The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-08-16

in the early Italian campaigns, or, with 30OO0 men chanting the Marseillaise, he leaped the Alps. At Ulm and Austerltz and Jena he still fought for France and destroyed armies of modern times, all his campaigns of conquest were failures. With every step he took beyond Jena he left behind him the force that had won his battles and filled the world with his fame. In the very next great battle, after Jena, Eylau reminded him, as he said that fortune might forsake him. True, he won at Friedland but the enemy escaped him. The disasters of Portugal and Spain quickly followed, and the defeat of As- perm Essling crowded after them. He barely saved himself at Wagram. where, again, he had to leave an opposing army in the field.
 Already he had begun the practice of calling out the conscripts in advance of the schedule. Thus he drew in 1SCy for 80,0o0 boys, who were not due to serve until 1Sl0. With nearly LOG, ,000 men under arms he took what he could get, how ever young or small Indeed, he began to prefer smaller soldiers for the cav airy, because larger men required larger horses. His "old growlers," who for merly delighted him with their indepen- dence and frankness, exasperared him now. He resented the taunts and com plaints the grenadiers shouted at him whcr he rode by. My soldiers are as brave as 1t Is possible to be- he admit ted "but they are too much addicted to reasoning" He envied the Czars dumb sodden serfs: eff my men had the im- passive firmness and docility of the Russians, the world would beA too small for their exploits"
 As his army lost its patriotic fervor. hls princely and ducal generals lost their martial ardor. They had won their batons and their glory fighting eor France and were chary of rtsking their lGurcls with degenarte troops in cam paigns that did not awaken any national entnr siasm In their plebiun youth, moreover. they had no other roof for their heads than where they nightly pitched their moving tents and no other place to go than war. But now they sighed for their ducal parks and marble halls with trains attendant. The gener- ouL rivalry 9h young hopes and ambi- tinrh had siven wav 10 the arrogant pride and bitter jealousies of-rank and wealth.
 Another Titanic
 The army the aris 'ocracy, the whole empire had lost .hs inspiring illrsons of youth and had gene stale, when tine Emperor accepted the challenge of the Czsr and hurled himself against tho Rus. sian empire like another Titanic rushing uron an iceberg. His independent and
  rest him.
 In vain the economists argued that Russia had nothing for France to take except "cordage, pi.rh and shipping tackle" In vain the flnanciers pleaded tlist the finances of the empire needed peace. "On the controry." the Emperor answered, 'the finances being embar- rassed, they need war;
 With the Spanish revolution unsub- dued and all the peoples about his em. pire ready to emulate the Spaniards, he yet held to his course When Marshal Davout warned him from Germany that German patriotism was rolling over mountains and plains, he complained that such talk was calculated to make me lose my time and to sully my imagination with senseless pictures" Another ask ed him what he would leave behind to de- fend his empire when he plunged rnso Russia. and he replied: My name, my renown!"
 The great distance involved in a Rus sian campaign was urged against the undertaking, but the Emperor answered After all, my dear sir. this long road is the road to India" He was still dreaming of the orient and trying to gel around Acre. the little town that stopped him more than a dozen years before 'In five years" he had said In 1S11. "l shall be the master of the world"
 His reasoning often was darkIy mys' tical and fatalistio He spoks In 1s11 c