Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1870-08-18
Frederick the Great and his Father.

Frederick the Great and MS father.
Frederick surnsmed the Great, son of
Frederick William, was born in January,
17l2. II may be safely pronounced that he
had received from nature strong ana
sharp understanding, and rare hrmnes5
of temper and intensity OF will. As to the
other parts o. his character, it is difficult
to say whether they are to be ascribed to
nature or to the strange training which he
underwent. The history OF his boybood
is painfully interesting. "Oliver Twist" in
the Parish Work-house, "Smike" ut Dothe-
boys Hall, were petted children when
compared with this wretched heir apparent
of crown, The nam OF Frederick Will
liam was hard and bad, and the habit OF
exercising arbitrary power had mate him
irghtiully savage. His rage constantly
vented itself to right and left in curses and
blows. When his Majesty took walk
every human being fed before him, as If
u tiger had broken loose from a
meuagerie. II he met lady in the street,
he gave her kick, and told her to go
home and mind her brats. If he saw a
clergyman staring at the soldiers, he adj
monshed the reverend gentlemanto betake
himself to study and prayer, and enforced
this piods advice Wy sound Gaming,
administered ON ii spot. But TWAS in
his own ; use that le was most unreason-
able and tsrocious. His palace was hell,
and he ne most ex cradle of fends--a
cross be, ween Mooch and Puck, His son
Frederick and his d lighter Wilhelmina
afterward Margravin' of Bareuth, were in
an espt cial manner o lects Of his aversion.
His own mind was uocultivated. He des-
pissed literature He ated infdels, Papists
and metaphysiciaps, md did not very well
understand in what they differed from each
other The bust ess of life according to
him, was to drill and to be drilled. The
recreations suited to \ prince, were to sit
| in cloud of tobacc smoke, to sip Swed-
Ish beer between the putis of the pipe, to
play backgammon for three-halt pence
rubber to kill wild hogs, and to shoot
partridges by the thousand.
The, King supposed that his son was IN
clned to be hereto Of some sort or 9th
er, whether Calvinist or Atheist, HE Maj
esty did not very well know. The ordina-
ry malignity OF Frederick Wlllian was bad
enough He now thought mahguity
part of his duty as Christian man, and al
the conscience that he had stimulated his
hatred. The flute was broken the French
books were sent out of tho palace-the
Prince was kicked and cudgeleA and pulled
by the hair AT dinner the plates were
hurled at his mead sometimes be was re-
strcted to bread and water sometimes he
was forced to swallow food 50 nauseous
that he could not keep it on his stomach.
Once his father knocked HIM down, drag
ped him along the floor TO window, and
was with difficulty prevented from
straugling him with the cord of the cur
tain The Queen, for the crime of
not wishing 70 see her son murdered, was
subjected to the efossest indiguiiies. The
Princess Wilhelmina, who took her broth
er's part, was treated almost as i'll as Mrs.
Brownriggs apprentices. Driven TO des-
pair the unhappy youth tried to run away,
then the fury of the old tyrant rose to mad
ness. The Prince was an officer IN the
army; his flight was therefore desertiou,
and, IL the moral code Of Frederick Will
liam, desertion was the highest Of all
crimes. "Desertion, says this royal theo-
lopian, in one of his halfcra2y letters, "is
from he'll. It il a work of the children of
the devil No child of God could possibly
be guilty Of H. An accomplish of the
Prince, in spite Of the recommendation OF
a court-martial, was mercilessly put to
death. II seemed probable that tho Prince
himself would suffer the same fate. -
It was with difficulty that the intercession
of the states of Holland, Of the Kings of
Sweden and Poland, and oftha Emperor of
Germany, saved the House of Brandenburg
from the stain of IN unnatural murder.
After months Of cruel suspense, Frederick
learned that his life would be spared. He
remained, however, long a prisoner; buth he
was not on that account to be pitied. He
found in his jailors tenderness which he
had never found in his father; his table was
not sumptuous, but he had wholesome
food in sufficient quantity to appense hun
ger; he could read the Henriade without
being kicked, and play on his flute with
ont having it broken over his head. -
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