The Washington herald., 1914-06-28

roads and canals for its benefit. To the
same end he ordered from the sculptor,
Thorwaldsen, the celebrated relief, the
Triumph of Alexander. This he intended
as an adornment for the walls Of the
Quirinal Palace. but reverses Overtaking
him, the sculpture passed into other
hands and now forms the frieze Of the
Marble Hall in the Carlotta villa on
Lake Como.
HIS entrance into a stagnant COM
munity was as stimulating as a breath
of fresh air in a hospital ward. Arriving
in a town at dusk after long day $ jour-
of its condition. its municipal finances,
and its trade. all prepared according 10
the system OF bookkeeping which he in
troduced throughout the empire.
Studying the figures in the night, he
was up in the morning and in the saddle
while the place was still asleep. With
! the eye of an engineer. he determined the
course of a needed canal or avenue. the
best site for a factory, a harbor, or a
park. When at or . o'clock he called
about him the principal inha bitants. they
were overwhelmed with his knowledge of
their Affairs, his detailed plans for local
, improvements. and could only exclaim
in their wondering admiration, HE Is
more than a man..
Sometimes when he expressed his ap-
proval OF a structure and called for the
builder, the officials brought forward a
favoTite TO receive imperial honOrs for
something done by humble subordinate.
But after a swift examination the EN-
peror would say. This man is not the
real builder. Let me see the man who
actually did the work" Then the mod
est underIing received the praise hon
estly won. and found himself promoted
above the pretender.
Liberation of Jews and serfs.
While Napoleon mostly wrought in
stone and was in reaction from the ideal
ism that preceded the empire and ran
riot, he remained obedient to many of
the solid, tangible purposes of the revo-
luton which sent him forth. He uproot-
ed ancient injustice all along his way
and planted liberal institutions through
out Europe Even to faraway Poland. he
carried modern laws, freeing the serfs
and the land. while Prussia emulated the
example Of her conqueror and feudalism
disappeared from Germany in a year.
Let every species OF serfage be abol-
ished," he commanded his brother Je-
of Westphelia. THE benefits OF the Code
Napoleon, the publicity of court proceed
ings. the establishment of juries should
form so many distinctive characteristics
He did more for the emancipation of
the Jews than all other rulers together
in. three centuries. He convoked their
leaders in the famous French Sanhedrim
of 1907 and his Madrid decree still Is their
charter of rights in the lands that formed
his empire. "All men are brothers before
God" he declared to a deputstion COM
posed of a Catholic priest. a Protestant
minister and a Jewish rabbi. and he gave
that brotherhood the force of law nearly
everywhere in Europe. How far he stood
in advance of even the more progressive
nations may be measured by the fact that
even the earl marshal of England. the
Duke of Norfolk, was debarr>d from a
seat in the House of Lords because he
was a Catholic. Geo. ge III dismissed a
British cabinet. in lsc7 because it favored
the emancipation of the Catholics, a
measure of justice that was refused un-
til 1879