Part 3 (2/2)
While these things were transpiring, Napoleon, ever intensely occupied, was inspecting his veteran soldiers of Italy and of Egypt, in a public review The elements seemed to conspire to invest the occasion with splendor The day was cloudless, the sun brilliant, the sky serene, the air invigorating All the inhabitants of Lyons and the populace of the adjacent country thronged the streets No pen can describe the transports hich the hero was received, as he rode along the lines of these veterans, whom he had so often led to victory The soldiers shouted in a frenzy of enthusiasht the shout and it reverberated along the streets in one continuous roar Matrons andbanners and handkerchiefs, wept in excess of emotion Bouquets of floere showered from the s, to carpet his path, and every conceivable demonstration was made of the most enthusiastic love Napoleon hirenadiers, whonized, he called out of the ranks, kindly talked with the their wounds and their wants He addressed several of the officers, whom he had seen in many encounters, shook hands with them, and a delirium of excitement pervaded all minds Upon his return to the Hotel deVille, he met the deputation of the convention They presented hi upon him the acceptance of the Presidency of the Cisalpine Republic Napoleon received the address, inti day, to htly upon the city A large church, embellished with richest drapery, was prepared for the solemnities of the occasion Napoleon entered the church, took his seat upon an elevated platfore nuenerals and statese, with as ance of expression, and fluency of utterance as if his whole life had been devoted to the cultivation of the powers of oratory He announced his acceptance of the dignity hich they would invest hi the measures which he adopted to secure the prosperity of the Italian Republic , as the new state was henceforth to be called Repeated bursts of applause interrupted his address, and at its close one continuous shout of acclaht of the assembled multitude Napoleon remained at Lyons twenty days, occupied, apparently every rossed his attention And yet he found ti forward the overn brief extracts from this free and confidential correspondence, afford an interesting glimpse of the reat objects of his a slowly inaudience to the deputations of the neighboring departments The i the past two years the population of Lyons has increased more than 20,000 souls All the h activity All y which overturns empires, but that which re-establishes the of you particularly to see that the unruly members, e have in the constituted authorities, are every one of theovernment shall not be obstructed in its endeavors to act for the public good, and that the head of Medusa shall no longer show itself, either in our tribunes or in our assemblies The conduct of Sieyes, on this occasion, co contributed to the destruction of all the constitutions since '91, he wishes now to try his hand against the present He ought to burn a wax candle to Our Lady, for having got out of the scrape so fortunately and in so unexpected a row, the more I perceive that each man must fulfill his destiny I recoo have actually been sent off I take it for granted that you have taken properthe Chatelet If the Minister of Marine should stand in need of the frigates of the King of Naples, he ives me a satisfactory account of the state of Piedmont”
”I wish that citizen Royer be sent to the 16th military division, to examine into the accounts of the paymaster I also wish some individual, like citizen Royer, to perform the same duty for the 13th and 14th divisions It is co as they can, and that the pay as possible The payreatest nuisance in the state”
”Yesterday I visited several factories I was pleased with the industry and the severe economy which pervaded these establishments
Should the wintry weather continue severe, I do not think that the 25,000 a rants for the purposes of charity, will be sufficient It will be necessary to add five thousand dollars for the distribution of wood, and also to light fires in the churches and other large buildings to give warreat number of people”
Napoleon arrived in Paris on the 31st of January In the mean time, there had been a new election of islative body All those who had manifested any opposition to the measures of Napoleon, in the re-establishment of Christianity, and in the adoption of the new civil code, were left out, and their places supplied by those who approved of the measures of the First Consul Napoleon could now act unembarrassed In every quarter there was submission All the officers of the state, iht an audience, and in that poe which his majestic deeds and character inspired, presented to hin, in possession of regal power, such as no other ies of his hty mind were concentrated
France was his estate, his diadelory, the happiness of France his happiness, the riches of France his wealth Never did a father withself-denial and toil labor for his fah days of Herculean exertion and nights of sleeplessness devote every energy of body and soul to the greatness of France He loved not ease, he loved not personal indulgence, he loved not sensual gratification
The elevation of France to prosperity, wealth, and poas a limitless ambition The almost supernatural success which had thus far attended his exertions, did but nify his desires and stimulate his hopes He had no wish to elevate France upon the ruins of other nations But he wished to make France the pattern of all excellence, the illustrious leader at the head of all nations, guiding theence, to opulence, and to happiness Such, at this ti ambition of Napoleon, the most noble and comprehensive which was ever embraced by the conception of man
