New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-02-01
FREDERICK THE GREAT.
n. LAvISSE'S STUDY OF THE KINGS YOUTH.

THE YOUTH OF FREDERICK TIE GREAT; ru. BY
Ernest Laglsse. Professor at the sorbonne TRANS
lated from the French by Mary BUSHNELL 'oehi'"
PIP. XIV, AS s. c. GiiSGs d G."
Psychology is almost prominent IN these pages
~ history 1t is not psychology In the tcchcai sense
perhaps. but rather in the more popular SENSE, t"c
study of the mind In both individual and national
activity. Whatever opinion one may hold respect
Ing the accuracy of VI. Lavisse's work. there can be
only admiration for the clcarncss with which ne mas
depicted his characters he understands them. Inc
ninutest detail that helps to I'LL out the picture Is
remembered. In general we all know the stOrN Oh
Fredercks boyhood, of the iron rule by which he was
meant tn be governed of the secret ways in when thS
ingexible law was nuied OF his surreptitiouS train
ing. not merely d child Of Prussia. but as chlld
Of bis age-the age OF Noltare-and OF the hypocrisy
which this conflict between dity and inclination made
permanent as a part Of his personality. But mere
the process BY which this powerful. this oewlderhS
this contradictory character was evolved us hcrely,
Its environment Its innate quanucs are All uSeu'Scu
with scientific precision.
Granted NJ Lavisse's premises his CONCLUSIONS lo
low inevitably Three generations of Prusslan roydN
pass in before the reader Of TINS DOOR, anu
they are at to Iave been Indispensable ech
In It's place. 10 the growth OF the Prissian Kingdom
The grandfather OF Frederick the Great enforced upon
himself upon his subjects upon all Europe. the con-
yiction that he king. Now TINS was a very
necessary lesson to learn for Prussia. on the mere
face OF the tUing. did not look like kingdom. lhcro
Is large measure Of truth in the predatory remark oil
NJ Lavissc Mature. who has prepared certain
countries and constructed bithplaces for nations dd
not foresee Prussia In fact, there does not exist
geographical Prussia either as a race or Il region.
Germany is the daughter Of nature, but Prussia was
made by men, The individuality of Prussia must
OF necessity then centre in the King, and while she
was weak and disunted. while she had no army and
as yet no national spirit there rested on the King
the necessity OF presenting better face 10 the world
fhan the facts seemed warrant. Fortunately for
the Prissian ruler of that day, the world had BE-
come accustomed to the formalities Of hnGship. and
had been almost forced to accept them as genuine
realities by Louis XIV. To initiate him was the
most obvious method OF gaining respect for royal
pretensions and this FrcderCk's grandfather did.
When he departed this life he left to his son an ac-
knowledged position in the world. but II was position
which war would quickly render vacant and useless
popularity Of the PTusslan House seems 10 have
been the opposition between father and son in their
notions Of what their duty was rulers. The first
IIohenzollern who the royal crown was dig
nied, formal, cOuriy man, who never wearled oil al
miring himself King His son dctestcd show
abhorred expense and cared for nothing except the
creation Of an army which 1t would have broken his
heart to take into the field. To him the King OF
Prussia was a national individuality. whom he served
like any other subject. Then came Frederick, VINO
cared for armies only because they were Indispensable
70 carry out his purposes. lie found ready maze
TO his hand by his predecessors a royalty whose
under bis leadership the best in Europe. one may
saw that none OF three rulers foTesaw the out
come OF his labors but can be said that this Won
derful fitness in the labors Of three generations Of
ROYALTY and subject alike would have been possible
without at least vague national ideal Though the
vacant places in the Kingdom We're nled up Win
strange populations. though purity of race became a
mere legend, yet all this change was dominated ny
2 purpose as obvious 10 every subject as II was 10
the King himself the strengthening Of Prussia as I'M
personated In her autOcratc ruler. The result was
a political machine, in which every part WORKED 10
perfection in which part of such Sort tat II
could not be replaced the instant Inc visible ci
bodiment OF this machine was the army.
NJ Lavisse imagnes what might nave nappcn'n
II Frederick William | had been other than ne was
or IL Frederick the had been merely an honest
mediocre man. In the Prussia would posslpN
have been suppressed; it would certainly have he'n
kept back from its destiny nation IN the DINER,
might have held the third place. but could not nave
Yisen TO the first rank In Europe But me leu
denotes shown in the series OF kings were thc cA
preston steady Improvement In national cLiracr
The Of Prussar mi'arism was 'mersins from
the chaos OF ancient dlsorca1zallOn. , t-ftiN sup
made the way clearer, and Frede:i-k the tfr VS.
as inevitable eclipse. 49, ,., -,
The book is well translated The haTdsmps @,
Frederick's youth make his figure romantic one. IN
spite OF his own sternness in later nie. IN thl>
volume YOU have the romance without me bitterness
of conplete dsiluson.