The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-05-03
Repd from f o pol WIN NJ Sloan " OF he
from a painting Francois Flameng

thesis on the question, What truths
and ideas should be inculcated in order
best to promote the happiness of man
kind?" This was the topic set by the
Lyons Academy, which offered a prize
Of 1900 livres for the most successful
contestant. on reading this paper of
Napoleons one Of the judges Of the
contest said he thought it might have
been written by "a man otherwise gifted
with common sense"
Before long the young Corsican Of %
had written a Dialogue on Love" and
another short manuscript, Reflections
on the State of Nature During that
year and the next he was not merely
reading solid books with great care, but
IN order probably TO fix their contents
permanently in mind he was writing
outlines Of them. Sloane mentions
among such volumes CoNe's "Trave.s
in Switzerland" Duclos's Memoirs OF
the Reign of Louis NV. and Louis
NV.," Machiavel,rs History Of Flor
ence," Noltalre's Essay on Manners"
Duvernet's History of the Sorbonne,"
lie Mobiles spirit Of Gerson" and Dull
aure's History of the Mobility"
Then and thereafter he constantly
wrote letters to relatives and friends
many of which recounted at length his
observations of the political changes
going on all about him, together with
comment upon them and his reasons
for believing or disbe.ieving in the out
come of this or that. He wrote po.iti-
cal papers for publication, some Of them
impassioned appeals. some d,uuncll-
tory. and he was at % facing the world
alone. for Corsica would have no moir
Of him. his hatred for France seemed
TO increase, he had neglected his mill
tary career tn such an extent that h.
was without positlon-paying dearly
for his repeated excursions into lltcra-
ture and politics. lie had tried to serve
three masters at the same time and had
failed.
To he sure. he had the rank of Cap
tain hut he remained a slender. rather
understood youth whose appearance at
tracted no attention. Eut he still he
lieved in himself, he still had dreams of
glory and poNcr, though in which Of
several directions he was unable 10 de
| termne. In al! probability his lin II
decision as To career was made after
his first successful engagement as am
artillery officer in the region Of Avit-
| non during midsummer of 1923. There
he had command of battery which did
effective work aud Napoleon, drinking
| deep of victory, threw down the giunt-
led to fate and chose a warriors life.
The average man would have been
| content to go on as well as he could in
| the profession now chosen. Not so this
young man. who had learned through
| in, sat,
can sometimes accomplish. AS soon a.
possible he set about securing to him
self as much favorable advertising as
possible. If he lived to-day Napoleon
would have been a master Of publicity
as indeed he was In his own day
| He was not willing to remain an ordi-
| nary captain of artillery; he wanted
notoriety, he wanted thu eyes Of tn,
nation upon him as far as he could at
| tract them; so he wrote curious
manuscript called THE supper of Beau
Care." wherein five travellers meet by
chance around table at an inn o
Beaucaire and enter into II discussion o
the recent capture of Av!Snon, H.
causes and effects When this pamphle
was published it was at once recognize,
as the product of fearless, penetratin,
|
that it was soon brought out in new
editions at the expense Of the Govern
ment.
At last Napoleon had found himself
also had he found the ear of France
Many years later, when at the height -
his power. the Emperor remembered tn
dynamic force latent In pcnpont
needing only the spark of patriotism
and genius to cause an explosion AM
betrayed his fear Of uncontrollc
; literary ideals by commanding mem
hers Of the academy to devote them
selves to literary criticism.
Tn the spring OF 1914, when he ha
abdicated and was about starting fo
Elba. he loaded possibly a score of bag
; gage wagons with books. While at Eih
: he continued his interest In writing, IA
is shown by the outline he prepared q
treatise regarding the politici
legitimacy Of his dynasty.
, The record Of his writings while a
, Elba might have been larger but IL
the fact that his time was deeply Ell
gagged with such practical matters a
=, reorganiZng this miniature empir
I which had been given To him. Away
= master Of thoroughnes., he examine
the resources of Elha and started
n mend the roads, increase the fortified
$ tons Of the island, enlist guard. In
!, crease the production Of salt works an
y iron mines. regulate taxation and
a every way make the government Ell
/ Client. Furthermore II Is estimated tina
as many AZ three hundred visitors cam
o to Elba every day, the great majorit