New-York tribune., 1921-01-29

H. W. Ve4lS IN MS OutIlne or history
seldom seems just an Englishman. He
fights his battles and makes most of
his judgments alone and generally in
defiance of the traditions of his coun-
trymen, but he is not bold enough to
face Napoleon Bonaparte oil by him
self. The sight of the terrible little
Corsican peeping over the edge of the
thirty eighth chapter sends Wells sour
rying from his solitude into the center
of British square. It must be that
when Wells was little and bad his
nurse told him that if he did rot eat
mis- mush or go to bed, or perform
Scme other necessary function in the
daily life of child, Old Bony
would get him. And Wells is still
scared. He takes it out, Of course, by
pretending that Napoleon has been
vastly overrated and remarks that it
was pretty lucky for him that he lost
Trafalgar and never got TO England,
where troops would have made short
work of him.
Nelson, Wells holds, was just as great
a figure in his own speciality as Napo-
leon in his, but il so it seems a pity
that he did not rise to Wellsian heights
Of strategy and lose Trafalgar so that
Napoleon might land and be defeated
by British pluck and skill. Then, in
deed, might Waterloo have been won
upon the cricket fields Of Eton.
Not only does Wells insist on re-
garding Napoleon through national
lenses but through moral ones also.
Speaking Of his accession as First Con-
sui, Wells writes: "Now surely here
was opportunity such as never came
to. man before. Here was a position in
which a man might we'll bow himself
in fear Of himself, and search his
heart and serve God and man to the
utmost"
That. Of course, was not Napoleon's
intent. His performance must be
judged by his purpose, and it seems to
us that Wells doesn't half appreciate
how brilliant was the stunt which Ma
poleon achieved. "He tried to do the
impossible and did it," Man was no
better for him and neither was God,
but he remains still the great bogy
man Of Europe, bogy great enough
to have frightened Mr. Wells and
marked him. Here was man VINO took
life and made it theatrical. 1t was an
achievement in popular aesthetics, if
nothing else, but Wells doesn't care
about aesthetics. Perhaps even q moral
might be extracted from the life Of
Napoleon. He proved the maei. quail
ity Of personality and the inspiration
OF gesture. Some day the same methods
may be used to better advantage.
The institution Of the Legion OF
Honour Wells calls IA scheme for dec
Grating Frenchmen with bits of ribbon
which was admirably calculated to di-
vert ambitious men from subyersive
proceedings" But these same bits of
ribbon and the red and green ones of
the Croix de Guerre and the yellow and
green Of the Medaille Militaire were
later to save France from the cnrush
OF the Germans. Without decorations.
without phrases and without the bril-
liant and effective theatrical oratory
of French officers, from marsnals to
sub-lieutenants, France would nave lost
the great war. Everybody who saw
the French army in action realized that
lts morale was maintained durlng the
worst days by colored ribbons and
horid speeches. Even the stern and
taciturn Pershing learned the lesson,
and before he had been in France three
months he was about making speeches
to wounded men in which he told them
that he wished that he, too, were lying
in hospital with all their glory Per-
sonaliy, 1t never seemed to me that
Pershing actually Convinced any
wounded doughboy Of his enthusiasm
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