The Washington herald., 1915-01-09
HISTORY BUILDERS.
American Songs that Pleased the

American Songs that Pleased the
Emperor.
| Written Expressly for The Washington Herald.l
BY DIR. E. j. EDWARDS.
Mrs Charles Moulton, better known
by that name than by the one she as
sumed some years after the death of
Mr.. Moulton. her first husband, when she
married the minister from Denmark to
Berlin. was for some years an intimate
friend of the Empress Eugene and of
the Emperor Napoleon. She is an Amer
lean girl, a cousin of James Russell
Lowell and a native of Cambridge,
Mass. She went abroad to study sing
ing, for she had a beautiful voice She
married Charles MouIton, who was the
son of an American banker, who had
lived for many years in Paris and who
had gained a large fortune. Mrs. Moul-
ton and her husband We're frequently in
vited to the Tuileries and also to the
country home of the Emperor and En-
press. The Emperor was very fond of
some of the simple American songs
which, at his request, she occasionally
sang. He would listen almost by the
hour to some of the melodies of Stephen
Foster and was particularly charmed
with inc song entitled ''Massa's In the
Cold, Cold Ground" He liked that even
better than ''Suwanee River" Upon one
occasion the Emperor told Mrs. MoultOn
that he liked to hear these American
songs because they reminded him pleas
antly of the time when he was an exile
in New York and also of the many kind
ly acts which citizens of New York per-
formed to MAKE his stay as pleasant as
possible.
was reminded by Mrs. Moulton's re-
cent publication of this anecdOte of
chat l had some years ago with the late
II. Walter Webb. who was prominently
associated with the management of the
Vanderbilt railroad properties and who
was a son of Gen. James Watson Webb.
for many years editor of the New York
Courier and Enquirer
My father had at various times good
reason for knowing that the Emperor
Louis Napoleon not only did not forget
his kindness to him, but in addition
maintained real affection for him." said
Mr.. Webb When father was in Paris,
think in 1864 the Emperor received him
as family friend. dincd and breakfasted
with him informally and in every way
possible made it apparent that he cher
ished the most cordial recollection of my
father and his kindness to him. 1t was
through my father that the Emperor
TO lTtSlutul l-lHCOlI, COU-
hdentially, the Information that he in
tended as soon as possible to withdraw
the French army from Mexico.
Some years before Louis Napoleon he
came president of the French republic,
and later emperor. he lived for awhile
New York. He was in dire extremity. He
hoped to be able to get some pupils so
hat he could earn his living by giving
French lessons to them. Father met him
almost accidentally and at once per-
ceived that he was in real need. There
upon my father in as delicate a way as
possible. told Napoleon that he need have
no apprehension about his means of
living, for an allowance sufficient to
support him would be given to him with
out any expectation Of repayment.
The exile-as he then was-gladly ac-
cepted this benefaCtiOn. 1t was main
He would have had great difficulty in
earning enough to pay for his board and
lodging if it had not been for this assist
lnCe He never forgot the kindness"
That probably is one of the reasons
why Louis Napoleon when emperor was
pleased when he heard simple American |
ballads sung. He had heard some OF |
these ballads when he was living in New |
York and the repetition of them when he
was emperor reminded him OF the kind |
ness Of his American friends.
CoTyright 1916 by L. J. Edwards. All nights re- |
served.