Imperial Valley press., 1911-11-14
540-50a'S FALL.
Therddarn AttiIa Crushed BY His
Streak Of Insanity.
A VICTIM or ME0AL0MANlA.
Ervious of Alexander the Great, He
Aimed to Rule the Whole World, and
France Sacrificed a Million Men on
the Altar of His Monomania.

ut three human characters have
a most prominent in making the
tory of the world there could prob
" be great diversity of opinion as
two of such personages, but as to
third the general agreement could
Nably point to Napoleon Bonaparte.
O'ConnOr, who for many years
pade a study of the modern At
Us he was called by his contem-
yes. presents in his London maya
In article entitled THE Insanity
Epoleon's Genius" in which he
Is him to be a victim of megalo-
ma, that form of mental alienation
Il which the patient is possessed of
sradiose hallucinations.
Mr. OConnor discards the idea that
Napoleon because Of his gigantic pow
er for work had a perfect physique
/and invulnerable health. He suffered
as a child from extreme nervousness,
later from facial neuralgia. He had
nervous twitching at the mouth and
the right shoulder. After Toulon he
long suffered from q painful and vast
ing cutaneous disease, and at times he
had fits of an epieptic character. As
he was about to leave Strassburg in
1905 on the way to the mighty victory
over General Mack ut Ulm he had one
of these spasms. After dinner on the
day he was leaving, says Talleyrand
in his memoirs, the emperor had called
him into his room There Talleyrand
found him gasping for breath. IL
tore off his cravat, for he seemed like
to choke. He did not vomit. but sigh
ed and foamed NJ. de Remusat. first
gentleman in waiting, who had also
come into the room. handed him wa
ter, and | sprinl1led him with eau de
cOlogue. He was suffering from some
sort of cramp, which passed off in
e.quarter of an hour. We laid him in
All armchair. He began to speak. put
his dress right. commanded us to OBJ
serve the strictest secrecy, and half
an hour later he was on his way to
Carlsruhe."
Another sign of the abnormal In Ma
pOleon was his intense irritability, and
often there came nervous breakdown
that reduced him to the condition OF
hysterical woman. This irritability
sometimes took the form of fits of
weeping. He would fly into passion
on the slightest provocation. In his
impatience he tore many a garment to
pieces because it incOnvenienced him
in some trifing way. He had an inner
melancholy that never left him. While
he talked Of death. Napoleon never
had any serious intention of taking his
own life. He never lost his grasp OF
life. While a man Of dreams, he was
q man of action. Success did not make
this dreamer more cheerful. He had
strange moments Of bitterness and
hatred and desire to inflict pain. For
instance. he would say to a lady after
asking her name. Dear me, was told
you were pretty!' or to an elderly gen.
tleman. "You have not much longer to
live"
1t was comparatively early in his
career that his insane desire to rule
not France. not even Europe. but all
the world, took possession Of him. The
real reason for his crushing downfall
is to be found in this megalomania.
He himself caused his downfall. Ma
poieon alone could have conquered Ma
poleon. and 1t was this megalOmania
that undid him.
There was his dream Of the control
Of Europe. There will," he said to his
intimates while he was still first con-
sui. "be no peace in Europe till it is
-nder the command of a single leader.
nder one emperor. with kings for his
ficers who will distribute kingdoms
bis generals. making one king of
,,aria, one landman of Switzerland,
cher stakeholder Of Holland and
.lg them all official posts in the i'm
al household. such as grand cup
aer. grand chamberlain. grand mas.
of the hounds. ETC."
Napoleon did place kings In several
.~,untries and controlled the policy Of
nearly every country of Europe-a
wonderful achievement for the pow
erty stricken charity boy who rot his
education at Brienne at the expense
Of his sovereign. He might have re-
mained the king Of kings in Europe
Aad he been satisfied with that awful
height. But he was not satisfied; hs
Aever was satisfied. After Europe
there was Asia.
On the day he was crowned emperor
In December. 1904. he said to his min
ister Of marine: /''I grant you my
career has been brilliant and have
risen high. But what 4 difference
from ancient times! Lsok at Alexander
the Great! After he had conquered
Asia he declared himself the son Of
Jupiter. and, except his mother Olym-
pias, Aristotle and a few Athenian
pedants, the east believed him. Nova
days IL were to declare myself the
son Of the Everlasting Father there
isn't q fshwife but would hiss me!
The nations are much too enlightened
now, and nothing great is left to do"
"And France" says Mr.. O'Connor, in
conclusion, sacrificed a million lives
to the monomania Of a megalomaniac.
What tragedy in history is so gigantic.
90 appalling, SO pitiful. in q sense so