Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1897-12-02
NEW-CENTuRY CLUB LECTURE.


ia France" lie said: Napoleon Bona
parte was an Italian, M tue name in
dicates. 1t is harm to think of him Ms |
an Italian, yet though hp mastered the |
French nation he never thoroughly |
mastered its language. We ask how it |
fell out that the son OF au iucouspiGu.
GUS foreign lawyer wac able to dominate |
France, the most of Western Europe |
and even to Affect our Hifairs. In |
Judging him We have to consider two |
facts. his personality and bis environ
ments Tho two most salient points in
hiH character were his imagination, in
which at the beginning of hia career he
saw himself ruler of Europe, and his
common senae and good judgment which
enabled him to realize thege visions.
No other man could have been able to
imagine himself emperor nf Europe
when no had not made step towards
ii. But he had the ability to take the
first stop in the right direction.
lie never allowed anything TO inter
fere with his ambition; there is no
record of any friendship that he ever
made. A man is often detected from
the path of ambition BY lurking
affection for some one. Napoleon never
cared for any individual enough to let
his liking make any differences in his
plana. Great rulers usually have
favorite minister. or relations they wish
to advance but Napoleon did not care
for his relatives and had no minister
who lasted through his reign. He re-
garded humnn being as fact, an
Object, not as fellow creature. lie dis
played unsrrupulousneas and audacity
such as we have never seen exhibited
on so large a scale. lie was hamperod
by no considerations OF morality and
| was ruled By a code of morals not com
mon to mankind. He cannot be said
to have had any religion, though he re.
garded IL as a useful superstition for
| his purposes.
| His Italian campaigns served to
make him aware that career before I'M
PARALLEL was open to him il he han the
audaclty and energy to enter it, In
| 1887 at Mnntebello be surrounded him
self with brilliant court, ut which
severe etiquette was maintained. The
inhabitants we're admitted to SEQ him
dine in public; he was rehearsing his
part az emperor. His republication
elipped from him as robe. He ex-
claimed: DO you think my object is
10 establish republic? What an idea !!
What the people want is glory and the
qualification of their vanity.
He could not now play the rolls he
played in 1897; the map Of Europe then
WAS different from the map Of to-day.
France now Ia boundsl by solldified
countries. while il We luuk at map as
it was 10 1900 We SEQ her bounded by
countries little larger than our coun'
ties. A long the Rhine wa series OF min
ute countries whose boundaries rarely
extended out OF sight from their church
towers They were little larger than
farms. Italy was divided into small
sovereigns, independent States. There
was a difference between having to face
these shreds OF States, and those i'm
potent rulers along the Rhine, and a
few great powers.
France had undergone the revolution
and gotten certain advantages by 1T,
BY the end of 1883 it had all its civil
rights; everybody had been put IL
: equality before the law. This was al
! established in the fret year of tht
revolution, and the country was in
had condition by the time Napoleor
had gained his victories in Italy, ant
returning. he came as savior tt
: France. The penple were ready for an.
government that would free them from
the incapacity OF the Directory.
! legitimate monarch never found 1
people more ready 10 do his will thar
Napoleon did; even Royalists were do
. voted to him, but be early saw that nj
position was not like that OF ereditar.
monarchs-that fret consul 10 no wa.
resembles king by the grace of God.
Z He toresaw that his reign WIS lisel.
to be continual warfare usurpe
q can never be quiet; he must keep him
] self in the public eye. Old forces reas
8 sert themselves. He was forced to tax
0 Western Europe under his control AM
: he attempted TO take Russia Ever.
year OF peace strengthened the oihe
4. nations and weakened the consulate
8 Ills victories are not always to ID
Y credited SO much to his prowess as 4
the weakness and disunion oil his an
j tagonists.
BY 1910 he is the ruler of New France
which extends from Lubec and Bremet
to Rome iie reduced Prussia 10 sun
. lection, but as LnNHil said he coul
a not get across water any better than
: witch and England remained I'm
y touched.
q Napoleon exercised enormous influ
Q ence over public opinion by his contrG
! OF the press since ne muzzled all jour
o nails opposed to him. In 1900 he sup
. plassed all but - papers which wer
q friendly to his government and whic
y printed, without examination, paper
p from him. Only such news WIS printe
q as was furnished by the police. II
I. would change thu editor OF paper tina
% displeaHed him or suppress ii. lie dc
cided TO resort to religious aid and de
vised the following Imperial cate
i chism;
!, Question. "What are more especial
I, our duties toward the Emperor, Nap
leon l. 7" AnsNer. I'VE owe him espe
:, cialiy love, respect, obedience, tidelit
= and military service; we ought 10 pa
y Y, the taxes ordained for tho defence {
- the empire and Of his throne; TO offe
!" up fsrvent prayers for his safety an
I. the prosperity of his State @. "Wb
y are We bound TO perform these dutii
: towards our Emperor" a. BecauF
~ God, by loading our Emperor wit
M gifts both in pence and war has estal
y cd him our sovereign and His ow
: image upon tho earth. In honorir
and serving our Emperor thus we al
honoring and serving God himself.
NJ O. 'Are there not particular roasol
Nj which should attach us more CLOSELY
n. our Emperor Napoleon?" A. Eyes, fl
mr. God hath raised him up to re-establis
al the holy religion of our fathers and
il It's protector. lie has restored and pr
ii served public order by his great ar
NJ aetiye'wisiom he defendB the State
nj his nowerful arm; he has become Il
auonted OF the Lord 10y the cons
Grafton which he received from Il