The Detroit times., 1908-11-28
BY GEORGES ESPARsEs.

The emperor loved music or dislikei
music. who could tell? With the excep-
ton OF his conquests and his soldiers
whom he admired as compact power,
good cards in a game and later on his
little son, nothing interested him deep
ly. He dreaded literature. aud there
were only two kinds OF music that at
tracted him-the roar of guns and the
chimes OF bells.
From the moment he appeared on
the stage in his eternal green coa.,
his little hat, slender sword and big
boots the bells forgot to communicate
with heaven-they always told OF vic
tory.
Out in the country. in the cd chat
eaus, especially where men Of noble
blood were Dorn such Ginning OF bells
had never been heard since the days
OF King henri. They barely had time
to tell of mass or toll in honor OF the
dead. so many and rapid were the
victories-Lodi, Millesiuro. Arcole-sil-
ence-and then another Ginning Of
the bells-the Pyramids. Trebia.
Zurich, Mt. Thabor, Aboukir And
then al last TO the establishment OF
everyone for all France, the hawk was
transformed into an eaglet-Bonaparte
was made consul.
Immediately the bells sang out fu
riously. told of the victories at Maren-
go and Hoheneuiden. The birds OF
the empire had sharp talons now, Il
was no longer the hawk from Egypc
or the eaglet of November ninth that
Oh IL arAc
| flight and TO tell the powers OF heaven
and the nations OF earth Of It's vic
tories the eagle now flew from bell to
| bell And the bells raised their
voices. told OF the victory of Austen
litz and continued TO sing for five
years without ceasing. They told OF
Trafalgar Jena. Eylau, Danzig. Fried
land--of the battles in Spain and Aus
tria; Abensoerg, Landhut, Eckumehl,
Ratisboune, Esslingen and Wagram-
until their voices grew faint and dim.
| What happened? A small cloud OF
| incense In the midst of the smoke OF
powder Napoleon married Maria
Louise, Then again they sang as
never before when they told OF the
| birth OF the king OF Rome.
But In the meantime the emperor
prepared for new wars and all over
the country In the smallest hamlets.
| the bells were silent with terror.
One morning he left in front OF his
legions. with his generals and stand.
ards. But before he disappeared he
raised .his hand and at this sign the
bells raised their voices. first in Joy
at the capture of Witebsk and
81 hos
tones. intermingled with the groans
OF the dying at Moscow-now Kreme
was in flames. Then they told digni-
fed and sadly of the retreat across the
snowclad plains OF Russia. At last
they could sing no more--and when
the army returned TO France Il was
only whisper that received II; a dy-
ing gasping voice. which seemed TO
warn the man that now IL was enough.
He did not listen to them, thought
only Of new victories and for the
seventh time ordered the bells TO hold
themselves in readiness. Again the
hymns OF victory went up. He went
on with his marshals, who were old
now, with new troops. with old guns.
Slowly and laboriously they dragged
themselves past the steeples along the
road that led TO Saxony.
Hardly had they gone when mir
acie happened--eagerly the bells lis
tened at the distant noise of roaring
guns and trampling horses from the
north and suddenly they sang out JOY.
ously OF the battles OF Lutsen and
Bautzen. other victories followed
the exhausted bells wanted TO ring
out. but II was too much, their threats
were weak and their voices lacked
strength They whispered OF Dresden.
Leipzig. Hanau-but their whispers
foretold OF coming death and defeat
Ii was like the farewell OF dyinG
consumptive. a message that the bells,
worn out and almost silent, must die
with the downfall OF the eagle
And the emperor who could no
longer hear them threw them into the
fames-and the bells became guns.
1914
| The slender OF Leipzig was no more.
| Four thousand dead remained on the
field at LaRothiere. Alexander cor
graduated Bluecher and the old sol