The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-02-15
Henting the rise and foil OF the French
nre centers OF interest In Miss
Gucrber's most interesting book.

Henting the rise and foil OF the French
Empire, nre centers Of interest In Miss
Gucrber's most interesting book.
Napoleon the first, the mnn without n
model and without shadow" found
tune, md amid the tremendous chances
with which no wits constantly reckoning,
70 indulge In most passionate devotion
Tor Josephine, whose nnnlo and memory
arc associated with that OF tho man
VINO crowned her mistress Of Franco and
OF MS directions, who divorced hor, but
who diod with hcr namo on his lips and
heart. SEQ
Miss Guerber Is ON accurate historic
grapher. She does not cndeavor to make
Josephine faultles6, or to cast over her
momory any iMusive oolorhng Of lnistal1.
en- sentiment. Tho faults OF the woman
ana the Emprcss nro, frankly brought to
light and dealt with. It does not lossen
Sno sympathy OF tho reader to find that
josephine, with q kind heart and quick
senslbinuea was promo TO mistakes
throush her Impulses which frequently
gether. It Is not alono Josephine, as she
appeared a rewly-created Empress, III tho
'Church Of the 1nvalides," Glad In rose
colored tulle strewn with silver stars,
ana crowned with diamond ears Of wheat
that sho Is to BIO considered but It Is
o,opAAAAAo, NAs,SAo WHeu una lonely RI MAI
weeping over her loneliness and
separation, or hiding her broken heart
under on air Of cheerful resignation, that
she mas nor greatest power and makes her
strongest appeal to womanhood 1t Is
Josephine at Malmaison, with her face
turned toward Elba, longing for the
sound OF q voice that che is never to hear
again, that invests her with pathetic dig
nifty and 1t Is thus that her image re-
ours oftenest to Napoleon In st. Helena,
When, IN contrasting her with Marie
Louise, he said sorrowfully: Josephine
would never thus have deserted me-"
Marie Louise, daughtcr Of the Emperor
and the mother of Napoleon's son,
crowned King Of Rome and afterward
made Duke Of Reichstag by his imperial
Austrian grandfather, receives as sincere
treatment at Miss Guerber's hands as
Josephine and Eugene. Her shallow,
plastic nature which yielded first to the
Napoleonic influence and afterward to
that Of Neippberg and de Bombellcs with
Its frivolity and vanity, partly the nher-
ent defects of her nature and partly the
result of her association at the Austrian
court, are clearly delineated in Miss
Guerber's pages. The fact that she not
only deserted hor husband through the
most selfish of motives. that she relin-
quishcd tho care of her son without a
pnng at the command of her father and
that she wrote from her court at Parma
In 1881 when Napoleon was dying Of can
cor in st. Helena: 81 can only congratu-
late myself upon my lot. I am contented,
cellent," is n most striking commentary
upon royal woman who was griev-
ously wanting in sympathy, motherlness
and womanliness, a woman who proved
altogether faithless in times of trial to
the man she had pretended to love as
long as fortune smiled upon him."
Since tho assassination of the Empress
Elizabeth of Austria, the most pathetic
figure in all Europe is that of the EN-
press Eugene, the woman who for years
ruled In the most brilliant capital of all
Europe and set the fashions for the
world and who now, bereft Of worldly
honors, widowed and chldless, Is spend
ing her last days at Chisclhurst, in Eng
land. her ono solace being her daily Wis
Its to Marlborough Church, where she
goes to strew violots, the Nnpoleonic en-
blem upon the collins Of her husband and
son, which lie side by side in the church
until the mausoleum which Eugene is
building shall be ready for them or until
their bodies are laid In the Invalides be-
side the great founder of their race.
The strange contrasts of life, It's am
It's successes, its pomps, vnnities
and powcr-and then tho change Of the
wheel of fortune bringing sorrow. be-
IchNSIIlcut &tuu OIu uSe uppeIIllOSt uTC
all exemplifled by Miss Guerber In the
story she tells Of Eugenie. And yet
though Eugene's beautiful eyes have
been dimmed with tears; though her IT,
tian hair Is white as snow and her once
lovely figure IS bowed with age her au
thor reaches conclusion In the following
eulogy: "Faithful Bonapartists no longer
remember the last empress of the
French" as paragon of beauty amid
scenes of falry-like splendor. but as ono
who has won tho worlds respect because
she nobly bears her Grown of sorrow"
RALEIGH IN GUIANA. BY Barrett
Wendell, professor of English in Har-
ward University. Chas. Scribners' Sons,
publishers. New York. $l5O.
Professor Wendell's book contains
three essays In dramatic verse made In
the Ellzabethnn manner. Raleigh In
GUIANA" which is based on Ralegh's
works and on the lives Of him by Oldys
and by Bich sets forth-after the fash
ion Of the old chronicle historics-ti,a in
cidents which brought Sir Walter Ra-
legh's life to an end. and surrendered SO
much of tho American continent to
Spain "Rosamond," which is based on
a ballad in Percy's "Reliques" deals
with the old story of Fair Rosamonds
death at Woodstock. ''The Christmas
Masque." with which the volume con-
cludes, Is a legendary story, composed
for performance last Christmas Eve.
SOME SCIENTIFIC WORKS published
by the Nacmillans among their New
Books are
Problems In Astrophysics." by Miss
Agnes NJ Clarke, author of IA History