Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1888-06-21

time o: day that the Pruss:an Princes
grow Up clothnI in raiform, ana. like
other Prussian subjects. are taught their mil
tary duties very early in life. The Crown
Prince had excellent teacaers-notably Ernst
Curt.us: and in 1850 he tecame "a student at
Bonn, and. later on, rector. With father so
manly and serious, yet -joviar' as one courier
calls him. and mother so accomplished. the
Prince could net fail 20 be well taught ami
trained. He was tall, healthy blue-eyei, frank
ana simple, au1 he won regard wherever he
went when youth. IN lac English court his
father was held in special esteem; aad when.
having become Prime OF Pruss n and heir-ap-
parent. he was driven from Berlin in
las. his sol accompanied him 70
England Although politics forbade his
reception, he Queen Victoria
who deeply sympathized with him-and
Prince Albert: and il was then that Prince
Frederic. William. lad OF seventeen, first
saw Princess Victoria, lively and engaging
child II 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
mad been captured, Prince Frederick w liam
paid his famous visit TO Balmoral, to 2sk for
the hand Of Princess Victoria. still a young
maiden in al the 'unconstraint of girlhood.
The engagement wa, announced September
-. 1862 ard the marriage occurred n 1855.
coined in Berlin, and in August of the same
year the Queen ana Prince consort visited them
in their new home. a great change was i'm
pending over Prussia. The then King was
stricken with painful mllady. and after the
royal travellers from England had returned TO
her shores Prince William was obliged to be-
come Prince Regent. He had acteI in that
capacity since the autumn OF 1857, but in Octo-
Der. ISIS, he was appointed Regent with full
powers.
The Regent AZ 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 rmbued with English opin-
ions, and he did not conceal his views. In 1861
the strife had reached a critical stage, the
policy OF the government became harsh, and
the Crown Prince was so moved that he ad-
dressed words Of strong rcmonstrance TO his
father. II beseech You, my dearest father"
he wrote. N I To invade the law in the way
you hinted"-fOrcng on the country his own
views OF military reform, and issuing decree
SIN ting the Oppos ton press. The King vIndi-
Gated his course, and advised his son 10 be
cautious; but immed G.ciy after the Crown
Prince formally declared The proceedings of
the cabinet to be both Illegal a2I injurious to
the state and the dynasty" So far did the dis
pute go that the King h.nted at the dismissal
OF his son from his command on account OF =
speech at DartZic. The Crown Prince did not
then comprehend the scope of Bisnarck's vast
policy or discern i'll him the qualities which
made him the first statesman of Germany. bat
he acted with honesty and courage and deserved
the respect he won from ali.
In the Schles wig Holstein war the Prince
saw service on the staff OF T. cIdMarsh3l Won
Wrangel. II was this war which brought the
long contest between Austria and Prussia
to a head, and discord in Denmark proved to
be the prelude to unity in Germany. The re-
suit of a series of moves and counter-moves
was that in 1856, 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 S:lesIa, which, besides cavalry,
consisted of the guard and three corps. The
chief of the stan with the Prince was &c neral
Bumenthal, a sililful 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
dec sive action through the passes of the cast
art-passes famous in the history of his
great ancestor, Friedrich H. But line
OF mountain wall, forty miles long-the Giant
acknowledgements the armies 1T the out
set, and their operations had 10 be nicely COM
Dlueu II were 10 u junction.. lney
were combined by the aiG 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 the Parliament to pass bill of
indemnity to cover and legalize the irregular
n litarY expenditure of several years; and he
probably had come to appreciate the European
situation and its relation to Germany better
than he did in 1853.
The fOurye2rS 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
pole0n had won diplomatic victory at Ems
when the EohenZollern candidature for the
Spanish throne was Withdrawn. Not content.
he allowed himself to be forced into war by
the Empress and his intimate councillors; and
the challenge, promptly taken up in Berlin,
brought on the strife which broke to pieces, for
time, the military power of France.
twas in the campaign of 1S11-1 that the Crown
Prince once more came prominently before the