The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-03-28
SOME NEW BOOKS.
NapoicSn's Fntcful Excursion to
Moscow In 1912.

~ VI ~ wv VI
1872. when Frcnchman grapplcd with
Rus ian and Napoleon passed the
-s,;'h of his power: Gumbinncn.
T'.,~.'. Tilsit. Eocpigsbcrg, Warsaw.
LODI. Lemherg. e. Niemen and the
Nlstu,a. The campaign may be read
in outline in a chapter of the new
edition of AUGrsT t~ptRNiER's Ndpo-
leon I. Uto'O and in det ill in EDWARD
f'ooRp's history. Napoicon's Russian
Cdmpd5oH Of 1872 little. Brown.
The invasion ~ the cars dominion.
the occupation Of Moscow and the
retreat. in Mr.. Foord's phrase the
last ana greatest of Napoleon's cf-
forts to impose his dominion upon
contin ntal Europe these events are
the climax Of the Napoleonic drama.
Al. Fournier's two volum. work, first
published nearly twenty years ago,
s.mp,y places tn military episode in
its political setting. Mr.. foord has
used the abundant materials recently
published by the French and Russian
War Offices. and his intimate view OF
the turning point ,p.sodc supplements
niCe,y the new matter in the revised
edition Of the older work.
NJ. Fourier turns his study Of this
chapter in Napolcon's career not upon
the psychological effect of oNercon-
fidcucc on the great Sold Rs strategy
but upon the t.mpcror's experience
in acquiring t1rdily the correct I'M
Outstanding of tn natiucl' spirit as
n decisive force in the affairs OF men.
In his youth he had been fired 10y a
sort of tribal sentiment not broad
patriotism; the sentiment that "pitted
Italian against Italian. torsiCan
against Genoesc. dialect against dia-
lect." If he had been an Italian ma
~tiona,ist. how diff rcntly would have
run the course of European history.
OutgrowinG this limitation. he skipped
the intermediate stage and lclped into
CoSmopOlitaniSm. His dream of en-
pir of "level,cd humanity subject TO
his rule ignored the cleavage lines
OF race: . fatal oversight or neglect.
Perhaps he measured more accurately
the Weaknesses than tn strength of
mans nature.
He attacked Spain. where, says the
French historian. the instinct of ma
~tiunality was "eXc p~tionally strong;
and ';he people. Stung t. fury. seized
the weapon their rulers had dropped
anu bfNfIlll!ll'h - u'fll ~ llf isl
Napoleon's STRONGEST advcrsaries
VIII Their or not consciously cogniZant
Of this defect Of his mentality. found
IN liltary oc~canizaticn Of TINS popu-
lar national instinct The best means of
resistance to the agGrcssor. Murlt's
parade" IA Madrid failed to duenCl the
flames of instruction. In France there
was patriotic agitation against his
disloyll ambition" a National state
propaganda opposed to the Interna-
tional bn-natunalD Empire.
When finally Napoleon arrayed his
hosts AGAINST Alexander he used Prus-
sia so hardy that. useidl as she was
in the imm' date premises. the value
received was. !ntin!tesimal in .,ropor-
ton 70 the adverse sentiment created
If nothing else could have famed
prussian hate into flame. the ruthless
treatment she received in 1872 at the
Empcror's hands was enough not only
for that hut to organize and direct thu
fierce resentment. IL who sows the
wind reaps the whirIwind. In discov-
ering the true force of Russian ma
tlonality Napoleon put the finishing
touches on rruss.an nationality as an
agent Of his uwn destruction. In "A
letter to Gen. Won Yorck the Czar
pledged himself rot to .aN down arms
until prussia had bner restored =, .bs
nosi,ior sba had hold in ,>os 4,
rauropgsn Won yorck spuol an aprae.
MAN, d.cI,,t,y hi. corns ,.,,,a
So "a ti,i;nu H. ~. g., al,
auatrs, D. g. go. nar,h- o,or
in dosonra -. ,ass,hla ,rdar. ,,or
- -. r.',I -
- n7 a IL nh
g.
"'"'u Wv .,
" eN,,s 'Ho''"' " pa .v'' " -,
=, "' M" va 'i"'
"'s ''"'
!" 'h"' e'r,ort''" W V"' '"'
'h'ese's !" WIZ" ''," " "
esia'uie " ~ ''n'V,'' VI
upon i'h' '"' "''"'N 'P't "I',
croueht 10 " ""'' '"e t"' u.',".n viz
ne hau heaPeu an" Ni'''''" !" u
eo'a'
Mr.. Foord sums up N similar terms
"The ultimate results Of the Russian
victory were TIA" general uprising "
northern Germany against Napoleon
the adhesion of Austria, after con
siderable hesitation, T." the anti-Na
poleonic coalition, and IN" complete
overthrow within little more than
year of the empire Il force which h'
had built in Enrap. W