The Washington herald., 1914-06-28
A Splendid MateriaIIsm.

Notwithstanding its comparative liber-
slism in many Things, however, the en-
pire Of Napoleon was not OF the higher
realm of the spirit, but a splendid ma
terialism. While he established the Uni
versity OF France and organized schools
for the few. his energies were wholly di-
rected toward fitting men for his service.
Ordering a minister to bring him the next
morning a plan for a military school. the
man worked all night in preparing II. The
Emperor praised the outline, but found
II incomplete, and straIghtway dictated
5l7 articles. The minister himself assures
us that nothing more perfect ever is
sued from any mans BRAIN
Yet that great and tiTeless brain did
next TO nothing for popular education.
The empire found 95 per cent of the peo-
pie illiterate-think of it. only four
Frenchmen in leo could read o. write
and II iS doubtful IL there were more
than 5000 children in the public primary
schools OF France at any time while Ma
poleon was on the throne.
The finer arts languished in the deep
shade of this massive figure. Notwith-
standing he offered liberal yearly prizes,
no great poem or song. no great opera
or play found its inspiration In him.
Beethoven dedicated his symphony,
:'Eroica." to the first consul. but when
his republican hero put on the crown, the
composer angrtly tore on the dedication.
trampled It under his feet and dedicated
the immortal symphony anew to the
memory OF a great man
In vain did the mighty Emperor COM
mand the muses. fittingly to celebrate his
titanic exploits. IF a man like Corneille
were living now, | would make him a
prince" he sighed. On the most arduous
and distant campaigns. he eagerly
watched the productions OF literature. Re-
quiring that the latest books be sent to
him. he glanced through them as his car
riege bumped along and then flung them
out the window.
Although he ordered and paid for
paintings by the yard-"eight meters,
three decimeters in height and four
meters in breadth. the price to be s., 400
he admitted that it was absurd to order
a poet to write an ode as YOU would or
der a dressmaker to make a muslin
gown" Yet he seemed often tempted 20
arrest the poets and musicians for their
Intellectual attempts to gild the gold OF
his achievements. IF things do not go
on better at the opera" he threatened,
I will put in a good soldier to man
age #"
While he made Ie Brun. who trans
lated Jerusalem Delivered" and the
Odyssey" duke. his patience with him
was so tried that he groaned: Good
man who can translate a poem cannot
manage fifteen men" And he warned
his brother. King Joseph. that nc lived
too much with literary and scientific
one must keep up a commerce Of gal
lantry. but whom one must never think
of making ones wife or ones minister"
His Own Poet and Orator.
In the end this masterful man, in his
infinite variety, made himself the poet
and the orator OF France. The map Of
Europe was the sheet whereon he wrote
the greatest epic of his time. However
vigorous his practical faculty" saws
Paine. in his study of Napoleon. This
poetic faculty is stronger. II is even too
vigorous for a statesman; its grandeur
is exaggerated into enormlty and its enor-
nifty degenerates into madness"
Napoleon's proclamations to his army
often rose to the clear heights Of oratory
Emerson pronounced his battle narra-
tives as good as Caesars. A measure OF
his activities as writer is offered by his
published correspondence filing more
than thirty volumes and comprising near
ly 5000 documents.
Yet very little Of it did he write with
his own hand. No pen could keep up with
his thoughts. His words few from his