The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-07-30
VISITS POTSDAM.
Editor Morgan Sees Brilliant
Palaces and Gardens.
But of Most Interest Was the
Grave of Frederick.
WITHOUT ADORNMENT.
Paintings in the Great Feast
Room Caused a Blush.
Emperor Bill Is All Right But
Salary a Trifie High.
Surprised to Find Horse Cars in
Royal City of 1000.
WITHOUT ADORNMENT
Berlin. Germany.

Berlin, Germany. July 10, 1906.
Berlin is such a busy, modern city,
that 1 am continually comparing it to
Chicago. There is one point in which
the comparison is not favorable to the
American town. Berlin is clean=not
only on the avenues and in the front
streets but on the quays, in the back
alleys and where tenements and power
sty might be expected to mean dirt, as
they generally do with us. The gov
eminent not only provides for the
thorough cleaning of the streets and
alleys but it makes the people keep
as is always the case an example set
consistently from the top down has
doubtless made cleanliness habit
among all kinds and conditions of peo-
pie. There are plenty of factories and
smok estacks, but no SCOT. A man who
makes q collar do him one whole day
in Hutchinson win find his collar
cleaner at the end of the third day IN
Berlin than at the close of the first
twentv-four hours in the city that is
the salt of the earth. I suppose man
who wears a shirt week in America
could wear one a month in Berlin and
think it was clean The opinion is
prevalent in those parts of our country
WuSI6 L nave TESiu6QH Alldl Liz t4tAAC ~
clean up the back alley is after you
have been notified by the health Off
GER. In Germany the first notice
man would get would be JAN SEN
tence. 1t interferes somewhat with
our ideas of personal liberty to thus
ruthIessly demolish the theory that
man has right to go dirty if he wants
to, but in practice the result is not
bad. have a strong line of thought
on this subject. that Hutchinson
should be the cleanest, prettiest city IN
Kansas just by a little individual ex-
ertion of the citizens. But I suppose
that in the good American way when
[ get home. will lapse into waiting
until the neighbors complain before
clean up the alley
Today we have been in Potsdam,
" hieh is the show place for Berlin. IL
is about 20 miles from the capital and
since the father Of Frederick the great
built the first palace there, has been the
residence most of the time for the
Prussian kings. As I have written, Ber-
lin is in a flat sandy plain. and couple
of centuries ago was doubtless an unln-
teresting and unpleasant place Tor
man to live unless he had to on ac-
count of his job. There are few hills
and valleys at PotsdaE, a pretty little
river and in tho beginning there was
a dense forest and fertile soil. Fred
ericks father made a country palace
there and it became the drill ground
for his army He was a drill master
all right so that when Frederick me
Great came to the throne and looked
around for his first fight he had the
finest little army in Europe. In fact
that was before the time Of standing
armies and when kings went to war
they had to call on the dukes and counts
to furnish soldiers. Sometimes the no
bIes did not respond properly and Iho
result always was an incongruous array
of fighting men under officers who had
different methods and could not be con-
soIidated into one force because of diff
ferent tactics. habits and even lang
uages. But Frederick the Great had a
standing army trained by his father.
and able to organize quickly and move
promptly. So when Russia, Austria and
France formed a coalition for the sup
preston of Frederick and the division
of his kingdom, he acted on the Shakes
perean principle:
tThrice is he armed who has his auarre-
just,
And more than thrice who gets his tick
in fust'
Frederick did not wait until the three
opposition armies got together but his
army was ready from the jump ana he
licked his enemies one a "A time before
they could get their forces organized
Frederick the Great lived nearly all
his life at Potsdam and was buried
there L o my InlIu lie IS one Ol Tie
great men of history, although I may
have gotten too much of that from
reading Louisa Muhlbach's novels.
But Potsdam and Prussia have 1.-THE
goods" 10 show that Frederick did
business. and not merely the memory
Of a brilliant debauch Of victory which
is the heritage Napoleon left to
France. In little church at Pots
dam, in coffin without an inserip-
ton. without monument or mauso-
leum, lies the dust of Frederick. AS
I stood by the coffin the caretaker
reminded me that in that vault 101
years ago Frederick's grandson, then
king of Prussia, the car of Russia
and Queen Louise had shaken hands
in compact that they would never let
up until they licked Napoleon One
year later Napoleon. a conqueror en-
tered Berlin and the compact was
dissolved. Napoleon went to Potsdam,
stood by the coffin and said: If you
had been alive I would not be here"
Brilliant palaces superb gardens.
grand vistas and beautiful fountains
make Potsdam a place full of interest
and splendor. but to my mind none
of these or all Of these equal in in
terest or Importance that small dark
coffin in the little church vault.
Frederick the Great was not only
d general but he was what the French
call "bon vivant, or as Americans
would say. "a high roller The fine
palace in the town was all right for
soldiery and craftsmanship, but he
built another a mile or so away for
himself and his friends-his wife
never went there. He called it "Sans
Souci'' which is French for without
care and he proposed to drive dull
care away by all the methods which
even at that time were considered
proper for kings only. He invited the
French inf1del philosopher Voltaire to
make his home at Sans Souci and
they were to be eternal friends. He
had a lady friend, Barbarini. an italian
dancing girl. and she used to dance
at the parties without any clothes on.
Of course the police could not inter-
fere for the king was giving the party