The Washington herald., 1914-06-07

IAN. /, B0-Napoleon at warssw.
Jan s. I0-F1isht Of Louise to Mena
Ian. z eo7-Ffench ordered into winter ouarsen
Feb IS lsG-Bsttle Of Eylau.
Apr 2 lso7-The Crar at Menei-
Apr ls. IE-cnr and King sses, 70 dn's Ma
poleon back over the Rhine
JuneAA, ls1-Battle Of Friedland
June Is IU-Nench took Koniszbeu-
June Is. lsF-Naposeon at hEit-
HE sorrows of the kingdom Of Prus-
sia in the humiliating years tnat
followed its sudden collapse unoer
the blows of Napoleon on the neid
of Jena in the autumn of 1906 are per-
sonified to the sympathies of posterity In
the beautiful person of Queen Louise
dom of Frederick the Great. and the dis
tressing plight of the royal house OF
Hohenzollern are not easy TO imagine
most complete that ever befell a great
monarchy, is best measured by taking
journey of 200 miles along the path OF
Queen Louise's fight from the field OF
the calamitous battle of the little stretch
of sand by the Baltic which at last was
the only refuge left her beneath the Prus-
sian nag.
in an open cart. Louise was warned by
the commandant of her capital that to
escape capture she must leave the next
morning. Willis hurriedly packing her
special treasures, her hair fallen over her
shoulders and her eyes red with weeping,
she could hear the sullen rumbling OF
discontented populace gathered beneath
the windows of her palace and hoarse
cries of indignant protest against war
precipitated by a court which had shown
itself incompetent to defend the country.
days Napoleon would take up his resi-
dence, she sped in her carriage along the
Inter den Linden, without q cheering
godspeed from the throngs, and out of
the Brandenburg gate, which q dozen
years before she had entered In triumph
as bride. Crossing the Oder and seek
ing safety in the fortress city Of Stettin.
she was to find no security even behind
its walls. She found its eiehty-one-year-
old commandant quassng with alarm,
and there she heard thar even the King
on the eve Of the overwhelming defeat
Gods sake" she irnpfored Alm By mss
IN. & o9 q
she hurried away to join him at Custrin;
and in a few days stettin. with its 5000
soldiers and great stores Of supplies
opened its gate at the command OF
young French Hussar.
An epidemic of surrender had spread
over the land. paralysis had smitten all
resolution throughout the country and
contagion of fear had seized upon its
leaders. a cowardly aristocracy. who were
surrendering everything at the sight of
guard Of 500 French had marched
away from Erfurt with 1000 prisoners:
Prince Hohenlohe was a prisoner 1000
Prussians at Prenzlau laid down their
sef9rs Msrdebnrs With
men, run UP the white flag before the in
vader could mount gun in front of 1t:
Berlin had only busted itself with ar
ranging a courteous welcome for the
enemy; five great military strongholds
struck their cofors within the fortnight
after the battle Of Jena.
The presence of the resolute Queen at
Custrin overbalanced the majority in the
Kings council, which had been advising
his acceptance of Napoleon's demands.
The King was persuaded to rely on the
assistance Of the Gar Alexander. for had
not Alexander pledged his friendship over
the tomb of Frederick the Great only a
year before? Napoleon grimly retorted
to Frederick Williams refusal OF peace:
You have taken the box and thrown the
dice The dice shall decide
The King and Queen must now move
on to the Vistula. the next river barrier
against the advancing hosts Of the con.
queror. for soon Custrin, with its 1900
troops and ninety guns. was to yield to
regiment of French; An army of 1000
weeks, and-onIy 5000 were left to uphold
the standards Of the kingdom.
And while the King anc Queen were
hiding in little river town. where they
wooden house, Napoleon was comfort
ably at home in their great palace. Dat
ing his orders rs s srspss s,t orS
his celebrated Berlin Decree" forbid
ding all Europe to trade with England,
use her products. correspond with her
F. people, or even send by post any letter
1t was not long until Frederick William
and Louise In their ncver-ending flight
from . the sdysnSins ss; French 1 had ros to put
into East Prussia, made their toilsome
way in the mud to Osterode, more than
800 miles from Berlin and nearly 800 from
Jena. But the farther they went the
greater grew Napoleon's demands.
The war at the outset had filled him
with genuine indignation. However much
or little he may have deserved G 1t, he
flowed all bounds when the King declined
to make peace with him at Berlin and he
saw the Prussisn court inviting -.the
Tartar barbarians," as he called the Rus
slams. to take part in an affair between
civilized nations OF the West. Dropping
the comparatively modest Demands he
originally made he mo now ,iHsn ns,ten IN ON sner tne
thing from the vistula 70 the Elbe, ter
ritory 800 miles wide from cast to west
and including Berlin itself
Most Of the Kings advisers, distrustfng
the good faith Of Russia. urged him to
agree even to that heavy sacrlnce: out
once more Lcuise's influence outweigned
their counsels. The Queen mas never
heroism and tenacity." the Swedish am
bassador accompanying the fugitive court
has testified: every one has followed hef
The ambassador correctly named the
quality which governed Louise in that
dark crisis. II was her woman's instinct:
For that amiable princess was not pol
itician, skilled In political intrigue, as
Napoleon was portraying her In his un-
gallant bulletins. nor yet a martial ma
ture with the spirit of an Amazon. She
was only simple. loyal woman, born
and brought up in the provinces. whose
gentle bosom was agitated with the emo
tions CT German patriotism. a thing un-
known to the Prussian royalty and arts
tocracy as a whole.
Another powerful instinct animated
Lo:Iise the maternal instinct. For the |
Queen was good mother, who, although
only thirty, had left behind In her night
the new-made grave Of her eighth child
To her the kingdom was not q mere poll |
deal institution but heritage to be |
preserved and transmitted to her chill |