“THE LITTLE CORPORAL.”

Evening Star, Issue 12418, 3 February 1905, Page 7

“THE LITTLE CORPORAL.”

Mr Oscar Browning told several interesting stories of Napoleon in the course of an address at the Passmore Edwards Settlement, Tavistock place. London. One of the characteristics of Napoleon, he said, was that he was a most economical man. He saw the other day a list of all the clothes Napoleon ever bad in his life. It was perfectly well known how many uniforms he possessed, how many cocked hats, how many pairs of socks, and how many boots. Josephine, on the other hand, was very extravagant. It would be very difficult to make a list of her wardrobe; it would fill several volumes. Napoleon was much blamed for divorcing Josephine; hut it must be remembered that in those days divorce was very common—almost as common As it was to-day in the United States. He never seemed to think he had done any harm by divorcing her, and she never resented it. Indeed, when there WaS some difficulty about finding a wife for Napoleon from among the crowned heads of Europe, Josephine herself .requested Mario Louise to marry him I .When Napoleon had assumed the title of Emperor, and was to bo crowned, there was some doubt as to whether the Pope would clown him dr whether ho would crown himself. At the ceremony Napoleon settled the matter by taking the crown in his hands, and placing it on his head, at the same time exclaiming in French; “ God has given it to me; woe to him who tOOChe'S it.” The general opinion of Napoleon was that ha was never happy except when he was at war, but some people might say he never jnaJa K£u; “on. hi* aaai, r ’ ftYC6ftk yfeaßvV

went to' war with Russia. Every war in which he was engaged was stirred up by other people, and, he was afraid, by the English. The English did not engage in the wars themselves, but they paid the people who did fight, and a. very large share of England’s National Debt was contracted in fighting NapoleOn.