The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-03-31

The latter is perhaps the only thoroughly
impartial and graphic picture Of the En-
press which has been written. 1t GER
tainly presents her in much more real
istic light than most of those heretofore
published. AS Miss Tarben states. a de-
termined effort was made at the time Of
the Second Empire to represent her as a
sort of saint and martyr, and the author
continues:
The present sketch is an attempt
10 tell true story OF her life as it is
revealed by the recent diiigent
searches of Frederic Mason. and by
the numerous memoirs Of the period
winch have appeared. many of them
since the passing Of the Second En-
plre. If the story as told here is frank,
II is hoped by The author that it viii
not be found unsympathotic.'
Cnsympathetic it surely is not, though
ii is likely TO prove something Of a shock
TO the ideals of a good many people. 1t
is however, picture wholly and attract
lively human; and though most of those
who read it will be likely to feel con-
siderable more sympathy with Napoleon
than that somewhat complex parsonage
has hitherto inspired. there will stin be
no lack of sympathy for the wife who
might be called. in her way. soldier of
fortune. as he was in his. He conquered
success in his way, she In hers, and there
seems little reason to doubt that they
Were mated by nature.
AS for the life of Napoleon first printed
some seven years ago. and now republish-
Cd, ii is quite truthful and vivid a
picture OF the Emperor as its successor
is OF the Empress. We see here not the
appalling and mysterious evil genius
threatening the liberties of Europe. not
the selfish oppressor and tyrant but a
very human, though almost superhuman,
man. The complexities and contra dctions
of his character are manifold but they
are all so knit together and simplified by
TWO or three overmastering traits as to
be rot so very difficult to understand The
picture which Miss Tarbell gives of him
not only impresses one as being true to
life. but is essentially dramatic The va
11ous episodes of Napoleon's career are
described in way which makes the book
anything but a mere dry-as-dust biogra-
ply. 1t is as fascinating as a novel: in
fact, 1t possesses more than the attrac-
ton of novel. because of its lack of that
artificiality which must be slightly evident
in even the most mastery work of fiction
The difference between novel and a bio
graphy is that in The former the authors
work is to construct his plot in accord
ance with the motive OF the story; in the
idlAtas 10 take the piOt as constructed !
by the logic of events. and find out what |
the motive of the story is. Since the /
average biographer is not gifted with the |
intuition of the romance writer. this is |
seldom perfectly done or truth would |
prove Superior in interest TO fiction. Miss /
Tarbeli happens TO have the genius for /
storytelling combined with genuine love
Of accuracy, and the result Is both valua- I
bile and delightful.
one extract from the life of Napoleon
Will show her general method of treating 1
facts. II is not usual to find a writer who .
can balance the picturesque and the i'm
portant as cleverly as is done In this book
Napoleon's return from Eliza. perhaps the
most impressive episode OF his career is
handled after this fashion:
While to all appearances engrossed
with the little afrairs Of EIba. Napo-
leon was, I'm fact. planning the most
dramatic act of his life. On the 10th
OF February; 1875. the guard received
an order to leave the island. With a
force Of LOO men the Emperor pa ssed
the foreign ships guarding Elba. and
on the afternoon Of the LIST Of March
landed at Cannes on the Gulf of Juan
AT II O'Clock that night he started to-
ward Paris. He was trusting himself
to the people and the army. II there
never was an example Of such au-
dacious confidence certainly there new
er was such a response. The people
Of the south received him joyfuliy. Of
fer1ng to sound the tocsin aud follow
him en- masse. But Napoleon refused;
II was the soldiers upon whom he
called:
told the arnyl Come and range voIlr-
selves under the standard Of your
chief; his existence depends upon you: ,
his interests, his honor, and his glory
are yours. Victory will march at
national colors will fly from steeple r
to steeple to the towers of Notre
Dame. Then you Will be able to show
your scars with honor; then YOU will
be able to boast of what YOU have
done; you will be the liberators OF the
country
AT Grenoble there was a show of
resistance Napoleon went directly
to the soldiers. followed by his guard.
Here | am; you know me. II there
is soldier among you who wishes to
kin his Emperor let him do it
Long live the Emperor. was the
answer, and in a twinkle 5000 men
had torn off their white cockades and
replaced them by old soled tricolors
They drew them from the inside of
their caps, where they had been con-
cealing them since the exile of their
nero. II is the same that ! wore at
Austerlitz, said one as he passed the
at Aiarengo.'
marched to Lyons, where the soldiers
and officers went over TO him in regi-
ments. The Royalist leaders who had
deigned to go TO Lyons to exhort the
army found themselves ignored and
Ney, who had been ordered from Be II
Eancon to stop the EmperOrs advance | 6
and who started out promising to .
bring back Napoleon in an iron cage l
surrendered his entire division. IL was a
impossible to resist the force Of popu- S
lar opinion, he said. From Lyons the d
Emperor, at the head of what was !,
now the French army. passed by Di-
Jon, Autun. Avalon. and Auxerre, to y
FOntainebleau, which he reached on v
March ~. The same day Louis XVIII U
fed from Paris.
1.-THE change of sentiment in these W
few days was well illustrated in n
French paper, which, after Napoleon's
return, published the following calen-
Oar gathered from the Royalist press:
February 25-'The eNterminator has
signed treaty offensive and defen-
sive. 1t is not known with whom
February H-'The Corsican has left
the island of Elba.'
March 1-'Ronaparte has debarxed
at Cannes with LOO men
March General BOnaparte has
taken possession OF Grenoble'
March lG-Napoieon has entered
Lyons
March ls-'The Emperor reached
Fontainebleau today
March l9-'His Imperial ajesty is
expected al the Tuileries tomorrow.
the anniversary of the birth OF the
King of Rome
Two days before the flight Of the
Rouroons. the following notice APP
peared on the door OF the Tuileries:
" The Emperor begs the King TO
send him no more soldiers; he has
enough
What was the happiest period, of
your life Emperor o Mcara asked
Ma poleon once AT St Helena.
The march from Cannes to Paris
he replied Immediately
The marvellous story could hardly have