NAPOLEON'S MOTHER AND SISTERS.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVI, Issue 10042, 9 January 1909, Page 6 (Supplement)

NAPOLEON'S MOTHER AND SISTERS.

Que of the contributory causes of the ' downfall of the great Napoleon was his want-on indulgence of the ambition, greed, and pride of the members of his own family. No man in the history of the i world ever did bo much for bis relatives, and none received so little .gratitude in ! return. These were smailleir editions of ■ their wonderful brother, haying most of > his bad qualities, a few of his good' qualiL ties though in a ltes&er dtegree, and jiocae , of his genius. Hanging to his coat tails, i they were lifted out of poverty and ob- [ scurity; they "were made puppet kings - and queens; they cost him millions of • francs a year; they doubled his worries, t weakened his -prestige in the eyes of. Europe by their ridiculous pretensions, and, when the dark dayß came, they . hastened his ruin by- their traitorous ini triguing and the inherent weakness of s their own positions. It is a reasonable i speculation that, if Napoleon had had I no avaricious relatives, whom he Waa tempted to set ori the thrones of Europe, I arousing the jealousy, contempt, and re- ; sentment of the old 'governing families, i his dynasty might have endured. As it > was, continuance waa an impossibility; [ and' there are few things in the life-story i of Napoleon more surprising, more signi- • ficant of the delusions of genius, thin that he failed to recognise that an emi pire Eiuch as his would cease to oxist the i moment the master-hand waa withdrawn, s One of the most useful and interesting l books contributing to the elucidation of 1 the marvel of Napolean's career has just ' been published by Methuetn and 00. The ' author, Mr Noel Williams, is familiar with the intricacies of the history of the period, and has already to -his credit several excellent volumes on the subject. His latest work, "The Women Bonapartes," gives a i deeper insight into the part that Napoleon's mother and three sisters played in shaping the destiny of the miraculous Corsican. Their story is skilfully woven into a clear and consecutive narrative, which, I while. it distinctly characterises each of the four women, forms a connected study of the chief events which go to make up the history of the First Empire. Like most great men, Napoleon seemed to derive his strength of character from his mother. "It is to my mother, ■ to her good principles," he said, "that I owe my success." She was a woman of iron will, of a clear, almoct prophetic vision, of remarkable beauty, high courage, and had a constitution that w-ith--1 stood privations which would have killed a strong man. As Napoleon said of her, "She had a man's head on a woman's body." Passionate devotion to her children was her most outstanding characteristic, and it was never more evident than when any one of them was in adversity. Napoleon, in one of his numberless family quarrels, ones reproached his mother with "exhibiting a marked preference for whichever of her sons happened to be the victim of misfortune." She wasi the same to- her vain, reckless, and extravagant husband. She accompanied him in the harassing Corsican War of independence in the early days of their marriage, and when disaster threatened heartened the soldiers with the cry, "Let us fight to the last man, and conquer or die." Napoleon was indeed a "child of battle," for -ha was, 60 to speak, born on the battlefield. 'From tar'y infjincy the Man of Destiny evinced a d'cci-rlejly masterful disposition, which increased as he grow older, and his mother was the only person who appears to have had any control over him. - 'When I was quite lit-tfc,' he remarked while at St. Helena,, 'I was terribly quarrelsome; I feared nobody, and fought and ncratched continually.' " _ letizia Bonaparte devoted' herself entirely to the upbringing of her family. For years she scarcely crossed the threshold of her home, except to attend mass, and as the family income was small and uncertain, she was under the necessity of exercising the strictest economy in •very detail of her household. Henee, perhaps, the almost repreliensiblo frugality which distinguished her all, her life, and never more than when she had the command of millions. The training she fave her children was a Spartan one. Cerself ill-educated, she could give them little instruction, but she enforced obedience to parents, respect for their elders, truthfulness, cleanliness, and the avoidance of gluttony. Her religion was of a formal character, lying pretty much on the surface, and though the little Bonapartes learned to observe all the outward ceremonies, they "grew np pagans at heart." ' Our author expresses the opinion that i "this neglect of what is rightly regarded ' as one of the first duties of a mother was no doubt in a great degree responsible for ■ the indifference shown by her sons to re- I ligiori; except so far as it was necessary to ' take it into account as a political factor, ] and for the circumstance that her daugh- < ters, when transported to France and into i

