The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-02-23
NAPOLEON and WASHINGTON.

The present talk about Washington
revival, to offset the renewed interest
lately manifested in the life and times
of Napoleon, will probably fail of its
purpose, and for sufficient reason.
There is that in the personality of the
upstart Corsican-who, through sheer
force of his own endeavor, rose from
plebeian poverty to the mastery of Eur
ope, where he played with thrones
| and kings as child would play with
toys-which unerringly fascinates the
reader and, even yet, after the interval
of a century, elicits the most pro-
found awe. In this age of polite de-
mocracy, we turn to Napoleon, the first
great, although unconscious. democrat,
by kind of natural instinct. We who
have learned to estimate mere titular
kings at their naked worth can scarce
ly refrain from evincing an interest, as
of kinship, in the marvellous pioneer
iconoclast who, by reducing blood SOW
ereignty to the dimensions of a ghastly
Jest, made it possible for the people
of today to own their own souls.
This element of picturesque, mag
netic, fascinating intensity is utterly
absent from the personality of General
George Washington. Looking at the
latter in the clear light of today, we
perceive not the great being, semi god
like, whom out forefathers worshipped,
but instead revered, somewhat haugh-
ty and in the main a commonplace
man; possessing, to be sure, the gift
of patience and something of the genius
of command but by no means marvel
Gus nor in any sense extraordinary.
We view in him gentleman of elevat-
ed instincts and of fine common sense;
one whom most of us would have liked
to have for a president or an ambassa-
dor; but certainly not an inexplicable
prodigy of overmastering personality
such as was Napoleon, or such as was
julius Caesar. If Washington had not
had the good fortune to Dc associated
with the war for American indepen-
dence; If he had been, let us say, a
Canadian or an English colonist in
Australia the people of today would
look upon him-such of them as would
take the trouble to look at all-with
merely mild and conventional approval,
and would see in him very little not
perceived in hundreds of courteous,
magnanimous and dignified gentlemen
to be found in every generation under
every flag.
1t is well, in this connection, to recol-
lect that while Washington did with
nobility the part to which destiny as
signed him, he did no more than is be-
ing done, almost every day, by the gov
ernors of our larger states or the
mayors of our leading cities. While
he had to blaze his own path, it is also
true that he had behind him follow
ing of aroused and indomitable men
and women who supplied him with
nearly all the essentials Of success
full leadership. If there had been re-
quired of him, as was required of Ma
poleon, to first win a following before
commanding it; if there had been re-
quired of him, at any point in his pub
lie career, that exhibit of tumultuous,
irresistible magnetic power over men
which sweeps away traditions, conven-
tions, thrones and even rugged Alpine
mountains, as was many times required
of Napoleon Bonaparte, 1t seems scru-
pulously just to say that George Wash
ington would very probably have been
found wanting. and that our memory
of him, now so reverential, would, in
that case, have been tinged with a
quiet undercurrent of contempt.
We should therefore say, with due
regard for what he did and for what
he was, that there is nothing in the
career of Washington to cause a
modern furore such as has character
lied the late revival in Napoleonic bio
graphy and tradition.