250 



TEE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY.— SUPPLEMENT. 



cause it has been carefully fostered and judiciously 

 rewarded by the state. It has not flourished at 

 our universities because, while they richly reward 



the first fruits of the youthful intellect, they offer 

 no career to the man. — Condensed from Macmil- 

 larts Magazine. 



THE WEAKNESSES OF GEEAT MEN. 



THE weakness of a great man is often that 

 feature of his character or that particular 

 inclination in him which has most interest for the 

 student of humanity. That Caesar was the first 

 general and statesman of his age — that he con- 

 quered Gaul and laid the foundations of an em- 

 pire which in name at least was to subsist for 

 more than 1,800 years — these are no doubt facts 

 of the utmost importance ; but, after all, they are 

 the dry bones of history. The Shandean philoso- 

 pher is much more interested to learn that Caesar 

 loved to oil his hair ; that he sincerely regretted 

 its scantiness ; and that he was excessively pleased 

 when the Senate conferred on him the privilege 

 of wearing a laurel crown, and thus enabled him 

 partially to conceal the injury which Nature or 

 hard living had wrought. Dress has been one of 

 the commonest weaknesses of great men, many 

 of whom were not the less careful of their per- 

 sonal appearance because they affected an osten- 

 tatious simplicity. In the national songs of France, 

 Napoleon is the little Corporal in the plain gray 

 coat ; but we may be sure that the gray coat was 

 carefully arranged, even as the cocked hat was 

 designedly worn in a fashion till then unknown. 

 And, as a matter of fact, the emperor did not 

 always array himself in that sober-colored vesture 

 which Mr. Tennyson has described as the sym- 

 bolic robe of freedom. An English traveler who 

 visited Paris during the brief interval of the 

 Peace of Amiens, and was introduced to the First 

 Consul, has left on record his astonishment at 

 seeing the great enemy of England in scarlet 

 (richly laced, by-the-way, with gold). It may 

 interest some to know that Napoleon set apart 

 £800 a year for dress. Unfortunately, he had a 

 weakness for white kerseymere breeches ; and, 

 being often wholly absorbed with cares of state 

 (as courtly chroniclers apologetically observe), he 

 would constantly spill ink, or gravy, or coffee, 

 upon the aforesaid garments, which he hastened 

 to change as soon as he perceived the mishap. 

 This circumstance cost the blameless but timid 

 Comte de Remusat his place as Master of the 

 Robes. For the emperor soiled his clothes, and 

 especially his white breeches, so frequently and 



so grievously, that the imperial tailor (M. Leger) 

 was constantly receiving fresh orders, and £800 

 a year became quite insufficient to meet that 

 functionary's little bills. Now, the Comte de 

 Remusat, who knew that the emperor hated any 

 disorder in his accounts, was foolishly afraid to 

 speak to him on the subject. Meanwhile M. Leger 

 became pressing in his demands for payment. 

 At first he sent in his bill every month, then 

 every fortnight, then every week, then twice a 

 week, then every day ; but the Master of the 

 Robes continued to return unsatisfactory answers. 

 At length M. Leger, whose patience was exhausted, 

 took the bold step of complaining to the emperor 

 in person, at the very moment that his Majesty 

 was trying on a new uniform. With astonish- 

 ment and anger Napoleon learned that he owed 

 his tailor £1,200. The same day he paid the bill 

 and dismissed M. de Remusat from his post, which 

 was given to M. de Montesquiou-Fezensac, a cham- 

 berlain in the imperial household. " I hope Mon- 

 sieur le Comte," said Napoleon, between a smile 

 and a frown, to the newly-appointed master, " that 

 you will not expose me to the disgrace of being 

 dunned for the breeches I am wearing." Frederick 

 the Great regulated this department of expendi- 

 ture in a much simpler way : he had but one fine 

 gala-dress, which lasted him all his life, for he 

 took care not to soil it. His work-day suits were 

 shabbier than those which gentlemen abandon to 

 their valets — the waistcoat-pockets crammed with 

 snuff, and the rest of the apparel liberally sprinkled 

 with the same pungent powder. The king's most 

 amiable weakness — if, indeed, it can be called one 

 — was his partiality for dogs. Several of these 

 favorites were allowed to occupy the best arm- 

 chairs in the royal study, and were not teased 

 when they acted as dogs will act. " After all," 

 said Frederick, " a Pompadour would cost me 

 much more." But Frederick had other weaknesses 

 which were not equally amiable. 



On the whole, the Great Slovens have prob- 

 ably been as numerous as the Great Dandies ; 

 and few will deny that utter carelessness as to 

 personal appearance is at least as much of a 

 weakness as its opposite. The well-known text 



