The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1874-11-05
FREDERICK III

erty OF tnOugnt IN Germany rs fredef-
lex H., Of Prussia. In the history of
his race there is no character more at
tractiye, because there is none more hui
man. His idea is not that narrow one of
Hermann, nor is his passion thenation-
al passion of Luther; it is the idea and
the passion of humanity. Those who
survey history, with its rudenesses and
obliquities, as if they were viewing the
serene and tranquil region of philoso-
ply, are in the habit of reproachng
him with the fact that he wrote an ar
dent book against Machiayel, and made
use of Machiavelian practices; that he
sang the advantages of peace like a Vir-
gil, and scattered war like Caesar; that
he execrated conquest like the Able st.
Pierre, and was conqueror like Cyrus
and Alexander. But those who exam
Inc men and their acts, having i'm view
the difficulties which they encounter,
the obstacles they overcome, the evils
which they abolish, and the progress
they accomplish, will never sufficiently
admire the crowned philosopher, who,
alone in the world, prosecuted by all
sovereigns, worried by Russians, Tartars,
Croats, Hungarians and French, aban-
doned by his friends and allies, with his
motley little army strong only in its rig
orous discipline, and without other
motive power than the great soul of its
general, impelled in turn by another
great idea, creates in the centre of Ger
many the power destined to be. in re-
speCt to the liberty of thought, what the
house of Orange and England were in
respect to political liberty. No doubt
the instrument which he used was bad
one, the absolute monarchy; the stains
which disfgure his reign are serious
ones, like the dismemberment of Po-
land; his conscience rarely rises to the
ideal of justice; his lips utter epigrams
which bring on wars; his skepticsm de-
generates into thoughtless sarcasm; but
with all these defects, with others still
greater, it may be, there is no personality
of his time in which shines forth with
such strength and brilliancy the immOr-
tai spirit of his age; that essentially hui
manitarian century. If he had no other
glory, the king who received dominion
Of barely two thousand square leagues,
and three millions of inhabitants de-
strOyed to its foundations the formida-
bic Holy Empire, the representative of
tradition, the Goliath of absoutsm, the
T jailor of nations, the enemy of William
Tell, the executiOner of John Huss, the
assassin of PadilIa, the poisoner of the
Latin races, which, if it had triumphed,
would have consumed the very marrow
of bones, reduced our consciences to
ashes, and made of all Europe what,
with its fatal authority and terrible pol
icy, it made of our naughty Spain, q
desolate desert.
The conquest of Silesia, which has
been so harshly criticized, was a con-
quest OF liberty and of conscience, for
the inhabitants, being in large majority
Catholics, all received the conservation
of their rights from the hands of king
+ educated in Protestanism and nurtured
: in philosophy. After the battle of
Strlegan, in l740, two thousand peasants
wished to cut the throats of all the
Catholics Of the border The king was
J indignant The humane spirit of toler-
ance beat in his heart; the spirit of the
age took possession of his mind; the
[ Eternal Divine Word rose to his lips,
/ and invoking the theme of "Love your
enemies" he pronounced discourse, q
worthy echo of the Sermon on the
/ Mount, which caused the crazy fanatics
. to drop their murderOus weapons.
f With great memory, as BELTS states
= man; with scanty fancy, like his age;
= with Ideas rather clear than profound, a
= fine and delicate irony, more brain than
. heart; character sometimes served and
5 sometimes commanded by great intel
2 ligencei naughty with the powerful, sim
: pie with the humble; passionately de-
a voted to genius and science; uncondi-
s tional admirer of merit; commonplace
e in his verses, incorrect in his prose, vul-
gar in his philosophy, but worthy OF
1 comparison with Caesar when narrating
# his own exploits, not only in the sobri-
e ETY. of the narrative, but in its simple
: and natural modesty; gay, like the an
e tique heroes; the most moral of admin
d istratOrs; eminent as a lawyer; Jealous
+ that justice should reach the lowest so
o cial classes; tolerant of the opinion Of
= his people, whom he allowed to say
what they pleased, reserving for himself
r to do what he pleased; firm in diversity
o serene in danger, thoughtful in his plans
r tenacious in his purposes-above all his
;. qualities shines out that effusion with
It which he opened the frontiers of his
It kingdom, the gates of his palace, the
i arms of his friendship, to all those who
h thought, believed or worked for any
/ idea to the philosophers of the Ency
clopedia, prosecuted by prejudice, anG
d burned in efhgy by hapgmen; to the
: Moravian Brothers with their Utopias
a to the Freemasons, excommunicated by
the popes; to the Jesuits, cursed by the
kings; to all those who suffered for any
faith. His brow rises above all other
:, and shines, rejecting the light of the
r future, the thought of ages to come, be
, cause his soul embraced with ardent en-