The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-03-11
The careful attention that KNOX has paid
the SPRiNG STYLES for 1895. commend the,
to the attention of the Providence gentlemen


but Charles Bonaparte would not accept
the solace. e.-prcferring to die, as he had
lived In absolute unbelief.
Hard was this stroke OF death on the
members Of Buonaparte's family. From
the time Of his union with Letitia Ramo-
lino-a period OF twenty years-thirteen
children had been born. Eight OF these
were living; three were I'm France, and
flvc with the mother In Ajacoio. All were
ut the door Of penury. IL Is q law Of ma
ture and OF man that every mother who
bears TIN rteen children Is heroine but
Madame de Buopaparte had now TO go
into the fields and plant mulberry trees
for liylngl Marb1uf finally prevailed
with the authorities to make Joseph Bon
aparte also 1--WE will now drop the Italian
form Buonaparte) a military pensioner.
But the fathers death and Napoleon's
protest countervailed the project, and Jo-
seph was doomed TO remain cadet OF the
Church. For Lucicn, who developed
passion for pcsite studies and wished TO be
a priest a scholarship was obtained for
the school at Brienne. Such Is the per-
versity of fate. As TO Napoleon, IL was
agreed that instead of going into the navy,
as Keralio had recommended and as Mar
beuf had wished, he should become in
stead lieutenant In the artillery. After
his graduation be should be assigned TO
the Regiment La Fcro stationed at Va
lence, on the left bank of tho Rhone, three
hundred miles away as Tho bird flies--far
to the south.
The final examination at T. Ecole Mil.
taire was passed Like many other incip.
lent military heroes-our own included
Napoleon did not obtain a high rank In
his classes. His papers gave him only the
forty-second place from the head. Louis
Antoine Bourienne. his future private sec
retary, had been far above him at Brienne.
Des Masis, his favorite classmate, was
now graduated far below him at L'Ecole
Militaire. But the grade was sufficient;
and he was enabled with his commission
as lieutenant TO choose the artillery as his
arm OF the service.
For two months august TO October,
1850 the restraints Of red tape held back
Lieutenant Bonaparto from going to his
place. His means gave utterly out. AT
last, late in the fall of 1885, he set out by
conveyance from POis as for as Lyons,
but was then obliged, from sheer inability
TO pay his fare. 10 walk the remainder of
the journey TO Valence. There he arrived,
and took his place in the Regiment La
Fere-doubtless so called because it had
no iron In 1t!
Great was Napolcon's surprise at the
character of the discipline BY the officers
and men almost everything was practiced
except those exercises which tended to
make them soldiers. They were gay, dis
sipated, frivolous The pay was insult
cient TO support them in their career OF
pleasure and vice; but they were nearly
all scions of the nobility, and knew not
what IL was 60 be limited in the means of
qualification. Napoleon's s poverty and am
bition alike held him back for a moment
from this manner of life; but, strange to
say, ho presently threw himself into the
swim, and during the winter Of l7S5-S6 he
dissipated like the rest. There seemed TO be
nothing to do about the barracks of Va
] nee except TO join the rout, or else 10 be-
come again a solitary student; and for
that there was not the slightest encourage
ment
Valence was a small but important city.
The young military officers were welcomed
by ambitious families into their drawing
rooms. For the nonce, Bonaparto oonclud-
ed that he must become accomplished
that he must be social lion and quaff the
bowl OF pleasure with his fellows. He had
social passports from Marbnuf's nephew,
who was now tho young Bishop of Autun.
The Lieutenant got the entree to the home
of important personages such as the Abbe
Saint Ruff. He knew what vino was
and fashionable women. For him tho
doors of tho ballroom swung open; and
his slight form In military regalia might
be seen waltzing with luxurious woman
hood much taller than himselfl Caesar, as
late as his twenty eighth year, just be-
ha oil oil ,.fl nj
such a plunge into the rivers of indul
gence.
But to nature such as Napoloon's
pleasure, however torrid, could not long
suffice. The Lieutenant presently turned
upon himself in anger; and a sudden re.
form was the immediate result. The
thoughtful brow and sullen manner re-
turned. He went back gloomily to his
books; recovered his vantage, and hence
forth TO the end of his lifc-though many
a time he heard the Sirens singing on
nearby shores-ho never postponed his
ambitions for the dolrious dreams and
flecting hallucinations OF a dissipated life.
During his career as a student, Napo-
Icons general reading had been in the ma
ture of excursions along the coasts of po-
ltical philosophy The French manner
caught his imagination. He talked Of lib
erty, of the virtues Of the elder Romans,
Of humanity in stHtc Of nature--as re-
vealed by Jean Jacques Now, i'm the
spring of l7S6--recovoriDR himself from
the winters rovol-he turned from the
"Contrat Soclale which ho had begun 10
distrust ms n ground Of political life, To
tho "Histoiro Philosophiquo" Of the Abbe
Raynal Hero he lost himself I'm tho mys-
tcries (and niists) Of that science which is
said TO teach by example.
The writings Of tho Abbc Raynal, from
being n cOnglomerato In which several
strong hands-notably that If Diderot--
had great part were now In the Ascend
ant. The French mind caught them,
embraced them, and adored. Thoy werc
thought for the time To bo the bo-nll and
the end all Of political philosophy. Behold
Napoleon, whose mind had already been
well stocked with the fascinating but un.
profitable stories of Hcrodotus, Diodorus,
StrabO, Plutarch, Xonophon ct id omnc
genus, behold him at his candlo-lightcd,
"A 81 Al - a. q