an environment total? cifieront from tt;a< to wincu they had been accustomed, at ] ail age, too, when the mind is particularly ' e.usceptible to new impressions, speedily forgot the lessons of their childhood, and, ignoring tlio admirable example tueir mother had set- thsm, became as frivolous, as extravagant, and as lax in thoir moral* its any women of their time." The "model of mothers" did not spare the rod in the training of her children, and several authentic instances are recorded by the future Emperor being E6verely castigated. He, indeed, being* the most unruly of the boys, most frequently 'received corporal correction. One day,_ in defiance of his mother's express prohibition, he filled his pookets from a fig tree, and having, with characteristic plausibility, coaxed the gardener into promising not to betray him, lie fancied that he was safe from punishment. Hut next day the sharp-eyed house-mother detected the theft. "She forced the reluctant gardener to confess the truth, "and .\apoleon's back ached for some days afterwards." There was an inevitablencss about hor punishment which was not al'lccled by impulse or time. She was as stern and relentless as a judge. "On one occasion, shortly before Napoleon left Loreica to enter the Military School at Britnne, ho eo far foraot what was duo to his eldem aH to make game of his .grandmother—who was in the habit of leaning on a sties ■when the walked —and oven to all inr to hf-r rs .-t when. Leti/.ia, who hawxiniNi t-*> overhear thn remark, gave hi:u <\ 'ms which the ';<>!■ keep oiji ol" her w:\" till evening, l»v o-tU'T. tin:e he hoped her anger ha'-'' abated. The moment he reappeared, however, Letizia pounced upon him, with the intention of administering condign punishment; but he contrived to oscape from her grasp. Not wishing to exposo herself to the mortification of a second deie.it, his mother resolved to wait for an oceasion when escape would be impossible. Itcame the following * . when Napoleon, having received an invitation to dine with 6ome friends in the town, went to his room to -change his clothes, Leti::ia followed, and finding him half undressed, looked the door h'&r, and' adnuinsuii'od a sound thrashing." It is tempting to make further tion fram this absorbing lioo'i—to t>vl J" detail of Napoleon's hardy upbnngma, <>• the straits to which proveriy rcuueed tlio family, no dire that when they first lann_ ed hi France in tho disordered ti'rof o> the Revolution. they coiini ik>: i-:'---the streets of -the town wiib.i'.it ~- h: L ''' i ' bsQiuse of tho shabhiness of tlu-ir elot-he.i. But /<ir these particulars our reader must be referred to Mr William.- two goodly volumes. Napoleon was a glutton for (NiUcatiori. At.Briewie, ho said lon,t afterwards, "My nights were often paesod in meditating on the lessons of tho o;w. From the very beginning I, naturally, could not bear the idea of not being the first in my class." At; first- he was destined for the naval service,, but his mother dissuaded him, arguing that as a sailor he would have to fight against both tiro and water. . While the beautiful young mother was laboring from morning till night ill Corsica, cooking, sewing, washing, ironing, making her children s clothes till her fingers were raw, the little Napoleon, "all tho ideas which were bubbling in hi» brain." never for a moment forget his impoverished relations and his dut- towards them. He was as generous then his small meana as in the days of his giory be was lavish with his "Ho lived in the simplest possible manner; he 'never contracted a debt ; «•> rever p 1 . 1 mi lur.;."/ 1 - 'b-' v' I ' l >'"■ travagance, and, oul of hi;' 11 ■ ii.-i 1 r -. tance as a second - ' 11: ' to send occasional small Bains to his mother." 'litis early spirit of family de vot-ion explains much of what now seems to have been Napoleons fatal indulgence to his relatives in after years. Hia later , acts were in reality hased upon his own i ambitious and selfish designs ; but in gi - iug effect to them he usually -ire,erred the members of his own family. Inus, i when Napoleon forced his way to tho t-; he carried his mother, brothers, and sisI tors with him. When iio made a step in ■ advance he shared his good fortune with J them, till in time ho had made them Kincs and Queens. 1 Napoleon's mother, or Madam© Mere as she designated herself when her son 1 mounted the throne, was the only : ono of the family whoso simplicity ' of character was not destroyed by ' prosperitv and luxury. Her parsif mony grew with her wealth. Arid it was not avarice th»l moc.t .wr earet'U oi : her francs and moved her to shrewdly invest her enormous savings in almost every ! country in Europe. It was a continual ; haunting dread that her sons ascendancy i would not endure. She alone foresaw hidownfall, she alone detected tho fatal tiro--1 cess, and recognised its consummation 1 when it arrived. Once when twitted by ' her daughter Pauline on tho scantiness, of ' her wardrobe, Madame retorted angrily, ; "Be silent, extravagant- child J muc-t ; save money for your brothers, all of whom are r.ot yet provided for. And e.ei ' when the brothers and sisters were deep ' in luxury she continued to lay by money ' for the rainy day. "Who knows, slio observed on one occasion, when one ol her ' sons represented to her that there was ! no necessity for the economy whichi she ' practised, "who knows whether all these ' Kings will not some day oomo and beg ' their bread of me!" . 