The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1918-08-12

to recall two conspicuous figures Of
that period. The Duke of yelling
ton-Arthur Wellesley --(1769-1S52,)
was subject to fainting fits, and died
from an attack Of epilepsy. His first
great successes, after service in In
/ dia, were in Portugal and Spain,
where he defeated superior forces Of
the French. At Waterloo, by the
help Of the Prussians under Butcher,
he defeated Napoleon, who, too, was
delicate in youth, had a bent back
and suffered from a nervous witch
ing of his right shoulder during all
his adult years. Napoleon's death
was fastened, it is said, by an inor-
dinate use Of snuff.
The Corsican, whose armies raw
aged Europe, unseated kings, con-
quered Germany and Austria, and
, changed the boundaries of many
countries, was of lowly birth, but he
seized opportunities, or made them.
and put crowns upon the heads If his
brothers. From Berlin he issued his
famous decree declaring Great Brit.
ain under blockade, with most sweep
ing restrictions. Up to 1914 Napo.
leon was the record butcher of Eu-
rope The shooting to death in cold
blood Of 5000 Mameluke prisoners in
Egypt-of men engaged in defending
their country from invasion-was
among his early atrocities. Despite
his physical weakness, Napolean had
tremendous mental energy. His
greatest civic achievement was the
Code Napoleon. He made the church
festival Of the Assumption Of the
Blessed Virgin, August Is (next
Thursday national one, and
changed the date of celebrating his
birthday-February 5--to correspond
with that festival occasion. With no
friend but his sword, no fortune but
his talents, no motive but interest,
no God but ambition, this extraordi.
nary character, born on an island,
ruled Europe, and died a prisoner on
another island. He was one Of the
greatest liars in history and by de-
ceit yoked with might built his
empire, but having feet of clay it
crumbled.
Robert G. Ingersoll once wrote up
on The Doom of Empires:
"The traveller standing amid the
ruins of ancient cities and empires,
seeing on every side the fallen pillar
and the PROSTATE wall, asks why did
these cities fall; why did these en-
pires crumble? And the Ghost of
the Past, the wisdom Of ages, an.
swers: these temples, these palaces.
these cities, the ruins of which you
stand upon, were built by tyranny
and injustice. The hands that built
them were unpaid. The backs that
bore the burdens also bore the marks
of the last. They were built by
slaves to satisfy the vanity and ambi.
ton Of thieves and robbers. For
these reasons they are dust.
Their civilization was a lie Their
laws regulated robbery and estab-
lished theft. They bought and sold
the bodies and souls Of men, and the
mournful wind of desolation, signing
amid their crumbling ruins, is a.
voice Of prophetic warning to those
who would repeat the Infamous ex-
pertinent, uttering the great truth.
that no nation founded upon slavery,
either fbody or mind, can stand"
France is now republic, and Am
erica is helping 1t in struggle
against foe more ruthless than was
the former French emperor In his
murder of men and wreck of matter.
Bonaparte (1769.1S2D came to
Paris a sallow-faced boy, without
friends or influence, and as a charity
student ina military school did not
impress his associates as the posses
sor Of any special gifts. The Duke
of Wellington, his conqueror, entered
the army in subordinate position,
and was changed from one branch Of
the service to another without ad.
vancement Becoming dissatisfied,
he applied for position in the civil
service, but was refused. He re.
manned in the army to become one Of
England's greatest generals.
Arthur Wellesley was considered a
Ounce by his mother. At Elton, he
was called dull, idle, slow, was home
ly of features, and about the last boy
in school of whom anything was ex-
pected. His mother had such a poor
opinion of him that she is said to
have remarked when sending him off
to a military school, that he was eft
food for powder and nothing else"
] He showed no talent and had no de.