New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-05-22
Observation-Disclosures
MILITARY DEBUT OF THE TEN-YEAR-OLD
CROWN PRINCE OF GERMANY.


my good wishes and congratulations to young
Prince Willie of Prussia, and gazing with boyish
admiration and envy on his new uniform al
lieutenant of the LIST Regiment of Footguards, on
his silver epauettes on his sword. his officers
cash, and on his orange-coored ribbon and star OF
the Order of the Black Eagle. Yet three and
twenty years have passed away since that cold
January day. my playmate of early boyhood has
become both an Emperor and father, and ten
days ago the tenth birthday Of his eldest son
was celebrated in an identically similar manner
to his own.
The tenth birthday is always very great event
in the life of every Prince Of the Royal House
of Prussia. 1t is the date of his formal intro
duction into the German army. and of his assump-
ton of various royal and imperial attributes
which have until then been withheld from him.
Thus previous to his tenth birthday no one u
permitted to address him as Royal" or I'M
perial IIghness." lie is merely spoken to -
Prince William" or Prince Frederick" withous
any honorfc predicate On his tenth birthday.
too the Prussian Prince receives for the first time
the insignia Of the various national orders OF
chivalry, including those of the Black Eagle, OF the
Red Eagle, and of the Star of H0henzolern. He
is awarded on this day too. for the first time. tho
precedence to which his birth entities him. and
he dspenses from this day forth with the services
of nurses and governesses, who make way for al
exclusively masculine attendance. Henceforth the
young Crown Prince of Germany will be emanct
pated from the control of Miss Atkinson. the
English lady who has been in charge OF the
Emperor's children during the past four years ~
governess.
This reminds me that nearly every European
monarch, either in esse or in posse. is indepted
to English nurses and governesses for the first
md; IT oh and far fhn
mental training. Thus the little Queen OF Hol-
land has an English governess, Miss winter:
Irish lady whose name escapes my memory
for the moment is in charge as governess OF little
King Alfonso of Spain. 1t was but the other
day that the Gar and his brothers walked bare
headed behind the hearse which bore the corpse
of their old English nurse to the grave. The
present Khedive Of Egypt was under the control
of English nurses and governesses until his tenth
year, and so too the Crown Prince OF Italy,
who speaks English with even less foreign accent
than some Of the Royal British Princes them
selves. The present Emperor Of Germany, the
King Of Belgium, the King Of Sweden and his
sons and the King of Portugal owe each one OF
them their knowledge of the English language to
the British nurses and governesses who first di-
rected the course of their mind and Of their intel
ect during their childhood. Some day or other
of English nurses and governesses who by the early
influences which they have exercised over the char.
acter of the rulers Of the earth may be said to
have PLAYED an important role in the history Of
the world
The young German Crown Princes independent
household as now constituted after elimination
Of the feminine element consists Of military
governor Of the name Of Colonel Won Falkenhayn,
a civilian governor in the person of young
Lutheran divine named Kessler, German
tutor named Fechner, Swiss tutor named
Girardin from Geneva, and French teacher
named Monsieur EsternauX. His drill instructor
is Sergeant-Major Flach of the LIST Regiment OF
Footguards, while his riding master is Cavalry
Captain Halmigk.
The little Prince does special credit to the
teaching Of the cavalry captain and Of the
infantry sergeant-major. He rides like little
centaur, is absolutely fearless in the saddle. and
handles his spirited pony with astonishing skill
and judgment. He is equally quick in his drill
as all those who witnessed his march past on his
birthday parade Of the LIST Regiment Of Guards had
the opportunity to realize 1t must have been an
amusing sight to watch the little fellow stridin9
along at the rear of the first company of his regi-
ment For the entire corps is famed for the enor.
nous stature of its men, while the first company:
or Leib comTagnie is composed of all the tallest
soldiers Of the regiment. They perfect giants,
and their size is still further increased by tho
huge metal sugar-lolf helmets Of the time OF
Frederick the Great which they invariably wear
on state occasions. The commander OF the first
company. in which for more than century past
ever Prussan Prince has made his military
debut, is half a head higher than any man in the
regiment. and is the Anak Of the German army.
His name is Major Won Pluskow, and the sight OF
the little ten-year-oId lieutenant beside him on
parade must have been exceedingly droll.
The ceremony Of presentation Of the Crown
Prince to the regiment seems to have taken place
with the old time traditional etiquette. Notwith-
standing the bad weather, it constituted splendid
military spectacle. At noon the Emperor, accom-
panied by the Princes of his family and the highest
military dgnitarcs of the Empire, entered the
square which had been formed by the regiment In
the Lustgarten at Potsdam. At the right Of the
Emperor strobe the new Grand Duke Of Hesse, at
his left the little Crown Prince. As as the
monarch had concluded the address to the rcgi-
mcnt customary on such occasions the little
Crown Prince drew his sword. advanced few
steps and after saluting reported himself to the
commander Of tho first company, Major Won Plus
kow, and then took his place at the extreme
right of the line Then came the march
past, the attention and interest Of all
present being Of course centred on tha
little fellow. 1t appears that he found great
difficulty to keep in step with the giant strides
of his grenadiers Sometimes he ran, sometimes
he iumrrd but in one way or another he never
SC emed TO get out Of STEP lie seems to have
borne himself admirably and to have cut gallant
little figure, especially when, like every other
officer of the regiment he saluted with his sword
his imperial mother, who with the Princesses
had taken up her position at the windows OF tho
castle that looked on to the Lustgarten.
After the review was over the Emperor
presented each officer of the regiment separately
to his son, who at the state banquet which fol.
lowed and which he attended for the first time
in his life. sat next to his mother thus occupy.