The Romance of the Violet

New Zealand Tablet, 20 September 1906, Page 19

The Romance of the Violet

™-«i 2?* re A Js ., on e flayer which all .humanity -.Jo ves-the violet. .- And yet* this same dainty violet -is : the emblem of the Bonaoartes. It was "the favorite flower of the great Comcan who flooded /the whole of Europe in blood -and crushed rebellious-: France, that he might the e-m?gMe -m?gMa cS of P °nl&s! nd *.***& ™*«* n m 7« he Vlole + t brou e!# to Napoleon :she first news of his w^S 5*65 * 6^ 6 ? 8 -^ I ,* ww * B " t *» only, flower- that' -ever 5o° m f^ a J A St ' + H ! ler l a ' over *is-Übnely grave, • when f k S V?t °- Au I sterll J t . z h ad sunk for -.ever in the clouds of battle smoke which hung .heavy over the fields of Waterloo. vo V Z hi f iS + T, tbe ' story * T of how the P ur P ]e fl ower con-veyed.-to the great Napoleon the first tfdings of that honors opened to him. a pathway to imperial It was a. woman, 'beautiful, wellborn, and patri?Ji'wJ°r su PP + l sted nton t0 Barras,'the people's champion, the.leadei of the Convention, that -the young officer, «ave °F? Bonaparte '"- was the one , man' who might yet "'iT,tn By +h? a r~ a + l he n Cors i ca n was summoned and' taken into the great hall of the Convention. hpot^i + France has come to this^- whispered one greybeard to another, ' that her life and "faith lie in the hands of ia youth of twenty-five (and indeed he tooked younger) only five feet, two^ inches n stature? Alas!' ° n MS ' brow ~ like a woman! n^h\n? ? erfCCtl7 a T are ° f the difficulties ' in my path, but I am accustomed to succeed ' said the you™* Corsican, speaking in a loud, clear voice. • But one thing I must insist upon-it is' I am not to be embarrassed by orders ; 1 must have supreme comman?' And howing low to the people's reDresentativ^ Sth mSd Pa i c ma^ bu S five S 0 iSheT&teigS tion Zlih f° WW H n F eS ' the hall,. ai id the Convention with closed doors, discussed his . proposition Barras followed him for a last word, and while k h t ey fin P H ke a h ; ttle S^ 1 9ame up to them with a bassofteSed W agrant Vialets - The little man ' s 5m ' They always remind me somehow of home • he +v 'Go }■? ? he house of Madame , and remain there until ten. If I succeed for you as she sa^s I shall she will send you a violet.' ' V l It was six o'clock when the younc oflicer was ad inittod.to the house, and as he^ pfced the great SS?^,,? ll^ h€ - h h ard ! he clock st'ito sevln, g then Suf^- «*■ i^ch&s^a^T^M flower which changed the map of Europe ! * v nd u thl ? is why those of every lawd and clim*. tS 08 ;*^*? ar + l thrill + ed by the ™***& of war and the story, of the youth who, unaided, . reached the p^rp^SefTfcorS. «°™ ** l ™^