Of course, such ambition was not consistent with the equality of other nations for he determined that France should be the first But he manifested no disposition to destroy the prosperity of others; he only wished to give such an impulse to humanity in France, by the culture of n coreat national works, as to place France in the advance upon the race course of greatness In this race France had but one antagonist--England France had nearly forty millions of inhabitants The island of Great Britain contained but about fifteen lobe, and, with her fleets, commanded all seas ”France,” said Napoleon, ”must also have her colonies and her fleets” ”If we perland rejoined, ”we may become a secondary power, and may thus be at the mercy of France” It was undeniably so Shall history be blind to such fatality as this? Is man, in the hour of triu that he should attain pohich places us at his ant, and abused that power, and made herself offensive to all nations Napoleon developed no special meekness of character to indicate that he would be, in the pride of strength which no nation could resist, land for being unwilling to yield her high position to surrender her supremacy on the seas--to become a secondary power--to allow France to beco the establishment of colonies, the extension of commerce, friendly alliance with other nations, and the creation of fleets to protect her froression upon the ocean, as well as upon the land? Napoleon hinanih at times exasperated by the hostility which he now encountered yet often spoke in terms of respect of the influences which anionists so seldonani But it is not easy for man accurately to adjust the balance God alone can award the issue The mind is saddened as it wanders amid the labyrinths of conscientiousness and of passion, of pure motives and impure ambition This is, indeed, a fallen world The draedy Melancholy is the lot ofalar The energy of the First Consul seeacity, the ht To-day the news reaches London that Napoleon has been elected President of the Italian Republic Thus in an hour five millions of people are added to his e a colony at Elba, that a vast expedition is sailing for St Doland is bewildered Again it is proclaimed that Napoleon has purchased Louisiana of Spain, and is preparing to fill the fertile valley of the Mississippi with colonists In the mean time, all France is in a state of activity
Factories, roads, bridges, canals, fortifications are every where springing into existence The sound of the shi+p hammer reverberates in all the harbors of France, and every month witnesses the increase of the French fleet The lish people contey The statesland contemplate it with dread
For some months, Napoleon, in thea vast system of public instruction for the youth of France He drew up, with his own hand, the plan for their schools, and proposed the course of study It is a little singular that, with his strong scientific predilections, he should have assigned the first rank to classical studies Perhaps this is to be accounted for from his profound admiration of the heroes of antiquity His own hly stored with all the treasures of Greek and Roman story All these schools were formed upon a military model, for situated as France was, in the midst of monarchies, at heart hostile, he deemed it necessary that the nation should be universally trained to bear arious instruction was to be communicated in all these schools by chaplains, military instruction by old officers who had left the army, and classical and scientific instruction by the most learned men Europe could furnish The First Consul also devoted special attention to feeneration,” said he, ”as good mothers” To attract the youth of France to these schools, one ratuitous exhibitions for the pupils Ten schools of laere established, nine schools of medicine, and an institution for the es and Roads,” the first model of those schools of art which continue in France until the present day, and which are deees in these institutions A system of perfect equality pervaded them The pupils of all classes were placed upon a level, with an unobstructed arena before them ”This is only a commencement,” said Napoleon, ”by-and-by we shall do more and better”
Another project which Napoleon now introduced was veheion of Honor One of the leading principles of the revolution was the entire overthrow of all titles of distinction Every h or loas to be addressed simply as CitizenNapoleon wished to introduce a system of rewards which should stimulate to heroic deeds, and which should ennoble those who had deserved well of hued France since the peace He had observed hat eagerness the populace had followed these foreigners, gazing with delight upon their gay decorations The court-yard of the Tuileries was ever crohen these illustrious strangers arrived and departed Napoleon, in his council, where he was always eloquent and powerful, thus urged his views:
”Look at these vanities, which genius pretends so much to disdain
The populace is not of that opinion It loves these ious pomp The democrat philosopher calls it vanity Vanity let it be But that vanity is a weakness coreat virtuesfrom it With these so much despised baubles heroes are ious sentiment There lory Nations should not strive to be singular anydifferently from the rest of the world, is an affectation which is reproved by all persons of sense and modesty Ribbons are in use in all countries Let them be in use in France It will be one hbors give theive them to the man of merit--to the one who shall have served best in the army or in the state, or who shall have produced the finest works”
