Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1895-03-08

V00 UlOuu1uouU11 LItSCOo y '4AdAACA WHO'LL
Napoleon, in his tenth year, arrived at the
gates. He was put under ;harge Of the
Able Chardon, nephew Of the General
Marbeuf. The latter devoted himself to
the interests Of the Buonaparte family,
and paid 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
expedient that they should first learn
French In the school of tho Able, at Au-
tun. To this work they were put, on their
arrival; and in about three months they
gin regular course of instruction In some
military establishment.
Meanwhile the father and Marbeuf had
gone to Versailles, and were assiduous in
their efforts to get the boys established as
pensioners. The solicitation was that the
young fellows should he educated ut the
expense of the state. Marbnuf invented
q fiction, flecked with fact, about the no.
bility of his wards; and the petition was
granted finally as to Napoleon. But Jo-
seph had now passed the limit of his elev-
mth year, and was no longer eligible
unless by violation of law. He must there.
fore he diverted to tho priesthood, while
the younger brother was assigned, at the
public charge, to the military academy at
Brienne-la-C hapelle, on the right bank Of
the Aube. in the department of the same
name, hundred and eighteen miles from
Paris. Thither he was transferred in the
latter part Of April, 1879, and was admit
ted as a 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. 10 the end
Of his life he never acquired a nice knowl-
edge of the adopted tongue. His gram
mar was broken, his composition thun-
derstrucS, and his spelling hcretical. His
practical knowledge of the 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
petuous impatience, as though they were
insignificant details fit for children.
This trait of neglecting the exactitudes
was strongly manifested from Napoloon's
childhood. He went as far as the practical
In whatever subject he touched; but hav
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 knowledge of their practical advan-
tage Ill authors have commented on the
inaccuracies and lapses in the Napoleonio
correspondence and manuscripts. 1t be-
came his habit to slur over, In his rapid
way, the errors in his writing; and his
arrogance seemed to convince him that,
while correct spelling was an accomplish
ment in pedagogues, it was rather fault
in great men.
His teacher, the Able, has left sketch
Of the lad, as he was at Autun, entirely
consistent with what we know of his an
tecedent and subsequent character. r.
young Bonaparte is described by his ma
ter as being of solemn demeanor; rarely
laughing; never happy or mirthful; no
disposition for playing; proud and solitary;
easily wounded; always resentful; learning
with lightning-like rapidity, but stopping
short Of correctness; vain of his faculties;
patriotism almost morbid; disliking the
powerful foreign race with which his lot
had been cast; looking back regretfully to
Corsica, and (lnost unboylike) thinking
more Of bis country than he did Of his
home and mother.
Already, before leaving Autun, the pale
AA0OAO oOA0p 0XVo ACAA AACO AAC4uOAO 4uoAA CAos
with his French schoolmates 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 II the French had outnum-
bered his people only four to one, the in.
vaders would have been defeated. Mill
,1nry calculation already In his childhood
10 had made Paol god; and it Is record
"a of him that he said in one Of his play
aEpund disputes: "Paoli was great gen.
lral, and should much like to emulate
himp'
The military academy at Brienne was
me of ten of like kind recently established
IN the kingdom. Besides these, there were
two higher schools, ono at Paris and the
sther at La Fleche. This system had ST.
perseded another which had failed ON &C.
count Of its unpopularity. The military
education and the right thereto was a
Mum for the mobiles. Boys Of the Third
Estate had therein no part or lot. In the
schools were gathered the weakened repro
auctions of moribund nobility. The
governors of the schools were even as the
eadeta. The institutions degenerated, I'M