The times., 1901-04-09

been passionately devoted to him. He
| has. in short, been regarded by many
as a creature half demoniac, without
human affections, eaten up with am
| bition and Unsuitable cruelty.
| AS a matter of fact superhuman peo-
| pie. either saints or fiends, do not exist
| in this world. Napoleon was not an eX-
ception to this rule. Miss Tarbeli' 5
book has put into popular form the
real history of the divorce, and of the
private life of the Emperor and En-
press, so far as it can be known, and
any candid reader must be convinced
not only of the essential truth of the
picture, but Of the fact that Napoleon
was considerably more magnanimous
than the average man. and so far from
being tyrannicaI and cruel in his house
hold, was remarkably patient and for
hearing in circumstances where he
might have been excused for being
stern. We find, in the first place. that
Josephine married him for reasons of
policy rather than of affection, and
that during the first two years of their
married life she offered absolutely no
return for the passionate devotion of
her husband. We find him forgiving
her follies, her extravaganza, and her
coldness insisting, against the advice
Of his counselors, that she should be
crowned Empress, and we find him pa
tient where the average man would
have been furious, forgiving where
others might have been implacable, and
generous where others would have
been petty. There is, finally, indisputa-
bic evidence that when it became OBJ
viOus to Napoleon that only through a
successor of his own blood could he
hope 10 make the work he had done per-
manent, it was with the greatest re-
luctance and pain that he finally de-
cided to disregard his personal feelings
for what he believed TO be the good of
France. The step seems, in the light
of all the evidence, to have been taken
because of the absolute belief of the
Emperor that there was nothing else
for him to do If he did not wish to
have the fruits of all his labor, thought.
and energy scattered to the winds, and
France not only torn by internal dis
sensions, but possibly the prey of for
eign Powers. whose dearest wish would
be to revenge themselves on that un-
happy country. By his military and
lawgiving genius he had brought
France out of a state of chaos, and
made her the first Power in Europe for
the time Why should he not wish to
perpetuate his work?
We find him, finally. making arrange
ments for the divorce, with the dis
tinct public announcement that the
proceedings involved no possible slight
to Josephine, that she was still to be
Empress. and honored even more than
ever, for the sacrifice which she had
made for the good of France. We find
him keenly solictous for her comfort
and happiness, again and again assur-
ing her that all care is to be taken for
her welfare so long as she may live.
This does not sound very much like
cold -blooded tyrant. In short, there is
every reason to believe that if the di-
vorce was a mistake, it was certainly
no crime; and that il cost Napoleon
quite as much as it did Josephine, so
far as personal feelings We're concerned.
This is a wholly different view from
that which most popular historians
have given, and it presents the EN-
peror in the light of a human being,
which is very much in it's favor