Uneasiness of Neckar and Lafayette.

Mirabeau and Talleyrand.

He

best conversation which the capital afforded. made the personal acquaintance of those men who were to guide the thought of the nation, and whose

well as my duty, to support the progress of popular institutions, and to promote reform in every branch of the public administration. But as in the last twelve months I have witnessed repeated alarming popular disturbances, and have seen our best men divided into factions which threaten to be irreconcilable, I sincerely believe that now, more than ever, a strict discipline in the army is absolutely necessary for the safety of our constitutional government, and for the maintenance of order. Nay! if our troops are not compelled unhesitatingly to obey the commands of the executive, we shall be exposed to the blind fury of democratic passions, which will render France the most miserable country on the globe. The ministry may be assured that, if the daily increasing arrogance of the Parisian mob is not repressed by a strong arm, and social order rigidly maintained, we shall see not only this capital, but every other city in France thrown into a state of indescribable anarchy, while the real friends of liberty, the enlightened patriots, now working for the best good of our country, will sink beneath a set of demagogues, who, with louder outcries for freedom on their tongues, will be, in reality, but a horde of savages worse than the Neros of old."

These emphatic sentences, uttered by Napoleon with an air of authority which seemed natural to the youthful speaker, caused a profound sensation. For a moment there was a perfect silence in the group, and every eye was riveted on the pale and marble cheek of Napoleon. Neckar and Lafayette listened with evident uneasiness to his bold and weighty sentiments as if conscious of the perils which his words so forcibly portrayed. Mirabeau nodded once or twice significantly to Talleyrand, seeming thus to say, "That is exactly the truth." Some turned upon their heels, exasperated at this fearless avowal of hostility to democratic progress. Alfieri, one of the proudest of aristocrats, could hardly restrain his delight, and gazed with amazement upon the intrepid young man.

แ

Condorcet," says an eye

One year at Paris.

Examined by La Place.

literary productions "future generations will not willingly let die." He became familiar with the correct opinions of the actors in the scenes in that great drama which had already begun.

Napoleon remained but one year in the military school at Paris. As the result of his first examination he was recommended for promotion, and was consequently appointed an officer in the French army at the early age of sixteen. The mathematical section of the examination was conducted by La Place, the author of the Mécanique Céleste. To come out successful before such an examiner, was indeed no ordinary honor. In history, Monsieur Karruglion, after listening with admiration to his answers, and the elucidations which he gave of the various topics which were broached, wrote in the

witness, "nearly made me cry out by the squeeze which he gave my hand at every sentence uttered by the pale, slender, youthful speaker." The young Napoleon, then but twenty-one years of age, thus suddenly became the most prominent individual in that whole assembly. Whereever he moved, many eyes followed him. He had none of the airs of a man of fashion. He made no attempts at displays of gallantry. A peaceful melancholy seemed to overshadow him, as, with an abstracted air, he passed through the glittering throng, without being in the slightest degree dazzled by its brilliance. The good old Abbé Raynal appeared quite enraptured in witnessing this triumph of his 'young protégé.-Abbott's Napoleon, vol. i., page 36.-Narrative communicated to Chambers' Edinburg Journal by an Italian gentleman who was present at the interview at M. Neckar's.

Remark of M. Karruglion. Lieutenant in the army. Ambition not satisfied.

records after the entry of Napoleon's name, "A Corsican by character and by birth. This young man will distinguish himself in the world if fortune favors." He might have written with greater propriety, "This young man will distinguish himself whether fortune favors or not." He had thus far in life been successful at every point, and he had not shared very bountifully in fortune's favors, and in after years he never left any thing for fortune to do for him. That qualifying phrase might have been very appropriately placed after the names of some young men, but it stands with an ill grace after the signature of Napoleon Bonaparte.

At this point closes the boyhood of Napoleon. He is no longer a scholar of fortune, fighting his way up from obscurity, but a lieutenant in that army of Frenchmen whose glory has sounded through the world. He now lays aside the humble garb of the student, and assumes the military costume of an officer, the heavy boots, the cocked hat, the buttoned coat and epaulettes. There was much in the position to which Napoleon had now attained to flatter the pride and satisfy the ambition of a youth of seventeen, and it is feared that there are few, who would not have considered their education complete, that the object of their strife was now attained, and that they might give themselves up to the ease and enjoy

Studious habits continued.

Lesson taught.

ment which their position as officers would yield. But this honor was far from satisfying the ambition of Napoleon. His habits of study had been laborious and austere, he labored with indefatigable zeal, he had made vast acquirements, he was petted and flattered, and his company was sought by some of the first literary men in the world. But there was yet more that he wished to learn, and when he was ordered with his regiment to Lyons, no sooner were the troops quartered, than he sought out a room where he would be secure from interruption, and renewed those habits of laborious study which he had been accustomed to while at school. Instead of parading the streets to show off his plume and his epaulettes to the young and the admiring, he bent as steadily to his tasks as he had done previous to his promotion.

The education of Napoleon teaches the world one useful lesson, one which our youth especially need to learn. We are apt in pursuing a course of study to dally and procrastinate. Some one has said that

man is naturally indolent, as lazy as he can be." At no time in life do we yield so readily to ease as during the period of mental and physical growth, and this is the time usually allotted to study. Tasks to be wrought out by brain work, look formidable, and we often shrink from them on very slight pre

Reflections.

Influences against his success.

texts. Not so with Napoleon. He shrunk from no tasks, he left no duty undone, and he has shown the world the virtue of working while the day lasts. Had Napoleon known his destiny from the outset, he could not have labored more faithfully in preparation for its accomplishment. This example speaks to every one who hopes to be a leader in the world, "Go and do thou likewise."

In concluding this survey of the boyhood of Napoleon, there are some reflections which naturally flow from the subject that may be of interest to us as teachers who have much yet to learn, and whose business it is to direct the education of others. If the mariner on an unknown sea can pick up the chart of a fellow navigator who sailed those seas before him, he feels a degree of assurance that he can go forward in his voyage in safety. The education of Napoleon was a success. It is not often that we know the history of one so triumphant. There are some important lessons to be drawn from it.

From the beginning the probabilities of success were all against him. He was a poor boy, an orphan, and a foreigner, unable to speak the French language, and without influential friends to advocate his cause. There were only twelve of the military schools in a population of thirty millions. The number of applicants would naturally be very great, and