Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1904-05-14
NJ POLEON, A, Seen
by His Associates
NApOLEONS EVERYDAY MANNER

after 1906 he almost always dined
alone with his wife except when the
court was at Fontainebleau. He would
then invite guests TO his table. He had
all courses of the dinner placed before
him at once, and he ate without pay
ins any attention TO his food, helping
himself TO whatever was at hand.
He had not any OF the dellcacy that
Is ordinarily impaired by training and
education and would make his toilet
In the most through fashion In the pres
ence OF any person WhomsoeVer. In
the same way, II he got impatient
while his valet WAS dressing him, he
would fly into a passion, needless Of all
respect for himself or others. He wouiu
throw any garment that did not please
him on the floor or into the fire.
Among other destructive habits he
had that OF stirring the wood fires with
his foot thereby scorchlng his shoes
and boots, This generally happened
when he was In a passion At such
times he would violently kick the blaZ.
ing logs in the nearest fireplace.
He could not bear any restraint,
and being obliged 20 appear affable and
In good humor on a certain day and
at a certain hour was yoke which he
hastened to shake off,
HE never missed an opportunity Of
carrying out his fayorIte system, which
was to keep ones mind what ne called
'breathless that Is TO say, constantly
anxious
ON the intellectual side, however
Nine de Remusat Is forced TO confess
that Napoleon was most remarkable and
in ordinary times pleasing.
1T was always a great pleasure TO
me to hear him talk she says. "o,,
rather, to hear him hold forth, for his
conversation was composed generally
of long monOlogues; not that he OBJ
jected to replies when he was In a good
humor, but for many reasons, It was
not always easy to answer him. He
spoke badly, but his language was gem
orally animated and brilliant His
gramma teal inaccuracies lent his sem
tenceshn unexpected strength
TO the same purpose speaks Meter
mich and also another enemy, whom
Napoleon once imprisoned, Gohior, the
president OF the directory
Conversation with him says Prince
Metternich always had for me q
charm difficult to define. He listened to
all the remarks and objections adj
dressed TO him without every quitting
the tone or the limits Of a business dis
cussion, and | never experienced the
hllEUltNl NlllIhllA Va gay lhH W hllll
what | believed to be the truth. even
when It was not calculated to please
him"
Gohier says; mot only did Bonaparte
not mind disagreement with projects
submitted for discussion to the council
Of state, but he encouraged IT, He toll
Grated everything; no objection could
make him angry, and II was the one
who had vcxed him most whom he gem
orally asked to dinner"
This phase OF Napoleon's manner may
be closed with the impressions Of
Capt, Maitland commanding the Eng
lsh ship Bellerophon, on board Of
which the man who had been conquer
ed at Waterloo embarked in 1915, 1T
may seem strange, says Maitland,
that an English officer should be pre-
possessed IN favor Of man who has
caused such calamities to his country,
but that man had the power of pleas
| ing to such a degree that there are
J few people who could have sat at
table with him every day for nearly a
month, as | did, without feeling Of
regret that a man endowed with so
many attractive qualities should have
been reduced to the state I'm which /
saw ham"
Napoleon's valet, Constant tells Of
his masters procipltancy and impa-
| tience at table and on dsrobing for
the night, He preferred fingers to
| forks and scattered his wardrobe like
a spoiled child.
GEORGE l.. KILMER
Next weeks letter will be on How
| Napoleon STOPPED for Success')