The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1895-03-16

NAPOLEON AT TWENTY-FIVE.
the monumental traces remained when
Napoleon, in his tenth year, arrived at the
gates. He was put under charge of the
Abbe Chardon, nephew of the General
Marbpuf. The latter devoted himself to
tho interests Of the Buonaparte family,
and paid a part of the expenses.
The plan of Carlo BuOnaparte and his
friend the general was to give to both the
boys "a military education. 1t was deemed
expedicnt that they should first learn
French in the school of the Able, at Au-
tun. TO this work they We're put, on their
arrival; and in about three months they
were reckoncd sufficiently advanced to be
gin a regular course of instruction in some
military establishment.
Meanwhile the father and Marbouf had
gone to Versailles, and werc assiduOuS in
their efforts to get the boys established as
pensioners. TIL solicitation was that the
young fellows should he educated at the
expense of the state. Marbpuf invented
a fiction, flccked with fact, about the no
bility of his wards; and the petition was
granted finally rs TO Napoleon. But 10
seph had now passed the limit Of his clev-
enth year, and was no longer eligible
unless by violation of law. He must there
fore be diverted to the priesthood, while
the younger brother was assigned, at the
public charge, to the military academy at
Bricnnc-la- Chapelle, on the right bank Of
the Aubo, in the department Of the same
name, IA hunGrcd and eighteen miles from
Paris. Thithur he was transferred in the
latter part Of April, 1873, and was admit
ted as Il cadet.
At Autun, the chief business had been
to teach him French, He applied himself
closely to this task, but not very success
fully. He learned to speak French, bro
kenly, with an Italian accent. To the end
of his life he never acquired "A nice knowl-
edge of the adopted tongue. His gram
mar was broken, his composition thun-
derstruck, and his spelling hcrctical. His
practical knowledge of tho language which
he was destined to use for forty-two years
in his intercourse with men was sufficient;
but his mind was never tolerant of techni-
calities. These he slurred over with i'm
pctuous impatience, as though they were
insignificant details fit for children.
This trait of neglecting the exactitudes
was strongly manifested from Napolcon's
childhood. He went as far as the practical
in whatever subject he touched; but hay
ing seized thus much, he cared for moth
ing else. He desired correctness in others,
for that was useful to him; but as for
himself, he wanted only aggregate results
and a knowledge Of their practical advan-
tage. All authors have commented on the
inaccuracies and lapses in the Napoleonic
correspondence and manuscripts. 1t be-
came his habit to slur over, in his rapid
way, the errors in his writing; and his
- r. ,D,,gl -, H.. .I-s
while correct spelling was an accomplish
ment in p%edagogues, it was rather a fault
in great men.
His teacher, the Able, has left IA sketch
of tho lad, as he was at Autun, entirely
consistent with what we know of his an
tccedcnt and subsequent character. The
young Bonnparte is described by his mas
ter as being of solemn demeanor; rarely
laughing; never happy or mirthful; no
disposition for playing; proud and solitary;
easily wounded; always rosentful, learning
with lightning like rapidity, but stopping
short of correctness; vain of his faculties;
patriotism almost morbid; disllking the
powerful foreign race with which his lot
had been cast; looking back rcg~rctfully to
Corsica, and (most unbOylike) thinking
more of his country than he did of his
home and mother.
Already, before leaving Autun, the pale
llttlc Bonaparte fell into frequent quarrcls
with his French schoolmatcs about the
Corsican revolution, 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 already! In his childhood
he had made Paoli a god; and it is record.
ed of him that he said In one of his play.
ground disputes; "Paoli was Il great gen
eral, and l should much like to emulate
him.
The military academy at Bricnne was
one of ten of like kind recently established