The Washington herald., 1914-11-29

OF france-
March Is. lsGS-Metternict driven from vienna.
4 March Il. lsss-RsSolt in Berlin.
Dec %. Is8-Louis Napoleon elected Presidsrt d
Dec. 2, Bs9-PrO5Ained Emperor. as Napoleon III
Sept. T. Is7o-NspoIeon III slreodsed to Kins
William Of Prussia; the third repub-
he rEuclAimed-
Ian. :. IS3-Death Of Nspoleon III al ChissIhurst
England.
land; "PiOn PlOn" became the pre-
tender. ..
March Is lssl-DeAth Of ''PIon Plon:'' his VIC
tor Cbon lse2) became the pretendsr.
WLTHILE the body of Napoleon lay in
" its lonely, unmarked grave at st.
w Helena his spirit conquered Eu-
rope anew and mounted again
, the throne of France.
The peoples who had Cverthrown his
empire soon found to their sorrow that
they had exchanged a brilliant for a
stupid despotisn, and the more they saw
of the little hereditary tyrants who sup
planted him the more they lamented the
downfall of the great tyrant. The pledges
they had received from their monarchs
in the wars of liberation were ruthlessly
broken and something like a royalist
reign OF terror was inaugurated by the
holy alliance That federation, that Unit
ed States of Europe, under the presidency
Of the Emperor of Austria and with Met
ternich for its premier, really became a
league against popular rights and prog
ress everywhere, and the armies Of the
continent were converted into an inter
national police force for the suppression
Of liberty.
The Revival.
After the death Of Louis XVIII Charles
" the ignorant and intolerant brother
who succeeded him on the French throne,
determined to drag France herself back
into the ruck of autocracy. But when he
made ready TO set up an absolutism on
the ruins of the broken constitution, the
people of Paris awakened and took to
the streets once more. In three swift
days the last of the Bourbon kings had
lost his crown and the Bourbon throne
was destroyed forever.
Again the tricolor fioated over France
and the Napoleopic empire might have
been restored had not the King of Rome
been an Austrian captive. The French
turned instead TO the Orleans branch OF
the Bourbon family, and Louis Philippe
however, but in the name of the people
The return of the tricolor brought back
the memory of the great captain whose
victories had glorifed it and Napol-
comic revival rolled over the land in
waves of popular emotion. The press be-
ing free, a literary torrent burst forth
and the stories Of the Emperor's COM
panions at st. Helena were eagerly de-
voured as fast as the successive editions
could be issued. At the same time, the
pens of the poets and the brushes of
the artists were busily engaged in trans
figuring the Emperor into legendary
hero. Living, he lost the world said
Chateaubriand: dead. he possesses it
The giant had to fall before could
measure his height, Only his glory and
misfortune were recalled. Old men for
got and young men were not taught the
price Of that glory and the cause of that
misfortune.
4 Then the King of Rome died. and Louis
Napoleon SON of Louis Bonaparte and
Hortense Beauharnais. offered himself as
the legitimate successor of his uncle. But
Louis Philippe and his politicians dill
gently sought to turn the Napoleonic
sentiment to their own profit. With one
hand they banished the heir of Napoleon
to the United States and with the other
rendered homage to the Emperor's name.
They tore down the Bourbon lily from
the Vendome column and crowned the
shaft anew with statue of Napoleon,
and they missed no opportunity to light
.trp their ever-fading fortunes with his
shining name.
The Return of the Body.
In his will the Emperor had said, 1T is
my wish that my ashes may repose on
the banks of the Seine, amid the French
people whom / loved so we'll" That the
body Of the exile might be rescued from
alien soil and rest by the Seine was
growing national desire when, as a last
resource, the orleanist Ki1g resolved to
bring it back in the hope that he might
borrow some glory from the imperial
lust. And England having graciously
consented to release its captive. the King
sent his brother, the Prince Joinville. to
St. Helena
While the princes expedition was sail
ing on its sentimental voyage, Louis Ma
poleon, who had remained in the United
States only a few weeks. thought it a
favorable time for the heir Of the EN-
Peror TO return to France. Crossing over
from England, the pretender landed at
BouIogne in the dawning of an August
day, but only to eat his breakfast in
prison that same morning and be con-
demned to perpetual Imprisonment in the
Fortress of Ham. And one of the three
companions permitted him in his captiv-
ity was the Count Montholon, who had
shared the captivity of the first Napoleon.
As the count was entering upon this
second exile, his surviving comrades in
the earlier exile were returning to St
Helena with the Prince of Joinville. |
Among the pilgrims, faithful even to
the grave of their master, were Gems.
Bertrand and Gourgaud; Marchand, the
valet: st. Denis, the counterfeit name |
luke. and three of the old servants at
Longwood With them also was the
son Of Las Cases, who had brought him |
self to the attention Of Europe by. at
Stempting TO wreak bodily vengeance onl