1 When calamity did coma, she met it ' with calmness and dignity. While acceptinz the inevitable, she abatMl ""J 1 . "® ' of her self-respect or yielded her claims ' upon .those honors which she considered ' to be hers as the mother of the greatest 1 living man. Her courage never forsook ' her, nor in difficulty did she lose any- '■ thing of that clearness of vision and ' practical good senso which had distinguished her all her life After the down- ' fall and her needy and extravagant children, who had learned nothing by adversity wore constantly pestering her tor money, of which she gave them generously, B he once wrote from her refuge m Rome to her son Louis :—"A man must live in accordance with his position. If he has ceased' to be a king it is ridiculous to pose as ono. adorn fingers, but they fall off, and the fingers reSingularly enough, says Mr Williams, she herself clung tenaciously to one relic of her former grandeur, she firmly refused to discontinue tho use of tho Imperial Arms on her carriages. "Why should I do r.o?" she inquired. "Europe bowed to the dust before my son's arms for ten years, and her Sovereigns havo not forgotten it." Once when she was driving through the streets of Rome, two Austrian officers, sceeing the Imperial arms on the carriage, drew rein and peered into the carriage. "Such impertinence on the part of any ordinary persons Madame would have ignored, but the sight of tho Austrian, uniforms roused her to indignation. ' W'hafc, gentlemen, is your pleasure?' she exclaimed, letting down tho window. 'lf it is to see the mother of the Emperor Napoleon, hero she is.' At which the officers, much abashed, saluted, respectfully, and roae off." She never relaxed her efforts to aecuro Napoleon's release from St. Helena, and he constantly spoke to his attendants of his mother. "She has loved me all her life," said he. "Sho is tho beet of women and most excellent of mothers, with a courage and determination above her sex." When the-hews of tho Conqueror's death was gently to tho aied woman by Napoleon's physician, her grief was unspeakable. "It was n struggle between courage and grief," said the doctor afterwards; "never was such heartrending emotion seen." Hers was the lot of many whom tho world counts fortunate. Even when Napoleon was ft the height of his power she was unhappy. "All men considered me tho happiest mother in the world'," eho observed, when talking in later years of the days of her prosperity, "while my life was one uninterrupted' sorrow and' martyrdom. I feared that every courier that arrived would' bring me terrible tidings that the Emperor had died on tho field of battle." Of the other "Women Bonapartes" there is not space to say much, though their careers make reading almost as fascinating if much less edifying. They flitted like butterflies through tne days of sunshine; though in justice to them it must bo added that in later years they developed the latent strength of their. character. In the lialycon days of their brother's prosperity, however, though now and' then ono or other of them showed some small and fleeting sens# of her responsibilities, they

wero seldom in earnest (>a\o when ihoir pleasuro or aggrandisement, or their polty dignity was ill vol v.x]. Then thoy reaveld that boldness, sellishuesa and persistency wliicli marked tho character of tlic entire family. They were constantly quarrelling about precedence or their allowances, or bogging tho Emperor for some fresh favor. Alter one family seems <>\cr ( he titles to be givon by tho nowly made Emperor to hi.> sisters, Napoleon burnt out ironically, "To listen to you, ono would imagine that I had robbed yon of the inheritanco of tho Into King," our futhor!" They wcro a most inharmonious family; the one bond that held them together was their hatred and jealousy of J trephine, whoso ruin thev had vowed irom tho outset to accomplish. "Never have I been such hatred between two sisters-in-law," said Madame d'Abrantes of l'au line's relations with the wretched Empress. Yet though l'auline, lovely, vain, flippant, and extravagant, bccamo notorious aa ono of the fickle amourciMes in Kuropc, she was tin) onlv likable woman of the three sinters, Klisa, Pauline and Caroline. W'hilo the others wore treacherous to Napoleon in dangor and forsook him when all his honors had fallen from him, Paulino hold by him to the end—and won littlo by her faithfulness but tho abominable calumny of society gotsipcra. Notwithstanding all her tiiss'!lutonet«, ficlthness, and folly one cannot withhold adiriniinm from a woman who in a irouunt when death Heenied certain, h'.nl the courage to exclaim, 1 am !iiiii,'ip:'.rto't> .-lister, and I am afi'aid ul lm- - :ipi'"H|!d <.r less cittti-utetiotii u{ all tlu'v mv..- . The pity in that they did not ompiuy it to nobler nurnosc.