Milford chronicle., 1903-03-20
GIVES lecture
ON B0NAPARTE.
AN ADDRESS DELIVERED BEFORE TIE
NEW CENTURY CLUB.
Monday was History Day at the Club,
and an Address on BOnapart was
Delivered by Rev. II. /. Buntein.

Monday afternoon last. The feature of
the program was an address delivered
by Rev. H. L. Buustein ON Napoleon
Bonaparte. He said in substance:
Napoleon was of italian descent. His
parents were poor His father was
somewhat indOlent; his mother bsauti-
full high spiri ed energetic. He was
the oldest of the eight children who
survived. He was educated i'm military
schools. was not distinguished as p
scholar except for proficiency in mathe-
matics. Was tacitUrn, qick tempered,
unsociable On graduating he was as
signed to the artillery and first distin-
guished himself in 1893 at the seige of
TouioD, where he pointed out the
strategic importance of place.
As young man he had a singular
charm of manner, made a great i'm
preston of great ability, was mdifler-
ent to the sufieTings and death Of
others; had a wonderful memory for
names and faces and great ambition.
His second step to advancement was
the crushing of the instruction agalnst
the government in Paris This led to
his appointment as general Ofthe army
Of the interior with headquarters III the
capital. He was married March, 1855,
to Josephine de BeauharmOis, the
daughter of a distinguished man VINO
had been executed during the reign OF
terror. 1t was a marriage partly OF
affection, but also one of self interest.
For his wife had influence. shortly
after he was appointed to the command
of the army in Italy. and in a series of
battles decisively defeated the Aus
4,,s, r,dd 4 a Z noTp from hp conn "
His successes were so greet in tins
camDai0n that they seemed to ia e
turned his BRAIN He planed gigantic
schemes-the conquest of the old world
as a preliminary to this he undertook;
the expedition to Egypt failed because
of the destruction Cf the FIe. ch fleet
in Aboukir Bay. He returned to Paris
anna ently not discouraged by this
failure. His return was indeed auspic-
iOus, for affairs had been going badly
for the Freuch. The authorities were
evidently incapable. A conspiracy
was formed against them, they were
OverthrOWn in the revolution Brumalre,
and BOnaparte was made First COunsul
Virtually Supreme. Taking command
of the army he was again successIuI,
and brought the war with Austria to a
successful termination.
War again broke out with the Euro
pean powers because of his aggressions,
and continued until 1909. He was
uniformly victorious over Russia, Aus
tria and Prussia, and became Emperor
with the right of nominating his sue
cessOr. Soon after he divorced Jose
phine and married an Austrian arch
duchess.
The war with Spain was the turn of
the tide BY deihrOning the ruling
home and making his brother Joseph
k kng, he aroueed the Spaniards to an
insufreetiOn. This occupied his old
est guards and choicest troop, and the
Germans and Russians took advantage
oft and began with him another con-
test. This. unlike his former wars, was
struggle with the people
In 1872 he undertook the campaign
against Russia, perhaps the most dlsas-
trous expedition in military history
He was obliged to retreat, and OF his
army of 800, ,000, only miserable horde
of fugitives was left in the winter:
This was followed by a coalition
against him of all the European pow
ers. He was not able to resist. and af-
ter a brilliant campaign in France on
NapoIeon's part. Paris surrendered and
he abdicated.
He was sent to the Island of Elbe,
INT remained only a few months, for
the government set up by the vlctOrs
was unpopular with the French, and
knowing that he was wanted be re
turned in March 1915; and he was
again established on the throne. A
description was given of the camralgn
of Waterloo, which was fought January
18th.
After his defeat BOnaparte tried to
escape to America. but English ships
guarded all the seaports, End ne was
obliged to surrender to an English naval
commander. He hoped to be permit
ted to live in Eng and. but the govern
ment sent him to st Helena, where ne
remained a prisoner until his death, IN
Nav 1921. The justice of his banlsh-
ment to the rocky isle of the ocean has
aIwavs been a debated question. Dr
Chanting. of Boston, in his essay on
Ronaparte, perhaps stated the veins OF
fhe reflection when he said: Il am
Glad that the ocean has prison house
where the author of such crimes as ne
committed can be safely lodged"
There seems now TO be suhstantla
agreement as to BOnaparte' S character
Taine in his book on "Origlns OF Con
temporary France" has collected tht
facts of his career, and since Juvena
and Suctonius such serTible things
have not been said of any public man
as he has recorded. False, cruel anC
selfshly ambitious, he was perhaps II
these respects without an equal.
In person Bonaparte was short o
stature. slender in youth, corpulent II
aye. robust, temperate, with piercing
eyes, beautiful hands of which be wa
yerv vain, able to sleep at will, fond o
children, brutall.J rude to women, an'
even in his serene moments Inspiring
fear as a sleeping tiger 1t has beel
computed that 100000 OF men pei
ished in his wars.