It was objected that the institution of the Legion of Honor was a return to the aristocracy which the revolution had abolished
”What is there aristocratic,” Napoleon exclaimed, ”in a distinction purely personal, and merely for life, bestowed on the man who has displayed merit, whether evil or military--bestowed on hi to his children Such a distinction is the reverse of aristocratic It is the essence of aristocracy that its titles are transmitted from the man who has earned theime, so battered by the ram revolution, is rants hold each other by the hand The Vendeeans are secretly enrolled The priests, at heart, are not very friendly to us With the words 'legitiht be roused to arms It is needful that the men who have taken part in the revolution should have a bond of union, and cease to depend on the first accident which le head For ten years we have only beenruins We le is not over with Europe Be assured that struggle will begin again”
It was then urged by soion of Honor should be confined entirely to military merit ”By no means,” said Napoleon, ”Rewards are not to be conferred upon soldiers alone All sorts of e of the President of the Convention, resisting the populace, should co to the assault of Acre It is right that civil virtues should have their reward, as well as military virtues Those who oppose this course, reason like barbarians It is the religion of brute force they cohts before those of force Force, without intelligence, is nothing In barbarous ages, the eneral is the yptians could not comprehend hoas that Kleber, with his majestic form, was not commander-in-chief When Mourad Bey had carefully observed our tactics, he could coeneral of an aryptians, when you attempt to confine rewards to military valor The soldiers reason better than you Go to their bivouacs; listen to theine that it is the tallest of their officers, and the hest regard! Do you iine even that the bravest stands first in their esteee they suspected; but they rank above the ent As for myself, do you suppose that it is solely because I aeneral that I rule France! No! It is because the qualities of a statesistrate are attributed to overnely mistaken It would require an abject servitude of fifty years before that could be the case France is too noble, too intelligent a country to subence, virtue, the civil qualities; in short let us bestow upon them, in all profession, the like reward”
The true spirit of republicanishts, not of attainments and honors; the abolition of hereditary distinctions and privileges, not of those which are founded upon ion of Honor was to be conferred upon all who, by genius, self-denial, and toil, had won renown The prizes were open to the humblest peasant in the land Still the popular hostility to any institution which bore a resemblance to the aristocracy of the ancient nobility was so strong, that though aopposition Napoleon was surprised He said to Bourrienne: ”You are right Prejudices are still against ht to have waited There was no occasion for haste in bringing it forward But the thing is done; and you will soon find that the taste for these distinctions is not yet gone by It is a taste which belongs to the nature of man You will see that extraordinary results will arise from it”
The order was consist of six thousand rand officers, coe was simply a red ribbon, in the button-hole
To the first rank, there was allotted an annual salary of 1000; to the second 400; to the third, 200; to the fourth, 50 The private soldier, the retired scholar, and the skillful artist were thus decorated with the saenerals, nobles and monarchs That this institution was peculiarly adapted to the state of France, is evident from the fact, that it has survived all the revolutions of subsequent years ”Though of such recent origin,” says Theirs, ”it is already consecrated as if it had passed through centuries; to such a degree has it becoe, of merit of every kind--so randees and the princes of Europe the in”
The popularity of Napoleon was now unbounded A very general and earnest disposition was expressed to confer upon the First Consul a ratitude--a testimonial worthy of the illustrious man as to receive it, and of the powerful nation by which it was to be bestowed The President of the Tribunal thus addressed that body: ”A all nations public honors have been decreed to men who, by splendid actions, have honored their country, and saved it froer clairatitude than General Bonaparte? His valor and genius have saved the French people from the excesses of anarchy, and fronanimous to leave such benefits without reward”
A deputation was immediately chosen to confer with Napoleon upon the subject of the tribute of gratitude and affection which he should receive Surrounded by his colleagues and the principal officers of the state, he received them the next day in the Tuileries With seriousness and ium upon his achievements which was pronounced, and then replaced ”I receive with sincere gratitude the wish to expressed by the Tribunate
I desire no other glory than having completely performed the task impose upon me I aspire to no other reward than the affection of hly convinced, that the evils which they may experience, will always be to me the severest of misfortunes; that life is dear to me solely for the services which I am to render to my country; that death itself will have no bitterness for me, if my last looks can see the happiness of the republic as firlory”
But hoas Napoleon to be rewarded! That was the great difficult question Was wealth to be conferred upon hi Millions had been at his disposal, and he had emptied theence had no charms for him Were monuments to be reared to his honor, titles to be lavished upon his naarded these but means for the acco