CHRIST CÆSARTNAPOLEON

NZ Truth, Issue 405, 29 March 1913, Page 1

CHRIST CÆSARTNAPOLEON

- We now come" bock to Napoleon" , prosecuting his : conquest of Egypt t among the Copts, Moslems, respectively representing racially the . an- , dent Egyptians, Bchismatical followers: of Christ, and' the Muhanune- . dans, mainly Arabs, the followers of Muhammad, corruptly called Mo- ■ hamet by the Turks, and Mohammed « by Europeans. It will bq seen that, after taming the fanaticism of Christians and Moslems, alike, by the sharp chastening of! the sword, compelling them to live m civic concord by a somewhat draconic discipline ; ' capturing their imagination, and commanding their admiration by a marvellous masterfulness m methods -of government, and on all but Mephistophelian mystification m, the metaphysical spheres of morals aiid religion, Napoleon found himself constrained .to resume the sword. Napoleon was forced, to wage war anew, not against the Egyptians, but . against' extraneous and alien . foes, . the Turks, inspired, incited, and as- . sisted by the English! England was, as she had been for centuries, the , hereditary enemy of Franco and Frenchmen. She was equally the enemy of the principles of the French Revolution, then triumphant, and beginning to overrun the continent of Europe, to permeate its downtrodden, oppressed populations, and, to threaten and shake to their foundations "thrones, princedoms, domi- ; nations, and powers^" including ancient monarchical, ecclesiastical, and aristocratical prerogatives, prescriptions and privileges. The people had risen and cast off their thrall. Kings, and priests, and princes now coalesced to reimpose their yoke. At tho head of thia coalition stood England, to whom the uamo of Napoleon, the Conqueror of, -Italy, had already becomo a word of terror, and a phantom of fear. Napoleon Buonaparte had becomo tho bogoy of Pftho British nation, tho Corsican (, Ogro t with whoso awful ghost' parents and nnrses woold frighten naughty children, undbr tho name of "Old Boney." Yet at this timo Napoleon was still a' young man. considerably under thirty years of age. To him, all the most hideous and heinous crimes that mendacious malignity could conceive nnd concocfc—including cold-blooded murder and massacre, treachery and treason, robbery and raplno, infidelity and incest, lechery and luat— wcro openly and- obstinately charged. • • . • Mot only wcro these charges without a tittle of pcoof, or shred of probability, but m spltOiOf abundant proof positive of tho faisity of the majority of tho minor charges, nmi of equally strong proof of tho improbability or absolute impossibility of all tho more Infamous charges, they wero penitently urged, and obstinately bollovod by Englishmen. If war can bo carried on,' nnd justified by Christians,, as it Is oven to this day by "patriots "—for the most par£ Indirectly interests or , directly paid advocates— in Parliament, tho press, tho pulpit, or 0n.,- tho platform; thero 1« MtUo that can bo wvid by way of effective protest against maligning an enotny. There's not much to ehooso between murdering cmd maligning him. In tho ono caso you murder his body tfy bnyonHJnj? or bulteting him, and robbing ii*. his Txmaesslcma. In tho other you Bo tho ooiao witfe his ckoractor, and

