The Russellville Democrat., 1888-06-21

wemar It need hardly be said at this time of day that the Prussian Princes grow up clothed in uniform, and, like other Prussian subjects, are taught their mill tary duties very early in life The Grown Prince had excellent teachers-notaby Ernst Curtius; and in 1850 he became a student at Bonn. and, later on, rectSz With father so manly and sarsf..s ,eJ 'sjovial'' as one courier calls sfrn and mother so accomplished, the Prince could not fail to be well taught and trained. He was tall, healthy, blue-eyed, frank and simple, aud he won regard wherever he went when youth Tn the English court his father was held in special esteem; and when, having become Prince of Prussia and heir-ap- parent, he was driven from Berlin in 1s4S his se2 accompanied him to England. Although politics forbade his reception. he saw Queen Victoria who deeply sympathized with him-and Prince Albert: and it was then that Prince Frederick William, lad of seventeen, first saw Princess Victoria, lively and engaging child It was the hope of several persons that these two In after years might be united, and the hope was fulfilled. Five years afterward, in the month Of September. when Sebastopol had been captured, Prince Frederick William paid his famous visit to Balmoral to ask for the hand of Princess Victoria, still a young maiden in all the 'unconstraint of girlhood".
 The engagement was announced September 70. lSJ). ana the marriage occurred III lHOS.
 The bride and bridegroom were heartily wei comed in Berlin, and in August of the same year the Queen and Prince consort visited them in their new home. A great change was i'm . pending over Prussia. The then King was stricken with painful malady, and after the royal travellers from England had returned to her shores Prince William was obliged to be- come Prince Regent. He had acted in that capacity since the autumn of 1851, but in octo- Der, 1858, he was appointed Regent with full powers.
 The Regent at once set about the reform of the army which slowly but surely brought on a constitutional crisis.
 Prince Frederick William, who had become Crown Prince, was imbued with English opin- ions, and he did not conceal his views In 1863, the strife had reached critical stage, the policy of the government became harsh and the Crown Prince was so moved that he ad- dressed words of strong remonstrance to his father. T beseech you, my dearest father, he wrote, mot to invade the law in the way you hinted"-forcing on the country his own views of military reform, and issuing decree smiting the opposition press. The King vindi- cated hls course, and advised his son to be cautious; but immediately after the Crown Prince formally declared "the proceedings of the cabinet to be both illegal and injurious to the state and the dynasty" So far did the dis pute 20 that the King hnted at the dismissal sf his son from his command on account of a speech at Dantzic. The Crown Prince did not then comprehend the scope of Bismarcks vast policy, or discern in him the qualities which made him the first statesman of Germany, but he acted with honesty and courage and deserved the respect he won from all.
 In the Schleswg Holstein war the Prince saw service on the stan of Field-Marshal von Wrangel. It was this war which brought the long contest between Austria and Prussia fr. a hap md in no n be the prelude to unity in Germany. The re- suit of a series of moves and connter-moyes was that in 1866, the Austrian Emperor and the Prussian King found themselves at war; and Prussia, with only one ally, sent out her armies to fight against the whole resources of the confederation. The Crown Prince was intrusted with the command Of what was called the Army of Slesia," which, besides cavalry, consisted of tho guard and three corps The chief of the staff with the Prince was Ge neral Blumenthal, skilful and hardy soldier The plan of campaign was that while two armies, which soon became one, broke into Bohemia from the northwest, heading for Iser, the Princes force should emerge into the scenes of decisive action through the passes of the east ward-passes famous in the history of his great ancestor, "Friedrich IT." But line of mountain wall, forty miles long-the Giant mountains-separated the armies at the out set, and their operations had to be nicely com
 
 were combined bY the aid of the electric tele- graph and being well directed, and fighting stoutly, they did meet on the decisive field of Sadowa.
 Then followed four years of peace. The Crown Prince had the satisfaction of hearing his father ask tho Parliament to pass bill of indemnity to cover and legalize the irregular military expenditure of several years: and he probably had come to appreciate the European situation and it's relation to Germany better than he did in 1863.
 The four years were anxious ones for Europe yet although war had been expected every spring, nevertheless the events of July, 1870 took every one by surprise The Emperor Ma poleon had won diplomatic victory at Ems when the Hohenzolern candidature for the Spanish throne was withdrawn. Not content, he allowed himself to be forced into war by the Empress and hls intimate councillors; and the challenge, promptly taken up in Berlin brought on the strife which broke to pieces, for a time the military power of France.
 It was in the campaign of ls70-1 that the Crown ga une I,, hafnr