But when it came to choosing a profession for the
two boys, he did not hesitate. Joseph, the brow-beaten, should become
a priest, he said, while Napoleon must study soldiering--which decision
suited at least one of the boys to a T.
Napoleon was only nine years old when this decision was made, but very
precocious. He talked and reasoned like a boy five years older. His
unruly disposition probably hastened the choice as well. His parents
felt that a school where there was stern discipline would be the best
thing for him. Accordingly his father obtained for him an appointment
to one of the royal military schools; and on April 23, 1779, he was
formally enrolled at Brienne, France, as a student. The die was cast.
He was to become a soldier.
The next five years, however, were by no means a joyous period in his
life. In the first months he felt like "a fish out of water"; nor did
he try very hard to adapt himself to his environment. It was all
frightfully strange and different. From the sunny island in the
Mediterranean he found himself transported suddenly to the northern
gloom of the Champagne region. The very language was different. He
must unlearn Italian, and learn French. It always came hard to him.
To the end of his days he never could spell correctly--although he did
learn in time to express himself with clarity and precision.
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