t
have been completely mythologized. Thus far in the history of mankind
biography might be defined as the art of myth-making. I scarcely know
what exceptions to cite to this universal vice except only and always
Boswell's "Life of Samuel Johnson." As for American biographies thus
far produced, there is scarcely a single example of a work which is
not to be classified as a recorded myth. The trouble in all this
business has been that the myth-makers, living in a certain
atmosphere, have imagined that they are obliged to make their
characters conform to the established antecedents of greatness. These
established antecedents of greatness have for the most part been
created out of superstitions, credulities, blank idealism, and mere
dogmatic bosh. No living, active men have ever conformed, or could
conform, to the standards which the logicians, the philosophers, and
the priests have fixed up for them; and if any of them should conform
to such a standard, their place under classification would be with
automata, not with living men.

Nevertheless, our biographers have been so weak and servile as to make
their characters according to this pattern. One character is labelled
Washington, another is labelled Franklin, another is labelled Adams,
and still another, Lincoln.

All this, I think, Professor Sloane has studiously avoided. As a
literary doctor he has done much to destroy the mythical disease. He
has written an elaborate work in which the man Napoleon moves and
acts, neither as an angel nor as a devil, but as a man, moved upon and
moving by the common human passions, though inflamed, in his case, to
a white heat in the furnace of his ambition.

All this was to have been expected in view of the plan of Professor
Sloane as expressed in his preface:

"Until within a very recent period," says he, "it seemed that no
man could discuss him [Napoleon] or his time without manifesting
such strong personal feeling as to vitiate his judgment and
conclusions. This was partly due to the lack of perspective, but
in the main to ignorance of the facts essential to a sober
treatment of the theme. In this respect the last quarter of a
century has seen a gradual but radical change, for a band of
dispassionate scientific scholars have during that time been
occupied in the preparation of material for his life without
reference to the advocacy of one theory or another concerning his
ch