The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-02-23
NAPOLEON AND
THE OTHERS
BY LUoIEN JULIEN WALKER.

non-exiSfenI throne OF FRANCE "oulo Uo .
poor-looking emperor should circumstances
in the Belle of the Nations raise throne
for him. He is a short, fat person, well
under forty years and Weighing some 240
pounds, to make a rough guess. He looks
for all the world like a prosperous and
over-fed keeper of an Italian restaurant.
His huge black mustachios curve upward,
his close-cropped hair bristles, and he has
an indolent, slumberous look. He 10 one
of those fat, sleek-headed men, such as
sleep o. night. One can imagine nothing
that could thrill his body except we'll
laden dinner table, with choice wines. 1t
Is doubtful IL he has got any soul to be
thrilled by anything. Greed would appear
to be his chief characteristic for
good food, good drink, and a good time.
He looks the coarse, well-fed man that he
is-a fat-faced young man enarmored of
his ilustrious name and making a god Of
his belly.
In July, 1896, the queen of England trav-
eled from Windsor Castle to Aldershot no
great distance, to review her majesty's
troops in the grass valley" OF the great
est military camp of England, and one of
the first of the world. Thither I went to
messes. My hosts were on duty when
arrived and so 1 walked over to the road
leading from Aldershot to Marlborough,
where rest forever Napoleon III and his
son, and lettering along the footpath near
the Royal Lodge. the stopping place of the
queen, looked for whom ! might see.
The first person of consequence to pass
me- and he passed certainly within eight
feet of the spot wherein 1 stood at the
moment, was the Prince Victor Napoleon.
His escort was a captain of the Guards, a
Lord Somebody, who sat his horse in a
superb manner. He was graceful, keen,
alert erect. with a face something like
blending of those of Caesar and yelling
ton. The man by his side, the heir Of the
Napoleons. was a bsefy person who loung-
ed in his saddle like a country lumpkin.
He wore silk hat and a frock coat, but
he logged up and down with as little grace
as could be imagined in any person. This
sleepy slob-sided, dull looking descendant
of the House OF the Great Corsican rode
by me, wonderfully striking physical
outcast to the proud patrician of old Eng
land who was every inch an aristocrat and
a soldier 1 had thought to ask of my
the dinner table the matter was forgot.
This Englishman was clean-cut, thin, 1.-THE,
wiry, a right noble figure of the noblest of
England.
A year or two later walked through the
Avenue Louise, in Brussels, the prettiest
residence street I know in the world, and
only sense of propriety and self-respect
restrained me from pausing in front of the
private hotel" No. II, meaning a private
mansion, wherein dwells the Prince Victor
Napoleon. I cannot imagine that man be-
ing the emperor of the French.
Victors younger brother, the Prince
Louis, who has been a colonel of the cars
imperial guard, and who is now O general In
the Russian army. attached to the cars
court, is a wholly different type of man.
He is a rather thin man, with the true Ma
poleonic face, and, judging from what
heard Of him in high circles in Russia, he is
soldier of great ability and statesman
of no mean attachments for one SO young in
years. Only once 1 saw him, and concern
ing his appearance on that occasion well
night every newspaper on this continent
made false statements. The newspapers
of our country went SO far as to print
imaginary pictures of Napoleon refusing
to salute M. Faure. the then president of
France. Such action on the part of the
prince was impossible. He saluted Just as
all the other officers of the car did The
car excused the prince from paying per-
sonal respect to M. Faure. This is the his
tory of memorable incident.
There are great possibilities in this Ma
poleon of the tsars service. And how
marvellous the change of these eighty-odd
years. The great Napoleon marched to
fatal disaster when he marched on Mos
COW. The only worthy descendant of his
House now living is an officer in the Rus
sian army.
The third republic of France will fail.
No republic in France has yet deserved to
succeed. M. Loubet. the new president, is
a respectable man; but no more. Faure
was respectable enough, though vain and
pretentious business man; Carnot was re-
spectacle, though vain and pretentious
lawyer. But it is improbable that there
will not be a restoration of the monarchy
in some FORM The only thing that stands
at the moment in protection of the tyran-
nical so-called republic is the weakness of
Victor Napoleon and his absurd rival the
Due dOrleans, the head of the Bourbons.
If either Of these young men had any
greatness In him he could command France
today. Victor is ridiculous. Orleans Is
absurd.
Loubet is small person, whom the fan
tastic French have made a ruler. Loubet
is too small to ever resign; it will be neces-
sary to turn him out, unless he should go
to join Carnot and Faure
If that fat Prince Victor should be in
duced to turn aside in favor of his brother
Louis there would be some excitement in
Europe Loubet would fly to England, and
with him all that miserable crowd WHO
have degraded France.
THE FUTURE OF PIG IRON