'. reputation by the safer and.-surer, ill slower, process of •defamation by innuendo, insinuation, or direct downright flying, of. which men- i dacious,, method -Shakespeare makes lago say ; V . , . Who steals my purse, steals trash: 'tis something, nothing; 'Twas mine, 'Us his, and has been slave to thousands; But he that fllches from me my good name, Bobs me of that, which not enriches him, And makes me poor indeed. * : ".• - • ■ : It is a moot question whether France and Frenchmen had much, or even any, good* ground for: complaint' against England for beading the coalition of • crowned- heads against the . new-born Republic. A great many wise and good Englishmen .believed then, and others like them believe' now, that England had solid national, ■ and sound patriotic, grounds for opposing France- and the Revolution. If, according to tho. cannibalistic Christian canons of slavery and slaughter then, as now, prevailing, "All's fair m love and war" ; if it be a true saying that : The goad old rule Sufllceth thetn, the simple plan. That they should take who have tho power, / And they should keep -who can — then, of course, the war-savagery and blood-lust ot Christian civilisation' is sanctioned, if not sanctified, by the scared consciences,, not of the followers, but. of tho pseud o-profes- [ sors, of .Christ's teachings. j " .•". • -• ■..- /■■.•• : • ! There's little, if any, wide difTerence m the professions, or divergence m tho practice, of Christians of today and those of Napoleon's day. If there bo any difference at' all, it is to bo found m the greater humbug and hypocrisy of latter-day Christianity.' As between English' anil French responsibility for tho Napoleonic wars, that will, of course, depend upon the point of vjew, and tho i nationality of the juries— whether they bo French or English. Tho two national Juries havo long slnco rendered their respective verdicts— but it is for Posterity to pass final judgment. No natiou, any more than an Individual, enn bo both judgo nnd jury m its own cause. These are functions reserved by Gad and Nature for Inexorable Time and Impartial Posterity. Between theso twain, Justice., not blind, but m the i shape of a Nosclcnt Nemesis, holds,! the balance with Implacable impar- , tiality and fatal fairness : and from the verdict of that terrible tribunal,! happily for tho happiness of Humanity* there is no appeal. ."■••■• ■" ' • • I Let the indulgont reader of this series permit another parenthetical pause to be made at this stage of j this Rroat world-wldo, spul-stlrrlne story of the characters and cai-eers of .•the" thrco- mightiest moulders .of tho destinies of mankind. In order to deal a crushlnp blovc at movlorn Christian cant ami clap-trnp, ho commonly indulged In on this very question of tho "righteousness" of w a r. It will bo m tho form of a pertinent quotation from that exemplary Christian publication, of tho practical Prcflbyterlan perH«a«rion. tho famoun "Edinburgh Uwicw." Tho pertinency of this excorpt lies m Its applicability to tho wnrrlor-por-sonalliy who has. aiuumt down to tb<t present '»rv, hwp prcJK«ntt«d, by A j:-itiai '♦pu.f. .r, t .c' iTotomiSU M tho Christian Cockney jingo typo.^l. .» •p«doi9 of Blaughtcring eavagoJ~V.'

