Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1904-11-19
Historical and Fraterna Address By Nations President
To Thousands in War College Grounds
Baroness Sernbere Wife Of German Ambassador Pulls The
Cords Which Expose The Noble Figure. Distinguished and
Brilliant Assemblage

appropriate for placing In this war
college. but accept 1t as the statue
OF great man, whose life was de
voted to the service OF q great people.
and whose deeds FASTENED the ap-
proach OF the day when united
Germany should spring into beings
As soldier Frederick the Great
ranks In that very, very small group
which includes Alexander, Caesar and
Hannibal In antiquity. and Napoleon,
and possibly Gustavus Adolphus. In
modern times. He belonged to the
ancient and illustrious house Of Ho'
henzollern, which. after playing n
strong and virile part In the middle
ages, and after producing some men,
like the great elector. who were
among the most famous princes OF
their time, founded the royal house OF
Prussia two centuries ago, and at
last In our own day established the
mighty German empire M among the
foremost OF world powers. We re.
ceive this gift now at the hands OF
the present emperor, himself man
who has markedly added to the luster
Of his great house and his great ma
tion. a man who has devoted his life
to the welfare OF his people, and who.
while keeping ever ready to defend
the rights OF that people. has also
made 1t evident In emphatic fashion
that he and they desire peace and
friendship with the other nations OF
the earth.
ID IL not my purpose here To dis
cuss at length the career of the
mighty king and mighty general
whose statue We have just received.
In all history no other great com
mander save only Hannibal fought SO
long against such terrible odds. and
while Hannibal finally failed. Freder.
ick finally triumphed, In almost
every battle he fought against great
odds, and he almost always won the
victory When defeated he rose to
an even greater altitude than when
victorious. The memory Of the seven
years war viii last as long as their
lives in mankind the love Of herolsm,
and It's operations will be studied to
| The mlnutest detail as long as the
| world sees soldier worthy of the
name. It Is difficult to know whether
| to admire most the victories OF Leu
then and Prague, Rossbach and Iorn
dorf, or the heartbreaking campaigns
after Kunersdorf, when the great
| king after having been beaten to
| the ground by the banded might OF
| Europe, yet rose again and by an
! exhibition of skill, tenaclty, energy,
| and daring such as had never before
| been united In one person, finally
| wrasted triumph from defeat, Not
only must the military scholar al
/ ways turn TO the career Of Frederick
the Great for lessons In strategy and
tactics; not only must the military
administrator always turn to his
career for lessons In organizing sue
cess: not only will the lover OF hero
ism read the tales Of his mighty feats
as long as mankind cares for heroic
deeds; but even those who are moi
attracted by the valor of the soldier
must yet, for the sake OF the great
ness of the man. ponder and admire
the lessons taught by his undaunted
resolution, his inflexible tenacity oi
purpose. his farslghted grasp Of lofty
possibilities. and his unflinching, I'M
Welding determination In following
the path he had marked out. II is
eminently fitting that the statue
OF this iron soldier, this
born leader OF men, should find
a place In this war college: for when
soldierly genius and soldierly hero
ism reach the highest point OF
achievement the man In whom they
are displayed grows to belong not
merely to the nation from which he
sprang. and therefore capable OF ap-
preciating. the virile and masterful
virtues which alone make victors in
those dread struggles where resort Is
t fcopoluaoa ON paoo