The Washington herald., 1910-10-24
FREDERIC THE GREAT
AND HIS REVENGE

uetaln them at Berlin, KNOW us history
and yet over It's marble portals it we'll
might have inscribed the legend, IRE
yenge is sweet, even to kings"
Frederic the Great built it at the con-
clusion OF his many wars, ito show his
enemies that despite the seven years
war against Austria his exchequer was
not exhausted" He did more-he showed
his contempt for the countries which had
sought 10 crush him. and the contempt
rary press of his capital made no secret
of IT,
The first thing the visitor sees when
leaving the Crosse Alice. the avenue
lined with poplar and oak, which leads
through a veritable country idyl from
San Souci to the ''neue palais." is the
front facade OF marble OF the castle. set
amid a grove Of tail shade trees. for all
the world ike the clearing made by
frOntiersman OF America when building
a home in the virgin forest A fountain
plays forever through the mouth OF a
Triton upon flower beds, and the abso-
lutte quiet OF the scene is punctured only
by the steady tramp 10 and fro OF the
two grenadier guardsmen who protect
the entrance whenever royalty is present
CHANGING along the vista OF the marble
front, the tourist perhaps may remark
upon the simplicity OF the architecture
II is simple. just plain. polished marble
from Carrara, but that brownish-white
stone which so resembles alabaster and
is so very rare That front wall tells
its own story. But let the tourist raise
his eyes and take In the group that tops
| the cupola over the center portal. sur
rounded by a halustrade He VIII see
three women dancing together. That
group was the great Frederics revenge,
for the figures represent none other than
Maria Theresa, his arch enemy and
Empress OF Austria Hungary; Catherine
the Great. Empress OF Russia, and Nine
de Pompadour!
Now. please imagine, II you can, the
wrath Of the two Expresses. the two
| foremost women OF that age, al finding
themselves depicted IN such an attitude,
iand-horribile dictui-in such company
| Frederic had good cause 20 be satisfied
with his revenge. The two Expresses
| earnestly had endeavored 10 crush the
/ petit Marquis de Brandenburg" Both
had sent armies upon armies against the
man who had to fight for what he con-
| sidered his right. single handed against
the terrible odds OF such powerful allies.
the two most-feared armies Of Europe.
/ Not satisfied with harassing the King
/ and his handful OF men seven years. the
two Expresses had perfected a triple al
lance by making common cause with
! France-that Is. with Louis XIV-and
| Just as soon as Frederic congratulated
| himself az having beaten or escaped one
ally he was confronted by the second,
and had the third in his flank or rear.
And here Is where Nine. Pompadour
/ comes in. Both expresses knew that the
way 10 the French Kings ear lay only
/ through the good Offices Of his mistress,
| the notorious wife Of an obscure actor.
who preceded the pious Nine de Maintenon
| IN the affections Of the "grand mon
/ argue" Neither OF them hesitated a
/ moment 10 make use Of the woman 20
gain their ends-the sending OF an army
10 destroy Frederic and his overworked
1 few soldiers. The latter's arguing when
!
/ logical. II these tao heightened wearers
OF imperial crowns were not ashamed 10
conspire with woman Of the stamp OF
La Pompadour CWho, by the way, was
the originator of the style Of hairdress
known as "pompadour'D. they ought 10
be ridiculed publicly. SO he turned their
1 private conspiracy into a public carica-
ture
Incidentally the great Frederic had
! enough Of revenge on the three eonfed-
crates on the field Of battle. and the
feats that he then performed have gone
down to history as greater achievements
I than those Of Caesar or Alexander and
outshining the deeds Of Napoleon. and
even those of Moltke. who had railroads.
! telegraph. and all modern improvements
10 aid him. At Leuthen Frederic was
/ confronted by 5000 Austrians, under
Loudon the pick OF the army. fanked by
guerrilla troupes, composed Of Croatian9
| and Pandurs, terrible folk to fight. He
had but 5000 men. all but worn out after T.
strenuous campaign that knew no rest.
Yet he whipped them so badly that they
fed in terror. crying that 10000 Pruy~
I
| Frederic accomplish this wonder? By
adopting the plan OF Caesar. called the
'phalanx" wedge. the regiments placed
In battle on attack so as 70 appear like
a column miles long.
From Leurhen Frederic took his hand
ful of men by forced marches from Silesia
into Brandenburg. met the Russians. who
thought him defeated by the superior
| forces Of the Austrians. and teat them
so quickly and so thoroughly at Zorndorf
that the naughty Catharine hal 10 beg
for peace TO get her men out Of rbe eoun-
try and safely back to Russia. Yet that
was not all. Frederic allowed himself no
rest. Again he crossed into another prov
ince surprised the French army, which
had not even heard Of the routing of
their allies and al Rossbach gave them
such a licking that they fed I'm sheer ter
ror. never stopping 10 take breath until
the French frontier. about 200 miles of,
was reached And how the victorious
Prussians reveled in the camp outfits
Of the French dandies, who had women.
beds. powder boxes. a fine cuisine, and
all sorts of luxuries with them TO ami
hilate lie marquis dc Brandenbourg
The news that the famous rendezvous
OF the Prussian Guard, the Tempelhofer
Field, near Berlin, where Emperor Will
lam paraded the flower of his great army
before Roosevelt in the spring. has been
sold. comes as a genuine surprise Never
again viii William review his picked
troops there or lead them back through
his capital when the parade is over. amid
the plaudits OF his admiring subjects
When the Tempelhofer Field was ac-
quired about a century ago by the army
council, it was miles away from the CEN