Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1893-05-03
THE YANKEE COUNT RuMFoRD.
A New Englander's >uccess In Europe in
the Last Century.


A New Englander's success In Europe in
the Last Century.
DR.. George Z. Ellis in a paper on
Count Rumford thus describes portion
of that remarkable New Englander's
career in Europe: with the singular
felicity of what seemed luck in so many
incidents of his extraordinary career,
while attending military parade at
Strasburg he drew the notice, the curl
Gus interest and then the proffer hospi-
tally, of the French field marshal Prince
Macmillan of DeuX-Ponts, in 1899 made
elector and in 1905 king of Bavaria. This
was the decisive hour in Thompson's
splendid fortune. The prince asked
him to visit Munich with a letter to his
uncle, Elector Charles Theodore, who
proved, till his death in 1899, the devoted
admirer, constant friend and grateful
patron of Thompson. The elector in
vited the handsome and accomplished
officer of the age of 80 years, trained in
workshop, cabinet and field, to enter
his service, both military and civil, at
most critical period in the condition of
Bavaria, which was prize in
contest by the then contend
ing imperial continental powers.
Thompson needed to obtain the
permission of his sovereign, and on a
visit to England for the purpose he not
only received it, but also the honor
of knighthood, February 90. 1884. With
the prestige of honors, title and half
pay, this soldier of fortune, in the best
sense of the epithet, returned to Ba-
varia, his abilities, marvellous versatile
ity and high ambition, accompanied by
fidelity and unwearied zeal in most ex-
acting labors for works of reform and
improvements, adapting him to the
electors pressing needs in his own inn
periled and convulsed dominion.
1t may be that Thompson had the re-
pute of the then deceased Franklin to
inspire him, if he needed anything be-
yond the capacities and purposes found
in himself. Radical and extensive re-
forms, all excellent in intent and effect;
sage devices and schemes of homely
benevolence curiously connected with
( severely scientific inventions and exper-
iments; shrewdly sagacious meas
ures for graphing with the evils and
fraud of tramps and mendicancy and
the mischiefs Of a standing army; the
! invention and first practical and sue
cesful trial of plans for dealing with
poverty and almsgiving, which have
since been adopted, and are now fol-
lowed to such purpose in every
well-ordered these, brief
ly and most inadequately started
| in condensed summary, were
the direction of Thompson's zeal and
transcendent success. To these he gave
eleven years of the closest application,
exhaustive of his own fine constitution,
before he made another visit to Eng
land. He mastered the French and
German languages, was regarded as a
| man of rare and universal accomplish
| ments, and by his prudence and affa bill
ity conciliated the jealousy of those
who might grudge the trusts and hon.
! ors bestowed on a foreigner.
The electors confidence and graft
| tude knew no bounds. He gave Thomp-
son a palatial edifice, military staff,
servants and blood horses, and consti-
tuted him major general of calvary,
privy councillor, chamberlain and head
of the war and police departments,
| When, in an interval of vacancy, the
| elector was vicar of the empire he made
| Sir Ben jaInin count of the holy Roman
| empire, with the order of the White
Eagle. 1t is pleasant to repeat that
| Thompson, whom we must now call
| Count Rumford should have chosen
| for title the name of the modest New
| England village where his first adj
vancement came to him as a rural
| cohOolTn flanfio