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

CARLO BONAPARTE, FATHER OF NAPOLEON.
Jean jacques Rousseau was making his
way with his Confessions in his pooketl
A sick student at Leipsic, nearly twenty
years of age, who had recently written a
drama called Die Mitschuldigen, was
about to be transferred to Stras burg: he
was Goethe, the World-bard. In Russia
: the daughter of Christian August, of An
halt-Zerbst, having put seven years. OBJ
livion between herself and her murdered
husband, was sitting In imperial robes
among the favorites Of ne rorruptest
court ever known in Christendom!
Letitia di Buonaparte was not quite nine
teen years Of age when her war-god was
! born. She was now for the fourth time a
mother-a thing seemingly incredible in
our harsh northern cline. Incidents in the
first years of the Napoleonio childhood
there are none recorded. We are left TO
<himsolf and to his schoolmate Bourienne
for our knowledge of the earliest charac-
teristics and events of his life.
The Corsican had prodigious memory,
and it reached back we'll toward his infan-
- cy. When in after years he spoke of him-
self-as he was much given to doing-he
generally used oxaggeration; but we may
~
sterling truth undermining his dramatic
recitals. We know indeed, out of the ma
ture of the case, that his representations
Of his own child character were in the
main correct.
The young Buonaparte was from babe
abrupt and quarrelsome. His willfulness
was extreme. The likelihood Is that he
never once in his. life willingly obeyed
anybody! Near his death, at Longwood,
he declared that he was never afraid. His
ohildpassion was frequently excited
against Joseph, over whom he exercised a
censorious sway from the time when they
toddled together in the birth-room Or
fought in the yard. He appears to have
loved his mother, and to have obeyed her
in a morose and mathematical way; but in
his last talk he indicates that his conduc-
as child toward the -snother was rather
prudential than affectionate. He bears
witness that the Ramolino lioness was
tender in her treatment of him, as we'll as
severe and just. Certain it is that in and
about the maison di Buonaparte he made
the earliest possible reputation as tearer
of tapestries and q scratcher of human
faces. II .&4,& S
To their fourth child, Carlo Buonaparte
and his Wife gave the name OF Napoleon.
AT the first it was Napoleone. In this form
the possessor retained it until, flaring up
in Paris in the character Of young Jaco-
bin, he threw away the Italian and aristo-
cratic flctions in his name, to become plain,
republican NAPOLEON BoNAPARTE. In
fact, there was never anything in his char
.acter to encourage the use Of more letters
than were necessary; his speed In writing
was unfavorable to the cultivation Of dia-
critical marks! F. z
The first teaching of the child Bonaparte
was given by his mother. Then he was
sent, In his sixth year, to ohild's school
kept by q woman. He went from the pa
rental threshold In that same arbitrary and
helligerent mood which characterized him
L ever. He fought with his schoolmates,
/ among whom be appeared with no sign
81 neatness In his clothing, and nothing
Il debonair in his manner.
Az this time, beside his parents, be bad
1 two Important relatives One Of these wal
4 Luoien Buonaparte, brother Of his grand.
/ father Joseph; and the other was Joseph
Fesch, afterwards the Cardinal Fesch,
half brother OF his mother. The latter was
4 : studious lad Of twelve, who took an in