demented demon of destruction, a hematonianiacal helot.. • The extract .now to be quoted is tiiken from an article on "The Land Forces of the Crown; Past, Present, and Future," published m the "Edinburgh Review." for October, 1909 :,— ' The "Splendour of God," that must , "unfold itself from -the heart of this huge Democracy, if it Is not to perish," that shone in' William- the Conqueror, and the fealty of his Normans,: m Edward the Third, and the chivalry of his English, m the: Earl of Chatham, ' and the patriotism of a whole nation, niay re-kindle m the devotion, discipline, and ' Self -sacrifice of- a united Empire, m their love of right and justice, and m the resolution and determination ' tliat this Imperial, nation,' which is the mother of constitutional liberty and progress, shall bo ed inviolate m strength and m peace to rear her* offspring into manhood.' And, If "fighting must super-add ; it-.' self as an accident," it shall be their duty not to withstand blows as best they may.- but to impose their, will upon the enemy. But let •' the statesman teach the people, that numbers, train- ■ ing, and organisation are, m war, as essential. as courage and Jiigh' purpose,' and. v/hen the people respond as they responded to the call of- William Pitt. as they will respond to the call of bvery great statesman who. believes and trusts them, they will,; as i they have done In the past, > make; every sacrifice that may be required of them to safeguard the honour and interests of the Empire. , " ■ • ■'. . ■'.•' ■•.: v •.■■..'■■■■' This warlike appeal at the .beginning of this twentieth century rings reminiscent of- Napoleon's soul-stir-ring, victory-compelling Bulletins; to The Grand Army, marred, however, by the tone of cant and ciaptrap dis-" tinctly discernible throughout. .Tkere is, moreover, a wide difference, between the Napoleonic •Bulletins against, a real and formidable foe, actively operating 'ogadnst^nini^ and his country, and the somewhat delusive, not to say delirious, declamation of the bellicose Edinburgh .Reviewer against 'an apocryphal, ima- . ginary or problematical ; foe*, not yet m -the field— or even visible ■'■ or efcis-' tent. Napoleon's appeals— at • any rate the earlier ■- ones, and- until he had turned the tide of battle against the coalesced enemies, of France — were masterly summaries of 'real reasons why his soldiers should' fight and conquer' the cowardly, corrupt, crowned conspirators against the Republic. They were candid and concise, short and sharp, succinct .and , sensible-rgrand, grandiose, and grandiloquent, if you like, but free from all cant and -claptrap ; without a word or hint of hypocrisy or humbug. ' ••' • . And it is here that Napoleon's candid skepticism and common-sense comes m ; it. is here that one can see how bis calls to arms compare more than favorably with, the bathetic bunkum of the bellicose, bible-bang-ing bounders and paid pen-pushing publicists, who, from the safe security of their parsonical perches, and ■editorial chairs, defy the whole world, and call Christendom to arms. These are of the samo kidney as the curs who so valiantly fought Kruger with their jaws. Napoleon never indulged m blatant blasphemy m his Bulletins; he never invoked the name and aid of Clod on the bloody butchery of war. As has been shewn m the last (No. XVI.) pf this series, he had too groat a reverenco for Christ nod Ilia teachings to parade Him before his armies as a sort of military mascotte — a species of South Sea Island fetish or Chinese .Joss. Ho was too sincere and sound a skeptic to take God's namo In vain, or to desecrate the namo ol the meek and lowly Jesus by belching forth blasphemous balderdash about tho "Splendour of God" as Christian sanction for the brutal, bloody arbitrament of wat. •■ . * • • It is, perhaps, m his Bulletins that Napoleon most clearly reveals himself as the super-man— master of himself, captain and compoller of men. Let two of these magnificent military manifestoes suftice to show him oh ho was, as ho showed himself to his soldiers on the eve, or m tho midst, of war. Me is twenty-soven years of age ; ho has been appointed commander-iii-chief of the Army of Italy, with barely ao.ooo defeated, dispiritod, starved, shoeless, ragged soldiers, to face tho Alps, all tho pusses and strong places of which are occupied, watched, or guarded by tho splendidly-equipped, well-fed, hopeful Austrian army of Ho.ooo strong. It whs under such deprcaKing and desperalo circumstances as these that Napoleon issued his first real llulletin, nntl entered upon his marvellous and immortal first first Italian campaign :— Soldiers! you arc hungry and naked! th«v Government owes you much, and can pay you nothing. Tour patience, your courage. In the rnld«t of these rock*, ore admirable, but they reflect no splendour upon your arms. I come to lead you Into the mo«t fertile j»lain» the sun beholds. Klch provinces. «iomlent cities, win noon be At your •!!«- posal. There you will find abundant harvests, honour, and clory. Soldiers of Italy! will you fall m courage? Mo cant about the "Splendour of Ood," no claptrap about the CJod of Battles, no humbug about tho holiness of the cause. Napoleon know that his soldiers know a«i much about tlwf rights ond wrongs of the war, which watt tho holy side, and whose the righteous cause as ho knew. What they wanted was what the Pu^an.s wanted, ami got m Cron>

