The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1901-06-21

The Fear OF Critics Did NOt Disturk
That Hard Headed Man, and He Ac.
cOmplished Things That Others De-
clared to he Impossible.
If you suggest a new and a good ides
to ten men, this will happen:
Five of the ten will reject the idea
first, because 1t is new, and, second, be
cause they themselves did not think of it
The next three will consider the sugges
ton vaguely. be family impressed witt
1t, but reject it. They will say that they
think the idea not feasible. In reality
they will be incapable of the mental eff
fort necessary to grasp fresh menta
processes.
The ninth-very rrobably-will tell yor
that some one else tried the idea before
That 'some one clue" failed. Therefore
you will fail, and he will waste no tim
ON what has been tried vainly.
II your tenth man happens to be !
strong man, he will make as much OF
the idea as circumstances will permit.
II he has Napoleon's character, he will
realize the scheme despite circumstances
for this was one Of his true sayings: "Ci:
cumstances-I make circumstances"
He did not boast when he said things CT
that sort. There was no boast" in him
He said what was true.
You think Of Napoleon as q flashing
flaming genius. In reality he was first OF
all a man of common sense. He saw
things in their true proportions.
Mime. d'Houdetot said of him, "He con
tracts history and expands imagination.
And Lord Dudley said: "He has thrown
a doubt on all past glory. He has made
all future renown impossible"
1t is difficult, either with cold detailing
of facts or widest Indulgence in hyper
bole, to magnify Napoleon's materia
achievements.
But remember that his greatness, bes
understood by himself, is attributed by
him-frst, to his common sense, and, sec
ond, to the fact that he refuses to con
slider another's failure any proof that he
must fail.
Read Napoleon's campaigns. Napoleon
won all his battles as. if you win, you vii
win yours. He won his victories by
studying his adversaries. He prepared
for victory by ignoring the fears ant
doubts of others. relying on his own cour
age and common sense.
You know that Napoleon crossed tbs
Alps with an army in the dead Of win
ter. You have seen pictures of him alb
surdly posed in a snowstOrm on the edg,
of precipice on a draggle tailed horse
an eagle flying overhead. But he did no
pose. If there was a precipice. he KEEP
away from it. and he took his achieve
ment calmly.
Many Of the ablest military writer's hat
said and proved to the satisfaction of al
but Napoleon that the Alps could not b,
crossed In winter. Had not those Alp:
kept back the savage hordes through
centuries Of winter?
Napoleon, perfectly well knowing thai
he was the greatest of men in military
wisdom, rejected all talk and studied thu
case for himself Then he crossed the
Alps quite easily as he had mapped ou
the work. And when It was done ht
talked of 1t in common sense fashion.
"The winter" says Napoleon. sis moi
the most unfavorable season for the
passage of lofty mountains. The snow i.
then firm, the weather settled, and there
Is nothing to fear from avalanchcs. tn,
real and only danger to be apprehendel
in the Alps. On those high mountain.
there are often very fine days In Drcem
Der. of dry cold. with extreme calmnes.
In the air."
Quite simple II was. you see. and Ma
poleon did 1t quite simply.
When Napoleon appeared. II anything
was settled in the minds of men and es
pecially of fighters it was this: Thai
nothing new remained to be discovered in
war. Napoleon. just for q change, die
everything new.
The Reseral who tried to get hold OF
him felt as this humble writer once felt
when he tried to catch a lobster under II
shelving rock in the English channel and
caught by mistake middle sized devil
fish that had gone in after the lobster
ahead.
A little training will teach you to SEIZE
q lobster before he can seize you But
such training is useless when you surprise
a deyilfsh. The men of war who dealt
with Napoleon went lobster hunting and
found a devilfish.
Other generals. for instance. were guild
ed. terrified and controlled by their com
missaries. Napoleon ignored his in his
usual calm why. He says:
What creates great difficulty In th,
profession of the land commander Is tn,
necessity Of feeding 80 many men AMI
animals. If he allows himself 10 be guild
ed BY the commissaries, he will never
stir"
Our doubts and fears and mental
timidity are the "commssaries" tina;
keep so many Of us from stirring or win
ming.
Let Napoleon teach you to form YOU
own conclusions. work out your OWL
problems and not tremble before that oil;
bugaboo impossible. Only the mar
who tries new things adds new things to
the worlds wealth and knowledge. Be.
Ike Napoleon, among those who try
Emerson wrote:
We cannot in the universal imbecility
indecision and Incidence of men sutii
GENTLY congratulate ourselves on this
strong and ready actor who took occasion
by the beard and showed US how much
may be accomplished by the mere fore.
of such virtues as all men possess in less
degrees-namely. by punctuaIity. by per
sonal attention. by courage and thor
oughness. New York Journal.