. The life of Napoleon Bonaparte. Rev. and enl. with portraits. piedwith spinning, dressmaking, and the domestic arts thenconsidered the chief ones proper to their sex. Someparts of the enormous design were put into operation,but it was found to transcend the abihties of an unsettledpeople. Talleyrand pared down its dimensions, but atthe fall of the Directory nothing had been accompHshedexcept the foundation of the polytechnic school. It is well known that Bonaparte prepared himselffor the role of lawgiver by devouring the books lent himby Cambaceres, and by studying the memorials alreadyprepa
. The life of Napoleon Bonaparte. Rev. and enl. with portraits. piedwith spinning, dressmaking, and the domestic arts thenconsidered the chief ones proper to their sex. Someparts of the enormous design were put into operation,but it was found to transcend the abihties of an unsettledpeople. Talleyrand pared down its dimensions, but atthe fall of the Directory nothing had been accompHshedexcept the foundation of the polytechnic school. It is well known that Bonaparte prepared himselffor the role of lawgiver by devouring the books lent himby Cambaceres, and by studying the memorials alreadyprepared by the Convention. Even then, however,he was in the main guided by his instinct, combinedwith his profound knowledge of men. The latter washis sole guide in elaborating his scheme of public instruc-tion. Talleyrands plan was before him, but the con-clusion was his own. He was not at all concerned tomake scholars or to increase knowledge. He was stub-bornly determined to make citizens, as he understoodthe word. In a time of utter chaos he professed himself. XAi()Li:<j\ AS FIRST foxsn. M Nap.,leon IXposi «- ^T. 31] THE CODE AND UNIVERSITY azy^ indifferent to ideals^ and was animated by a purelypractical spirit, doing nothing but what appearedimmediately essential. For this reason, in carrying outhis plan, he selected as an agent no expert with wideexperience and settled convictions, but an excellentchemist who had been a member of the notorious Com-mittee of Public Safety, and within a narrow horizonhad good capacities. To Fourcroy alone was intrustedthe formulation of a measure which, as Roederer saidin its support, was a political institution intended tounite the present generation with the rising one, to bindthe fathers to the government by their children and thechildren by their fathers — in short, to establish a sort ofpubHc paternity. The religious societies which still retained their holdon such instruction as there was had no connection withthe state
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectnapoleo, bookyear1910
