The Paducah sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1898-1906, 1904-06-04
Napoleon.
As Seen by His Associates
Pen Pictures Selected From the Writings
Of Those Who Knew Him Intimately
BY Captain
GEORGE L. KILMER


have arranged for the publication of series of articles
dealing with his personal sde This is the centenary of the
most important in his e his accession to the throne
of France and the PRONUNCIATION of the Code Napoleon The
worlds fair this year celebrates the Louisiana purchase by
which the United States acquired from France 1124os5
square miles of territory for $15000000 Napoleon sold
because he needed the money But of interest Is the
marvellous character of the man himself.
boaser who succeeded dreamer who wrought marvels,
conocast who built up-such Napoleon Bonaparte
In him produced the violent contradictions yet he
touched nothing that he did improve John Adams told
Lafayette that the people of France had not understood Ma
poleon. His advent meeoric and followed by
dazzling that the generation which produced him could not
comprehend that colossal figure yA'
Napoleon alone the bodest straegt and the most
magnetic leader of modern times but the strenuous
and untrng human working machine known to history He
master in politics. master in satecraft, master in
government and that too rich in great Prince
Metternich in Austria Taeyrand and Chateaubriand in
France Pitt and Fox in England his contemporaries and
he overtopped them all.
To Napoleon knowledge intuition He was
born nothing, brthrght in the realm he made
magnificent and ruled magnifceny As alien advenurer
he stood ng about the kings palace when the red revou
tonists forced Louis XVI put the liberty cap That
the dawn of the Reign of Terror Two years later the
age of wenyx Napoleon npped in the bud second terror
by deugng the rising sections of Paris with canister AT
thrty-fve he put on the "crown of Charemagne" his
brothers and became kings and queens and the of
country tavern keepers noaries and created
marshals of the empire. His first wife West India
creole his second the daughter of the Oldest royal house in
Europe.
Napoleon the EARNED apostle of democracy" the
eveer who prepared the way for the golden age of manhood
When he upon the high birth the key honor
and fortune With his sword he burst the barriers and
opened every the with brains and courage The
subject of Napoleon treated in this series history
biography; neither in spirit of eulogy condemnation
Rather the author the question: What of
wrought these latter day mraclesG
Napoleon modern The centennial of his beginnings
just hand He elected emperor May 49, 1904 pro-
claimed emperor before the people of France july 1904
and crowned emperor Dec q 1904 But he reged years
person and his spirit dominated France for half century
longer natural born him died only generation ago
in 1881 daughter of his brother Jerome died in January
of this year. and grandson of his first sweetheart and his
stepdaughter Hortense de Beauharna regns on the
throne of Sweden and Norway
The study of Napoeons personality presented in this
series is new has before been possible Authentic
annals of his have been sealed book in France
the world large This alone proves how far reaching and
maserfu his influence Long since dead he is still
vital force N7,4
theme of absorbing ntereshs looks and everyday
his unique fashions Dress his peculiar traits and habits his
humor and temper his early loves his relations with his sol
des and with tie royalty about him. his rgeness of in
teec his penesses and fobles his exhaustess energies of
mind and body his views of himself his strange marriage
and romantic divorce, his gallantries among women
All this is laid bare in the plain blunt language of
and who knew him close range The pens of
Napoeons tell the story The author has cleaned
the gems from their memoirs illustrate the fascinating topics
outlined above.
If Bourrenne, Menevsl, Fouche or any of the writers
quoted in these articles living and would tell
from the platform what he has committed paper he would
draw such audiences have been in this country
You read the shapes things they said about Napoleon
columns