Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1895-03-01

y
came Trenchmah. So
When, from the sixth to the ninth year
of his age, the boy Bonaparte attended
school in his native town, three lines ra-
dated before his feet One of these WAS
dim and clouded, but glorifed with patches
of extreme light. It was the way into the
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 reat and honorable. Her re-
wards for diligent ambition were rich and
certain. The young aspirant who entered
her colleges might we'll 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 it's concomitant reign OF
the sword. But the agitations of the
epoch were sufficient to encourage war,
and to offer a measure of induce1nent 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 DISPOSE
tions of his family, intensified in himself.
He never had the scholastic trait. His
abilities as pupil, and afterwards as
military cadet, showed nothing Of the
philosophe. Indeed he conceived-how
early in boyhood we know not-a preju-
dice against philosophy and the philoso.
piers as we'll. AS for the Church, he had
an inbred admiration for Rome; but the
kind of life offered in the 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
agination.
The condition of the Buonaparte family
about the years 1776-7S was critical. Car
10, the father, had given an interested ad-
hesion to the French. He had his hopes
from the annexation. He would keep his
titles and recover the properties formerly
belonging to the family. The Buonaparte
estates in Corsica had been mostly lost.
Some had been confscated by the Genoese
party and converted into Jesuit schools.
The recent revolution had reduced Carlos
means almost to naught. He was himself
of no reputation as an economist. His
family had rapidly multiplied. Two chill
dren died in infancy between the birth OF
Napoleon and that Of Lucien, in 1775.
The family was brought almost to perjury.
Carlo de Buonoparte could not get back
his properties The privilege of writing
his nalae with de did not compensate
for his losses. He struggled with adver-
sity, and sought the aid of influential
friends. Among these the most availa-
BILE was General Marbnuf. The latter in
1778 appealed on behalf Of his Corsican
friends to the authorities in Paris for the
privilege Of educating the Buonaparte
boys in France at the expense of the royal
treasury. This thing might be done-pro-
vided the applicants should be under ten
years Of age, and be able to show four
strains Of noble blood in their veinsl In
the case of the boys Buonaparte, this could
not be proved; and affairs in the home
stead went from bad to worse.
7 At this juncture history, rather than
man, came to the rescue. France was on
the verge of bankruptcy. One finance
minister after another was appointed, and
one financial scheme after another explod-
ed In the hands of the inventors 1t be-.
came necessary to call together, at Yer
sailles a council of the mobiles. Carlo de
Buonaparte was chosen a representative
from Corsica. In going to perform his
duty at the French capital, he took with
him, to be distributed en- route, his two
sons, Joseph and Napoleon; also, the boys
half uncle, Joseph Fesch; also, cousin OF
Letitia, the mother. AS for Fesch, he was
to be left as student at AK. The cousin
had been appointed to an office IN the
church at Autun; and at that place the
distracted father determined to drop his
two sons at school. s$z
This was in the year 1878. The COM
many set out by way Of Florence, Genoa,
Marseilles, Lyons. The youngest Of the
company was . sad-faoed, big-eyed boy, In
such apparel as could be furnished in the
house of an impecunious nobleman. The
boys head was bent forward as he walk
ed. His foot now for the first time touched
the continent. He was in his tenth year.
He muttered broken CALCULATIONS to his
companions. 1t was Napoleon Bonaparte
on his way to Autun-and the world. Y
5$ JOHN CLARK RIDPATH.
s t