Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1912-03-14
NAPOLEON'S FALL,
The Modern AttiIa Crushed by His
Streak Of Insanity.

The Modern AttiIa Crushed by His
Streak Of Insanity.
"A VICTIM OF MEGALoMANIA.
Envious Of Alexander the Great. He
Aimed tc Rule the Whole World. and
France Sacrificed Million Men on
the Altar Of His Monomania.
Were readers of history asked today
what three hMn,an characters have
been most prominent i'll making he
history of the world there could prol,-
ably be great diversity of opinion az
to two of such personages. but as 10
the third the general agreement could
probably point to Napoleon Bonarartn.
T. II. O'Connor. who for many years
has made IL study of the modern At
tia, as he was called by his eontcm
porarics, presents IN his London maya
zine an article entitled The Insanity
Of Napo.con's Genius" in which liz
shows him to be victim of mrg:,o
mania. that form of mental alienation
In which the patient is possessed of
gradiose hallucinntions.
Mr.. O'ConnOr discnrds the idea that
Napoleon because of his gigantic pow
CT for work had perfect physique
and invulncrable health. ne suffered
as Il child from extreme NERVOUSNESS.
later from facial neuralgia. He had n
nervous twitching at the mouth and
the right shoulder. After Toulon lie
long suffered from 81 painful aud vast
ing cutaneous disease, and Mt times he
had fits of an epileptic character. AS
he was aboMt to leave Strassburg in
1905 OH 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 Taleyrand
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
cd and loaned. NJ lie Remusat, first
gentleman in waiting, who had also
come into the room. handed him wa
ter and / sprinkled him with eau de
cooguc He was suffering from some
sort of cramp. which passed off in n
quarter of an hour. We laid him In
an armchair He began to speak, put
hi. dress right. commanded us to oh
serve the strictest secrecy, and half
AZ, hour later lie was on his way to
Car!s'uln.
.Nnother sign of the abnormal in Ma
poleon was his intense irritability, and
often there came nervous breakdown
that reduced him to the condition of Il
hystericuI woman. This irritability
sometimes took the form of fits o..
weeping He would fly into a passion
on the slightest provocation. In his
Impotence he tore many Il garment to
pieces because it Inconvenience him
in some trinins way. He had an inner
melancholy that never left him. While
he talked of death. Napoleon never
had amy serious intention of taking his
own life lie never lost his grasp of
life. While a man of dreams. he was
a man of action. Success did not make
this dreamer more cheerful. He had
strange moments Of bitterness and
Instance. he would say to q lady after
asking her name. "Denr me. was told
sou were pretty" or TO an elderly geli-
t!eIian. You have not much longer to
i've M
1t WAS comparatively early iii Ills
.nrecr that his insane desire to rule
not Franco. not even Europe. but all
the world. took possession of him. Vie
real reason for his crushing downfall
is to he found in this megalomnnia
lie himself caused his downfall. MAJ
pn.eon alone could have conquered Nj
poeo. and it was this mesalomania
tl,at un;,,l HIN
There was ii; dream of the control
of Europe There Will" he said to his
intrnates White he was still first CON
sui he no reace In Europe till 1T Is
uEder the command OF II single leader,
unGcr one emperor with linea for his
officers who Will distribute Kingdoms
tn his generals. making one King of
Ravarin ore nndman of Switzerland,
another stahtAn,.cr of Holland and
giving Tier. all official posts in he i'm.
re,ial household. such as grand cup
Learer. grand chamberlain. grand mas
tor of the hounds. cite"
Napoleon did pnna kings In several
countries and controlled the policy OF
nearly ever country of Europe--a
wonderful achievement for the pov
erty str.r:ca charity boy who got his
EDUCATION II; I.rianhe mt tie expense
~ his sovereign He might havc re
se,sincd the king of kings In Europe
l;.a hr been satisfied With that awful
I.sig,a' But he WAS not satisfied; he
never ,vas satisfied After Europe
,lcrc WAS Asia.
On the day he was crowned emperor
N December, 1904. he said to his min
'stfr of marine: ~ grant you my
areer has been brilliant and have
risen high. But what difference
from ancient times! Look Mt Alexander
the Great. After he, had conquered
Asia he declared himself the son of
Jupiter. and except his mother Olym-
pins. Aristotle and few Athenlan
pedants. the east believed him. Nova.
iiuys II were to declare myself the
son Of the Everlasting Father there
Isn't a ishwife 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 million lives