The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1913-12-14

above the gate, with the inscription. Ma
poleon, I79-I7S4" The statue stands or
an arch beneath which the soldiers come
and go on their dull routine. and or
which is inscribed "Ancienne Ecole Nil
itaire, T776 to I7Ss," while one Of the stone
gateposts bears the roll OF the more IA
nous schooIboys of Brienne: Bonaparte,
Bourrienne. Pichegru, Davaoust. Man.
souty, DHaupoul, Gaudin, Sorbier,
Marescot. La Bretcheche. Bruneteau.
Vallee-
Turning away from tie gate, I strolled
in the lanes of Brienne-an bypaths OF
Napoleon presumably-past little stone
dwellings as shining clean as the homes
of Holland. Back at the crossroads
stands the old church, bare and still
within, where the family OF the count
worship on red cushioned pews in a spe-
cial reservation. BY permission OF the
kindly vicaire, a man of noble counte-
nance, climbed to the belfry where hung
the bells-not these three new ones
which long resounded in the ear of Ma
poleon.
On a level with the beIfry sits the
chateau which once no doubt seemed
to frown down upon the little Corsican,
but where the Beauffremonts, proud Of
their long descent, were made prouder
still when they welcomed him back to
crown Of France and was pausing here
with Josephine in his imperial progress
to his second coronation at Milan.
He came back to Brienne once more
in 1914, and here again he led the French
In battle-but this time mob with snow
balls. He was fighting now to save his
two crowns, and like a wounded eagle
nuttering to its nest he ran into the vii
1age with all Europe in pursuit OF him.
He found no welcome at the chateau. for
Butcher held II, but he took II by storm
and slept once more in the castle whose
showroom to this day is the "chambre a
coucher de Napoleon" with everything in
it carefully kept, just as he left II 100
years ago the 31st of next January. Turn
ing, my eye followed him as he left the
chateau for the wheat fields over about
La Rothiere, where the next day the
Gar and King Frederick William re-
joiced when he lost a battle for the first
time on French soil.
Where else may one look upon the
scenes Of such contrasting fortunes as
from the belfry Of Brienne?
First Entry Into Paris
I have anticipated enough. however,
and it is time to foIlow<the fifteen-year-
old schoolboy out of the village and to
see him make his first entry into the
capital of France at the heels Of Minim
friar. who delivered him to the authori-
ties Of the Ecole Militaire. The old build
ing. which is stin standing and belongs
to the army. is not far from the Eiffel
Tower-and the Hotel des Invalides.
Here Napoleon was entered as a gen.
tleman cadet. and here he was confront
ed with a still prouder aristocracy5 for
the first families did not send their sons
to Brieane.
The French military training as a whole
was now the envy Of other nations, and
attracted many foreign pupils. While
Napoleon was at the Paris Ecole, there
was In another French school at Anglers
an Irish boy, Arthur Wellesley by name,
but better known to history as the Duke
OF Wellington.
At theIEcole Napoleon had a ROOM
mate, des Mazis, who became his bosom
friend and his only real friend in all
Paris. Here, too, he made an enemy who
was destined to cross The Path Of Ma