The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1914-09-25
A LETTER THAT WILL BEAR RE
REPEATING

| Charlotte Sophia, daughter of tho
/ second son of the Duke of Mecklin
burgh-Strelitz, who afterwards be
| came the wife of George III of Eng
: land, was just coming upon the stage
of action as Frederick the Great was
| passing off,
When that great war lord of Prus
STA had won his celebrated victory
over the famous General Daun, com
mander of the Austrian army, Char
lotte, at that time was only thirteen
! years OF age. She was said to haze
been remarkably precoc;aus, and
wrote the following letter to the fierce
war lord.
| The letter attracted a great deal o.
| attention, and it is said won for he,
! the English crown.
The letter follows:
May it please your majesty am
at loss whether | should congratu-
/ late or condole with you on your late
victory over Marshal Daun, Nov. 8.
l76O, since the same success which
has covered you with laurels has
overspread the country of Mecklin.
/, burg with desolation.
/ 1 know, sire, that it seems unbe
coming in my sex, in this age of vic
lous refinement, to feel for ones
country, to lament the horrors of war.
or to wish for the return of peace. |
know that you may think it more
| properly my province TO study the
arts of pleasing, or to inspect sub
Jects of more domestic nature:
but however unbecoming it may be
IN me, l can not resist the desire of
interceding for this unhappy people.
1T was but few years ago that
this territory wore the most pleasing
aspect; the country was cultivated
the peasants looked cheerful, and the
towns abounded with riches and fes-
tivity. What an alteration at present
from such a charming scene! | am
not an expert at description, nor can
my fancy add any horrors to the pic
ture; but, surely even conquerors
themselves would weep at the hid
eous prospects now before me. The
whole country, my dear country, lies
one frightful waste, presenting only
objects to excite terror, pity and des-
pair. The business of the husband
man and the shepherd are discontinue
ed. The husbandman and the shep-
herds are become soldiers themsel-
YES and help to ravage the soil they
formerly cultivated. The towns are
inhabited only by old men, old wo-
man and nhi1dron and OorbonC baro
and there warrior unfit by wounds
or loss of limbs rendered unfit for
service, left at his door; his little
children hang round him, ask an
history of every wound, and grow
themselves soldiers, before they find
strength for the field. But this were
nothing, did we not feel the alternate
insolence of either army as it happens
to advance or retreat in pursuing the
operations of the campaign.
ait is impossible to express the
confusion even those who call them
selves our friends create; even those
from whom we might expect redress,
Cypress us with new calamities. From
your justice, therefore, it is we hope
relief. To you even women and
children may complain. whose hui
mainly stoops to the meanest petition
and whose power is capable of re-
pressing the greatest injustice"
Wars were the same then as they
are now, and are the same now as
they were then. They dry up the
fountains of the milk of human kind
ness; they brutalize and make de-
mons of those created in the very i'm
age of God. They destroy traffic and
trade, and instead of filing the lap
with plenty they fill the land with
weepings and lamentations.
And what is it all for, simply to
crafty the lust of kaiser or king