district；　the　Gironde。　A　special　revolutionary　tribunal　was
  instituted　and　twenty…one　of　the　leading　Girondists　were
  condemned　to　death。　The　others　committed　suicide。　They　were
  capable　and　honest　men　but　too　philosophical　and　too　moderate
  to　survive　during　these　frightful　years。
  In　October　of　the　year　1793　the　Constitution　was
  suspended　by　the　Jacobins　‘‘until　peace　should　have　been
  declared。''　All　power　was　placed　in　the　hands　of　a　small　committee
  of　Public　Safety；　with　Danton　and　Robespierre　as　its
  leaders。　The　Christian　religion　and　the　old　chronology　were
  abolished。　The　‘‘Age　of　Reason''　（of　which　Thomas　Paine　had
  written　so　eloquently　during　the　American　Revolution）　had
  come　and　with　it　the　‘‘Terror''　which　for　more　than　a　year　killed
  good　and　bad　and　indifferent　people　at　the　rate　of　seventy　or
  eighty　a　day。
  The　autocratic　rule　of　the　King　had　been　destroyed。　It
  was　succeeded　by　the　tyranny　of　a　few　people　who　had　such　a
  passionate　love　for　democratic　virtue　that　they　felt　compelled
  to　kill　all　those　who　disagreed　with　them。　France　was　turned
  into　a　slaughter　house。　Everybody　suspected　everybody　else。
  No　one　felt　safe。　Out　of　sheer　fear；　a　few　members　of　the　old
  Convention；　who　knew　that　they　were　the　next　candidates　for
  the　scaffold；　finally　turned　against　Robespierre；　who　had
  already　decapitated　most　of　his　former　colleagues。　Robespierre；
  ‘‘the　only　true　and　pure　Democrat；''　tried　to　kill　himself
  but　failed　His　shattered　jaw　was　hastily　bandaged　and
  he　was　dragged　to　the　guillotine。　On　the　27th　of　July；　of　the
  year　1794　（the　9th　Thermidor　of　the　year　II；　according　to　the
  strange　chronology　of　the　revolution）；　the　reign　of　Terror　came
  to　an　end；　and　all　Paris　danced　with　joy。
  The　dangerous　position　of　France；　however；　made　it　necessary
  that　the　government　remain　in　the　hands　of　a　few　strong
  men；　until　the　many　enemies　of　the　revolution　should　have　been
  driven　from　the　soil　of　the　French　fatherland。　While　the
  half…clad　and　half…starved　revolutionary　armies　fought　their
  desperate　battles　of　the　Rhine　and　Italy　and　Belgium　and
  Egypt；　and　defeated　every　one　of　the　enemies　of　the　Great
  Revolution；　five　Directors　were　appointed；　and　they　ruled
  France　for　four　years。　Then　the　power　was　vested　in　the　hands
  of　a　successful　general　by　the　name　of　Napoleon　Bonaparte；
  who　became　‘‘First　Consul''　of　France　in　the　year　1799。　And
  during　the　next　fifteen　years；　the　old　European　continent　became
  the　laboratory　of　a　number　of　political　experiments；　the
  like　of　which　the　world　had　never　seen　before。
  NAPOLEON
  NAPOLEON
  NAPOLEON　was　born　in　the　year　1769；　the　third　son
  of　Carlo　Maria　Buonaparte；　an　honest　notary　public　of
  the　city　of　Ajaccio　in　the　island　of　Corsica；　and　his　good
  wife；　Letizia　Ramolino。　He　therefore　was　not　a　Frenchman；
  but　an　Italian　whose　native　island　（an　old　Greek；　Carthaginian
  and　Roman　colony　in　the　Mediterranean　Sea）　had
  for　years　been　struggling　to　regain　its　independence；
  first　of　all　from　the　Genoese；　and　after　the　middle　of　the
  eighteenth　century　from　the　French；　who　had　kindly　offered
  to　help　the　Corsicans　in　their　struggle　for　freedom　and　had
  then　occupied　the　island　for　their　own　benefit。
  During　the　first　twenty　years　of　his　life；　young　Napoleon
  was　a　professional　Corsican　patriota　Corsican　Sinn　Feiner；
  who　hoped　to　deliver　his　beloved　country　from　the　yoke　of　the
  bitterly　hated　French　enemy。　But　the　French　revolution　had
  unexpectedly　recognised　the　claims　of　the　Corsicans　and　gradually
  Napoleon；　who　had　received　a　good　training　at　the　military
  school　of　Brienne；　drifted　into　the　service　of　his　adopted　country。
  Although　he　never　learned　to　spell　French　correctly　or
  to　speak　it　without　a　broad　Italian　accent；　he　became　a　Frenchman。
  In　due　time　he　came　to　stand　as　the　highest　expression
  of　all　French　virtues。　At　present　he　is　regarded　as　the　symbol
  of　the　Gallic　genius。
  Napoleon　was　what　is　called　a　fast　worker。　His　career
  does　not　cover　more　than　twenty　years。　In　that　short　span
  of　time　he　fought　more　wars　and　gained　more　victories　and
  marched　more　miles　and　conquered　more　square　kilometers　and
  killed　more　people　and　brought　about　more　reforms　and　generally
  upset　Europe　to　a　greater　extent　than　anybody　（including
  Alexander　the　Great　and　Jenghis　Khan）　had　ever　managed
  to　do。
  He　was　a　little　fellow　and　during　the　first　years　of　his　life
  his　health　was　not　very　good。　He　never　impressed　anybody
