no reputation rs an economist. His
family had rapidly multiplied. Two chill
dron died In infancy between the birth OF
Napoleon and that Of Lucion, In 1875.
The family was brought almost to pcnury.
Carlo do Buonoparte could not get bnck
his properties The privilege of writing
his namo with &c did not compensate
for his losses. He struggled with adver-
sity, and sought the aid Of influential
friends, Among these the most availa
bio was General Marbnuf. Tho latter in
1876 appealed on behalf Of his Corsicnn
friends To the authorities i'm Paris for tho
privilege of educating the Buonapartc
boys In France at the expense oi tho royal
treasury. Tlls thing might bo dono--pro
yidcd the applicants should be under ten
years 81 age. and bc able to show four
strains Of noble blood In their vCinsl Ia
the case ~ the boys BuOnapnrto, this could
not be- proved; aud Affairs INA the home
stead went from bad to worse.
= tbs iancturc histosr, rather than
man, came TO tho rescue. France was on
the verge Of bankruptcy. one npapcs