, 1865-01-03
From the Weekly Dispatch, December 49,
THE PRUssIAN EAGLE IN HIS PIETY,

In heraidry a bird like a goose, represents as
peckiDg its breast to feed its young with us
blood, IS termed ga Pelican in her Plrty." 1t
the aspect of a bird could be portrayed as that
of a man, if the countenance OF the king OF
birds could be represented as that of the King
of Prussia, then might the Prussian Eagle be
depicted in his piery TOO. This pious EngIe, to
be Justly rendered, should be drawn as much
like a goose as it is possible to draw an eagle,
tearing bis prey and turning up bis eyes Suca
is the emblem whereby truthful art would hgure
the Prussian Eagle in his Piety. The piety OF
the Prussian Eagle should be pictured as con-
sisring, not, like that Of the pelican, IN the act
of shedding his own blood to noutish his brood,
but in the act of turning up his ey' whilst re-
calling his eaglets on other blood. How to pic
ture an eagle turning up bis eyes! The drtt-
Guilty is surmounted by giving the eagle as
aforesaid, the ASPECT Of the King OF PRUSSIA.
That Monarch has a special trick of turning up
his eyes. He turns his eyes up with a pecul ar
piery over the blood,hrd which he has suffered
to cause, and the plumber which he has been
permitted to acquire. He religiously says grace
over the slain aud spoil Because Heaven
looked on, aud did not take the part Of the
Danes massacred by his ~leagions at Duppel and
Sonderhorg, he solemnly thanked "tbe Lord OF
Hosts" BY Hosts the single-minded Saver
eign, with the Imagination of IA srJeant-mnJor,
evidently understood big battaliOns, such as those
on whose side he supposed Heaven to have ranged
itself against the gallant litlle Danish army. HE
has taken several opportunities Of expressing his
gratitude to Providence for the countenance he
conceives it to have vouchsafed to the plIIage
and carnage which non-intervention, Divine
and human, enabled him 10 accomplish. lie
has just been at it again. He took due occasion,
from the return Of his troops from the spollatlon
of Denmark, to give CD thanks FIR the com
pIetcness with which hey had succeeded in do
ing their celestial work. He addressed to them
am order of the day, horribly stuffed, indeed,
with epithets of war, but sill more horribly
STUFFED with expressions Of piety. This piety is
something peculiar. 1t is a simple aud artless
piety, a piety quite childlike in its way. A ST.
Multitude to the gushings of devout gratitude
which characterize the King of Prussia's address
to his army, would BE- presented by the thanks
giving Of a small street Arab for q fi'ched peck
et-handkerchief. Only the enormity Of the
wirkedness combined with the Kings piefy
makes it more %awfnlly ludicrou5 than the pue-
rile proclamation which would be committed in
the conjunction Of petty larceny and prayer.
'The glorious war" boasts his Maj"sty,
against Denmark is ended it has been follow
ed by a glorious peace. You, soldiers of my
army, who have had the privilege of carrying
INV Wv OPSl 30 lShC Va WV NCNNHN ""' '"'S
renewed the glory of the Prussian arms" What
a notion of glory to be entertained by an evan.
gelical King7 One would think that, if SO saint
ly a Sovereign could presume to glory at all, he
would glory only in things concerning his ill.,
frmities. His Prussian M,jesty, however, glo-
ries in war. in conquest, in the destruction of his
neighbours, in the seizure of his neighbours
land, in depriving his neighbour of his goods
against his will. He glories, not in mere vani-
ties, but in the wickedest wrongs. ''Thanks to
your heroism, the days of Duppel and Alstn are
handed down to future generations in the history
of warfare" Thus does the King Of Prussia
glory in he heroism of he strong shown in van
gushing the weak. Well it may be said that
he glories in 1n6rmity after all, what is weaker
than injustice
But then, to be sure, this religious King does
not take all this glory to himself and bis sol
diers. No, to do. him justice, he not only glori-