The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-04-24

pension to early sweetheart, to boy
hood friends, to schoolmaster, to
teachers. The son and daughter of
General Marbeuf found him delighted
to serve them in remembrance of their
father. The widow of the Duke of
Orleans, who had CHANGED to be the
giver of prize to him at Brienne,
and who had forgotten all about it,
was happily surprised to find that he
had been remembered. He restored her
confiscated pension and gave a rela-
tive of hers a place in the senate. To
the daughter of Madame de Brienne
he proved himself a vigilant guardian.
So the record runs through his life,
and his last will is more than a mon
ument of gratitude to those who had
at any time done him a good service.
Diligence Brings Success.
"There is another feature in Napole-
ons life which is worth regarding. He
knew how to improve his leisure time.
He spent hours in reading. Most any
day he could be found in the corner of
a library digging into some old book.
Sometimes he sat up all night until
the dawn found his lamp burning
and his book open. He read and
studied and thought. The consequence
was that he knew more than the other
boys. He was not only well versed in
the arts Of war, but was thorough
master of the principles of statesman-
ship. Wherever his victorious eagles
went he set up a better government
than he found. His constitutions were
made for the liberty of his people, the
common people. He dealt with kings and
emperors mercilessly, sometimes cruel
ly, but he was never unmindful of the
liberties and rights of their subjects.
Many of the laws which he drew up
are in force to-day and their wisdom
and beneficence have been tested by a
century's experience. The boy who
reads and thinks is the boy who wins.
Napoleon did not pore over his books
for nothing In after years rdiploma-
lists and rulers wondered where he
had learned so much. The little boy
lying in the shade of Brienne was stor-
ing up knowledge just as the diamond
stores up sunshine in its sparling
cubes. The Latins had proverb,
Read not many things. but much
1t is better to know everything about
something than something about every
thing The boy who knows one book
is more apt to succeed than the
boy who has the smattering of many
things. Napoleon studied war and
stateoraft. There are many and better
things for you to learn, my friends,
than the art of war, but in after life
the work of leisure hours will tell; the
work you do, the company you keep,
the thoughts you think, and Will make
you known. and respected among men.
Napoleon never slurred over details.
He ditl il himself and did not leave it
to others to do his work. At the siege
of Toulon he drew up the plan of bat
tie. planted his batteries, stationed his
soldiers, and was here, there, and
everywhere cheering his men, firing
the. guns with his own hands, Weeks
before the siege he had carefully work.
ed out every detail of the battle and
when the fight was over the English
fleet sailed away in disorder and the
allies and renegade French had been
killed or defeated SO in the cam
paigns of Italy he was the life and
soul of the army. He did all the plan
ming and saw to all of the execution.
He marched with his troops night and
day, fair weather or foul. He shared
the dangers like a common soldier,
leading charges, checking defeat. He
went without food. sleeping on the
ground for days at a time. He never
seemed to tire mind and body were like
a machine. Complete genius for war
he displayed in this campaign. mas
terly planned in perfection of detail.
intrepidity in fighting, absolute self
possession, and sound judgment. When
not fighting he was organizing new
states.
THE man of detail, of executive abil-
ity is the man who succeeds. II you
leave things to other people to be done
nine times out of ten they will not be
done If you do them yourself you
are sure they will be done right
Depended ON Himself.
ut has been said that Napoleon was
q man who had the power to pick good
men and so he had. His marshals and
generals were strong and valiant; but
Napoleon prospered while he attended
to details himself, and he failed when
he left important matters to others. Col.
Stovall said a merchant in Savannah
had told him that so long as he super.
intended the purchase of his raw ma
terial, and after making 1t up into the
manufactured product, made his sales
himself. pushed his collections and
banked his money. he prospered. When
he failed to do this his business got.
away from him.
"There is another and final lesson in
the life of Napoleon. 1t is that Peace
hath victories no less renowned than