Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1920-08-26
THE MISTAKES OF HISTORY
EpiGrams Attributed to Notable PeopIe
Which They Never Uttered

(From the Sun and New York HereldbI
Did Empress Eugene refer to the Franz,
co-Prussian War at the time when shsi
was urging France to accept Prussia's
challenge to arms as my war? Gam
BETA put this expression into her mouth
in one of his fiery speeches against tho
Napoleons. More than any other remark
attributed to her It aroused the Paris
population to frenzy and increased tho
intensity Of French hatred of that Span
sh woman" Eugenie said that those
two words more than any act she had
committed or omitted brought upon hef
opprobrium OF the French people.
The circumstances that gave rise to tina
expression Is now almost forgotten and
the conditions in France are such today
that the remark has little relevancy: Vet
a review Of her career and of Frances
part in the Franco-p russian War would
have been incomplete without a reference
to the expression, This is my war;" to
which was given a place in history hale
century ago.
Gambetta APPARENTLY never gave his
authority. The French marshal to whom
the words were supposed to have been
Addressed did not in after years confirm
the popular report. Persons in the au~
dience said that the Empress made nj
such remark. others that what she said
was not This is my war; but us this
Ia he my war;" In the question she at
tempted to imply that If France could
not have the support of the French army
there could be no war; Empress Eugenia
herself denied that she had ever spol5en
the ords or had ever used any others Of
similar import
The chances are that nothing she said
or that any one else will ever change tha
general belief. The historian is charged
with utteriug as many untruths as 'ha
poet, hte dramatst or the novelist. Des-
pte history we know that at the battle
Of Waterloo the old Guard used quite
different expression from the one attr-'
buted to It. THE Old Guard dies, butt
never surreuders.'
Modern investigators have been busy
attempting to prove that the supposed
notorious Judge Jefferys was slandered. ,
Horace Walpole wrote learnedly to prove
that the world was mistaken in its es-
innate of Richard III, and Froude charg-
es Elizabeth, the Virgin Queen. with be-
ing a miser, liar, a profiteer off tive
the sailors whom she sent out to meet
the Spanish Armada, in fact of being
almost everything but what the hlstor-,
ians of her time tried to make her out.
The two remarks attributed to Nelson
at the battle of Trafalgar have been
proved historic fibs. According to hist
Dry, when importuned to conceal the star
on his breast he said In honor gained I
them, in honor I will die with them" The
decoration in fact was embroidered upon
mis- jacket, and what he really said was
that he knew his danger but that ''it was ,
too late then to change my coat" lie
did not say England expects every man
to do his duty" but Nelson expects
every man to do his duty" At least that
is the assertion of researchers. But the
fable is so much more impressive than
the truth, why not let it stand?
If history has been mistaken so often
in the past it may be charitable TO as
sumo that it likewise erred in reporting
the little old empress's speech