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well, a leader. With a shrewd mingling* of cant and common-sense, Cromwell told his "Ironsides" to "Trust m God- and .keep your powder dry." Napoleon was equally practical without being hypocritical. He said, trust m me and yourselves; follow me, and fight with courage! and I'll skilfully and successfully lead you to victory, honor, and glory, ■ and gain. . They obeyed him : he kept his word. In little more .than a fortnight, Napoleon had fought numerous successful, serious engagements, and won' five splendid and important battles. He had conquered Piedmont, with wonderful BkiU and almost miraculous rapidity. As he and his soldiers looked ' down on the widespreading, well-watered, fertile plains of Lombardy, into which, they were about- to .descend, well might the young - Corsican conqueror exultingly exclaim : "Hannibal forced Alps; but we have turned them." ' Here is Napoleon's, iirst great Bulletin issuedto the triumphant army of Italy, less than three weeks after the opening of the campaign : — Soldiers! you have gained In fifteen aays six victories, taken one-and.- --\ twenty standards, flfty-ftve pteces of, cannon, many strong places, and have' .conquered the richest part of.Pted-. mont. You have • made fifteen thousand prisoners, and killed or wounded ten thousand . men. Hitherto you have fought on sterile rocks, Illustrious, indeed; by your courage, but of no avail. Now you rival by yaur ,' services the armies of H«uand, of tha Rliine. You were utterly destitute; you have supplied all your wants. You have gained: I, battles without .cannon, .passed, rivers! without "bridges; made forced marches without - shoes; bivouacked, without, bread or' brandy. The phalanxes of the Republic, tho . soldiers, . were alone v oapaWe^^f^ such' «er»lc*»H«'^Bot T '-*Bol-' . aiers! you have - accompughed? nothing while anything .remains to be done. Neither Turin nor • Milan is m y«ur hands. lam told that there aro' some among -you .whose courage Is failing, who wish to. return to the .summit of • the Alps and the Apennines. No! I cannot -believe it. ;TJje : conquerors 'of Mentenotte, .of MUlesimo, of Dego. of Mondovi, burn to carry still further the glories of the French name. But. ere I, lead you ,to conquest, thero is one condition you must promise to fulfil; that is, to protect the people whom you liberate, and to repress all acts of lawless violence; Wlthoxit tbls, you would not be the deliverers, bat the scourge of nations. Invested with tho national authority, strong m justice and law, I gnall not hesitate to enforce" the requisitions of- humanity and honour. I will not suffer robbery to, sully your laurels. Pillagers shall be shot without mercy. Pbople of Italy! Tho French army advances to break your chains. The

French, people are the friends of an nations.- In them yon may confide. . Yonr property, your religion, your • customs shall be respected^. We will only make war as generous foes. Our sol© quarrel Is with in© tyrants who enslave you. No cant or claptrap there;: no humbug or hypocrisy about God and Humanity. There was no sham sentiment m the threat to shoot pillagers •; they were shot, both befoxo and after this Bulletin, and private property was made secure m the midst 1 of war. Here are the facts and circumstfuaoea as stated by Abbott, an American admirer of Napoleon :— In the mWst of these marches and counter-marches, and those incessant battles, there had been no opportunity to distribute regular rations among the j troops. The soldiers, destitute of f everything, began to pillage. Napoleon, who was extremely- anxious to win the goodwill of the people of , Italy, and to be welcomed by them, as their deliverer from proud oppressors, proceeded against tbe culprits with great severity, and immediately re-established the most rigid discipline Jn the army. Be he what he' might, brand him for what you will; Napoleon was not a Wowser— hej, was an honorable, hard,'. but honest man ; a- general who, .when tie -was at war, • did not wear kid 1 gloves; a soldier, who, when he' should be pursuing and punishing . the foe, did not stand and rant and rave about God and 1 Humanity ; or squat down on : his hams to howl hallelujahs, and snuffle psalms; and pray that the God of Hosts would be pleased to smite the foe for him, and to deliver him" ftnto his hands. Napoleon was "a religious man, .but he was not so ■ servilely' superstitious as to befieive he. could gam* God to his side of a quarrel simply by Bnufße-t>usting: - r . . Next week-^we shall, WDeovolenbei/.', God" claptrap, -before -returning to Napoleon: m E^ypt. It ,will be-sh«wn what . a hollow: sham: and 'Aignis fatuus^ it has, been as .regards England's wars,;, and English , warriors, and' some of her statesmen, who were amongst the most "bitter haters and infatuated opposers of .Napoleon. JOHN NORTON. Old Whita. Hart Hotel, MelbooniA, . v Tuesday, March 11, 1913.