The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1935-02-14
NAPOLEON JUST
ORDINARY MAN,
LETTERS BARE
Love Notes to Marie Louise
Reveal COrSiCan as
Lover, Father.

Of steel. hard Of sentiment. and
talking in noble. Homeric sentences
that Is. Of course. outside Eis
purely military life. These letters
show US Napoleon coming down
from his pedestal and becoming
just an ordinary man ike you or
me"
This is how ". Georges Girard.
historian and accepted authority on
the Napoleonic epoch. summed up
his impressions after reading 4 Sc
lection Of the newly discovered let
tiers Of Napoleon to the Empress
Louise. his young bride
NJ Girard. who is now custodian
OF the fine library at the French
foreign office. remarked that the
letters. considered as historical
documents. or as the chapters Of a
poignant romance. are Of supreme
interest.
What would Frederic Mason.
the great historian Of Napoleon
have given for the possibility Of
reading them?" he exclaimed.
Lover and Father
Napoleon reveals himself in his
letters 20 his bride" continued NJ.
Girard. "as a lover, as a father, and
Gin quite a surprising way as a
typical urban bourgeois. Take That
desperate note 10 Marie Louise,
written toward the end Of the cam
pairu OF France. when -he debacle
was near After telling her OF the
sorry plight IN which his army
found itself between the troops Of
the allied AuStrians. Russians and
Poles. and OF his failure to induce
Austria to abandon the Russians.
the Emperor asked his wife 20 in
tercede with her father. Emperor
Francis. and see what she could 90.
In an Outburst OF evaporation,
he wrote. After all. sacrebleu. your
father could quite well do something
for u.s.
Now isn't that A delightful touch
OF pure middle-class family splrit?'
NJ. Girard commented. Just like
a bourgeois tradesman on the verge
Of bankruptcy appealing 10 the
wife's side Of the family for aid.
But then. Immediately afterward,
the other Napoleon reappears. the
hero Of history and legend. Tell
him. however. that We Will die rather
than accept a shameful peace.
Family Ties Revealed
The drama Of the conflicting
family ties Is wildly revealed IN this
correspondence. Napoleon must
often have hurt his wife's feelings,
and shocked her pride by his con-
temptuOus references TO the infer
Tor troops OF her father-'Papa
Francois he called him. not very
respectfully. We don't know If Ma
rie Louise really did try TO help mat
tiers. but if she failed it is not sur
prisir. =. Napoleon did not do muCn
to conciliate his fsther-in-law.
What interests ME particularly
in the letters is the intensely hu-
man side Of Napoleon's character.
on which they shed an entirely new
light His weakness, his emotions,
his violent reactions to little family
happenings and worries. That he
was genuinely in love with Marie
Louise is now evident. although it
Is doubtful II he loved her with the
same sort Of passion he had for
josephine After all. he was now
middle-aged man Of over 40.
"On the other hand we can see
that his vanity was tickled by the
match with a daught"~ of the i'm
periaI house Of Austria. He appears
dazzled BY the idea of marrying a
real princess Il has been related
that Napoleon. without the flicker
Of an eyelaSh. would speak Of my
uncle. the late Louis XVI. apparent
~ proud ID think that. at least by
marriage. ne was already allied 10
the royal house Of France.
Laws World at Her Feet
AT times his bride makes hin.
forget that he IS the master of the
wOrld-until his blazing love COM
man 3 him 10 lay the world at her
feet. which he almost literally did.
Marie Louise. on her side. could
hardly be expected 10 forget very
quickly that the man she married
was the 'Orge Of the world the
bogey that had frightened her child
hood. the enemy Of her country. The
letters show how Napoleon. the hus-
band and lover. was constantly striv-
ing 70 make her forget Napoleon the
military terror Of the world.
But I think" added NJ. Girard.
that one Of the real revelations Of
the new letters is the pathetic
picture Of Napoleon as father. He
obviously dotted on the little king
as he called him. He mentions him
n every one Of his letters from
the front.
Prom the terrific battlefelds Of
Russia. Napoleon writes almost
daily inquiring about his baby son.
He will be able to speak before
return he writes almost enviouslv.
and he must amuSe you tremen-
dously.' or again. They tell me Re
talks Ike an orator. How I would
like 70 see him
The emperor questions every Of
fcer arriving from Paris. eager for
news Of his sons prattling. I am
told he writes 70 Marie Louise
that the little king eats as much
as four ordinary children OF his
age. that he is little glutton. How
I envy your happiness in being
able 70 kiss the little king
Affectionate Father
His letters. indeed. disclose TIA
poleon as an extraordinary affec-
tionate father. What pathos il his
message 10 the empress ordering
that an engraving be made and
published OF a portrait Of his son
which had been sent 70 him during
the critical phase OF his campaign