  by　his　good　looks　and　he　remained　to　the　end　of　his　days　very
  clumsy　whenever　he　was　obliged　to　appear　at　a　social　function。
  He　did　not　enjoy　a　single　advantage　of　breeding　or　birth　or
  riches。　For　the　greater　part　of　his　youth　he　was　desperately
  poor　and　often　he　had　to　go　without　a　meal　or　was　obliged
  to　make　a　few　extra　pennies　in　curious　ways。
  He　gave　little　promise　as　a　literary　genius。　When　he　competed
  for　a　prize　offered　by　the　Academy　of　Lyons；　his　essay
  was　found　to　be　next　to　the　last　and　he　was　number　15　out　of
  16　candidates。　But　he　overcame　all　these　difficulties　through
  his　absolute　and　unshakable　belief　in　his　own　destiny；　and　in
  his　own　glorious　future。　Ambition　was　the　main…spring　of　his
  life。　The　thought　of　self；　the　worship　of　that　capital　letter
  ‘‘N''　with　which　he　signed　all　his　letters；　and　which　recurred
  forever　in　the　ornaments　of　his　hastily　constructed　palaces；　the
  absolute　will　to　make　the　name　Napoleon　the　most　important
  thing　in　the　world　next　to　the　name　of　God；　these　desires　carried
  Napoleon　to　a　pinnacle　of　fame　which　no　other　man　has
  ever　reached。
  When　he　was　a　half…pay　lieutenant；　young　Bonaparte　was
  very　fond　of　the　‘‘Lives　of　Famous　Men''　which　Plutarch；　the
  Roman　historian；　had　written。　But　he　never　tried　to　live　up
  to　the　high　standard　of　character　set　by　these　heroes　of　the
  older　days。　Napoleon　seems　to　have　been　devoid　of　all　those
  considerate　and　thoughtful　sentiments　which　make　men
  different　from　the　animals。　It　will　be　very　difficult　to　decide
  with　any　degree　of　accuracy　whether　he　ever　loved　anyone
  besides　himself。　He　kept　a　civil　tongue　to　his　mother；　but
  Letizia　had　the　air　and　manners　of　a　great　lady　and　after　the
  fashion　of　Italian　mothers；　she　knew　how　to　rule　her　brood　of
  children　and　command　their　respect。　For　a　few　years　he　was
  fond　of　Josephine；　his　pretty　Creole　wife；　who　was　the　daughter
  of　a　French　officer　of　Martinique　and　the　widow　of　the
  Vicomte　de　Beauharnais；　who　had　been　executed　by　Robespierre
  when　he　lost　a　battle　against　the　Prussians。　But
  the　Emperor　divorced　her　when　she　failed　to　give　him　a　son
  and　heir　and　married　the　daughter　of　the　Austrian　Emperor；
  because　it　seemed　good　policy。
  During　the　siege　of　Toulon；　where　he　gained　great　fame
  as　commander　of　a　battery；　Napoleon　studied　Macchiavelli
  with　industrious　care。　He　followed　the　advice　of　the　Florentine
  statesman　and　never　kept　his　word　when　it　was　to　his
  advantage　to　break　it。　The　word　‘‘gratitude''　did　not　occur　in
  his　personal　dictionary。　Neither；　to　be　quite　fair；　did　he　expect
  it　from　others。　He　was　totally　indifferent　to　human　suffering。
  He　executed　prisoners　of　war　（in　Egypt　in　1798）　who　had
  been　promised　their　lives；　and　he　quietly　allowed　his　wounded
  in　Syria　to　be　chloroformed　when　he　found　it　impossible　to
  transport　them　to　his　ships。　He　ordered　the　Duke　of　Enghien
  to　be　condemned　to　death　by　a　prejudiced　court…martial　and　to
  be　shot　contrary　to　all　law　on　the　sole　ground　that　the
  ‘‘Bourbons　needed　a　warning。''　He　decreed　that　those　German
  officers　who　were　made　prisoner　while　fighting　for　their
  country's　independence　should　be　shot　against　the　nearest　wall；
  and　when　Andreas　Hofer；　the　Tyrolese　hero；　fell　into　his　hands
  after　a　most　heroic　resistance；　he　was　executed　like　a　common
  traitor。
  In　short；　when　we　study　the　character　of　the　Emperor；　we
  begin　to　understand　those　anxious　British　mothers　who　used
  to　drive　their　children　to　bed　with　the　threat　that　‘‘Bonaparte；
  who　ate　little　boys　and　girls　for　breakfast；　would　come　and　get
  them　if　they　were　not　very　good。''　And　yet；　having　said　these
  many　unpleasant　things　about　this　strange　tyrant；　who　looked
  after　every　other　department　of　his　army　with　the　utmost　care；
  but　neglected　the　medical　service；　and　who　ruined　his　uniforms
  with　Eau　de　Cologne　because　he　could　not　stand　the　smell　of
  his　poor　sweating　soldiers；　having　said　all　these　unpleasant
  things　and　being　fully　prepared　to　add　many　more；　I　must
  confess　to　a　certain　lurking　feeling　of　doubt。
  Here　I　am　sitting　at　a　comfortable　table　loaded　heavily
  with　books；　with　one　eye　on　my　typewriter　and　the　other　on
  Licorice　the　cat；　who　has　a　great　fondness　for　carbon　paper；
  and　I　am　telling　you　that　the　Emperor　Napoleon　was　a　most
  contemptible　person。　But　should　I　happen　to　look　out　of
  the　window；　down　upon　Seventh　Avenue；　and　should　the　endless
  procession　of　trucks　and　carts　come　to　a　sudden　ha