Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1870-09-09
"OUR FRITZ"


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A Tribute to the Crown Prince.
From the London telegraph
Everybody takes some sort of interest
in the portrait of prince. Be he gal
liant or faint-hearted, clever or stupid,
handsome or homely featured, heir to a
diadem or to nothing except the title
that title always has its fascination. "a
prince was, so Mr.. Tennyson begins
his most elaborate poem and we give a
certain degree of attention directly to
the bue-eyed lover of the Lady Ida
But when the prince under discussion is
in all qualities and accomplishments
most princely; when he has anticipated
the lustre of his hereditary destiny by a
career of patriotic and historical glory;
when a mighty struggle has its central
point of action in his particular person,
and when, by national and coprtly ties,
his family is linked to us, the portrait of
such prince has special and unpar-
allied interest. During the stirring days
of the past month many people have
been asking, what is the Grown Prince"
of Prussia like? In the proud telegram
that flew to the Queen Of Prussia after
Woerth and Forbach, his royal father
called him Fritz" Under Fritz s
eyes" that action was fought which will
be known in history as the battle of
Disillusions the fatal engagement at
Woerth, where the theory of the military
supremacy of France melted away
before hard German fact.
What, then, is Fritz like? since not
only does his figure show in the focus of
war, but the power and domination which
must be its fruits cannot but devolve
upon his brow at tie date when the
doughty old king of the Germans is
gathered to his fathers. Fritz must
then become in his turn King of Ger
many-perchanc even Emperor -
another Charles the Fifth; and, holding
such a scepter, it is tolerably safe to
foresee that he will be one of the great
est and strongest among modern crowned
seem to have victory herself at their
head, leading them from field to field,
may then be the United States of Europe
"a monarchical Colossus, which must
at least have a vast share of influence
in continental politics. Hence Europe
is vastly interested just now in Fritz, for
by the outlook of things he will some
day present himself as the representa-
tives of the idea of kingly rule, and his
character cannot fail to stamp itself upon
the history of the remainder of the nine
teenth century. The photographers
those masters of the ceremonies
who make us know everybody =
have rendered his outward and |
visible mien and features familiar
enough, and all the world has now
heard Of him as a warrior keen, who
hath in many battles been; for, al
though he arrived little late at Sadowa,
be was, nevertheless, just in time. In
this wonderful present campaign it is
Fritz whose sword, like the wand of
conqueror, has made the prestige of
Napoleon vanish. At Weissenburg he
eaped upon his enemy like a Black
Forest bear; at Woerth he came, he saw,
ne smote the flower Of the French army;
packed by his big and countless Ger
mans, he has certainly won the garlands
If the war thus far. Hence it is a ques-
ion of much import to ask, "What of
Prince Fritz as regards disposition,
mind and manners2" Now man is
,est studied when he is not posed for his
picture; and it happens that an enemy
If his has just delineated the heir of the
RUSSIAN throne, catching him not from
he battle, and therefore very much an
lqturel NJ Chabrillat, of the Figaro,
yas taken prisoner at Woerth, and came
lear to being shot; but he was saved by
he Duke of Coburg, and had an inter
lew afterwards with this same Prince
fritz, of which he brought away a re-
sketch; and on the outlines of
hat sketch we would here dwell for a /.
moment.
FRENcHNANs INTERVIEW WITH FRITZ. I
1t obviously astonished the native i
'Tenchman to find the terrible conqueror t
praseptable, "human, and t
{ amiable bearing. 1t Is q tall, thin G
a calm visage, bearded
nd garnished with fair hair, and cold
armatian eyes, whose quick glance,
owever, betokens mental activity, while :
is dilating nostrils imply pride and en- :
rgy. A simple, civic man is Fritz in $
experiment.. in phrase, and turn Of
l6ught, very plain il language and in a
is dress, which, albeit that of the com Y
of the Southern German c
rmy, was merely black tunic with red a
ipings and facings. Not an inch of Il
dld Or silver face ON Fritz-no orders a
+ f::hbons, or fIppery Of anE Kind, He a
,oked, says the enemy, Ike coun,- c
y gentleman arrayed in some rural d
inform, and grave with the charge, say, O.
an aFrGRdjssement Yet his first a
ords were Of a chiyslr0us knight ut il
red, by the way, in excellent French. q
| am sorry you do not understand Ger d
an, said the prince; you would y
herwise have heard our soldiers admire n
nd esteem your gallant countrymen. o
hen, with perfect delioacy, be detailed il
Ie extent Of bis opponents losses and 4
splOred the wounds Of Gen. Racult and ii
her distinguished foemen. He had il
zen 10 see them, had collected messages b
id addresses from them, and was max n
q arrangements that all his prisoners
no wished should have means Of
riting home to their friends. This Il
,nsiderste act is quite in keep e
z with all We know Of Prince Frit2s o
atnre-with his soldierly conduct G
the field, and his tenderness alike to c
lend aud enemy after fighting, so that c
cannot astonish any one to hear the Ii
ctor Of Weissenbnrg and Woertn utter d
g these sentences; i do not like war, v