Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-08-15
Napoleon and
Frederick I.

Napoleon and saries of two of tho
Frederick men who figured 80
- largely in the first Arm
military policies OF France and Germany
should fall on the same day. II there is
anything in astrological signs. the events
which shaped the destinies OF the tao
nations were high in the heavens August
10. for on that day. though century
more or less apart. Frederick Wilhelm
of Prussia and Napoleon Bonaparte
first saw the light of day.
The Prussian king, who was father
of Frederick the Great, and lived from
1858 until 1140. came to the throne Feb
ruary IS. IT'S. He was one OF .he
greatest executives the Germans e"er
had. He despised the French as a 70
ton and individually. and the fact
that. ever since he could remember,
his father. in his opinion. had minimixed
these neighbors to the south, made the
youth disapprove of them more than
ever by the time he had attained ths
throne.
A new kind of court and courtiers ap-
peared in Prussia then, in 1913 and with
this more practical. more independent
corps, Frederick Wilhelm laid a corner
stone in international politics which
continued long after his death. and
built the foundation for Prussia's
sturdy hold on a national life of her
own.
Napoleon considered he had a won
derful destiny to follow. The father OF
Frederick the Great believed that the
north German country he governed had
the sibilities of a destiny as a nation
and for the people. The Prussian ruler
might be said to have built as he went.
and the emperor from the little island
in the Mediterranean to have driven.
X 4
The first Frederick Wilhelm Of Ger
many made 1t one of his chief policies
to form treaties and al
POLICY of liances with most of his
neighbors. and to make
E1euei1cA' friends OF his subjects
in a most democratic manner. He tried
to show them that he was one of them.
and used to go about unattended in the
markets of Koenigsburg. talking to the
children and laborers. who adored him.
Among the mobiles he had many OPP
ponents. because he pressed the aboli-
ton of the ancient feudal privileges OF
East Prussia and Lithuania and issued
instead a general land tax. In 1888. the
year before his death. he went SO far
against the nobility and for the good
of what he judged to be righteous gov
eminent that he put forth a special
edict attacking from a moral stand
point the appropriation of the small
farmers.
BY the treaty of Schwedt. made soon
after he took the throne, Prussia was
assured Of an important hand IN the
solution of the Baltic question, when
was ever a matter of moment. Part OF
Swedish Pomerania at that time was
held by the Germans. Thus Frederick
wilhelm was able to maintain a. more
independent stand toward the car. and
need not tremble in denying him COM
panies of soldiers to night agaihs. tne
friendly Scandinavians. In 111S. when
Russia offered herself for alliance with
Prussia, her king could dare CONNIE
himself to a defensive position, ano ne
soon entered into relations with Eng
The League of Hanover, an agreement
with England and France, was signed
on the Sd of September, 1873. IL was
not long before the more western PEG
pie began to use the already nrm mil
tary strength of Prussia, and the crown
set about to tighten the bond with the
SIavs, joining an alliance with the court
of Vienna at the same time
At relative period in Napoleons
career. when he was wearing the crown
of France, there was no
Napoleons conciliatins and securing
=. OF the allegiance OF near
ACTIVITY. by countries. He was Wig
orously administering laws. prudently
simplifying legal ordinances, showing
himself wisely tolerant of all religions.
and patronizing science and art. dis
tinguishing attributes OF his whole
sovereignty. But coalition with peo-
pies or persons was distasteful to him,
and his most famous counselors had no
influence over him in his besetting am
billions.
Frederick Wilhelm / was a rigid
economist. personally and in governing.
He attempted nothing for higher learn
ing, much to the disgust of scholarly
observers in the older civilizations. but
for the children of the masses he es-
tablished firmly the first public schools
after village to note the progress in
the elements of scholarship. Only three
years after his ascsndancy to the
throne a practical rudfmentary educa-
ton was compulsory throughout Prus-
STA.
He obtained for the first time a CEN
tralized and uniform administration of
finance He wrote and had passed in
1922 the famous instructions for the
general directory of war, finance and
domains He gradually paid all his
fathers numerous debts and-left his
successor a well filed counting house.
The sturdy Prussian was devoted to
his army, which he raised from 600
to $500 men. His chief personal
lay in a troop of giant SOL
diers, trained for field service. These
he gathered from not only all parts OF
Germany, but, in order to keep. the
troops in trim. the largest men from
countries were induced 10
join the army of Prussia When
sense of notoriety or. life OF ease did
not appeal sufficiently to a desirable
Hercules. he might be kidnapped II the
demand were great enough.
During the reign of Frederick Will
helm Prussia rose to place as third
military power of the
The Rise Of world, following France
n: and Russia. In many
IrussIa. other ways she was their
equal. One Of these lay in the
solid industrial condition hedging the
through the kings forbid
ding all importation of foreign man
ufactures and the export OF raw
materials. Three innovations stand
out in this rulers time-the private
estates of the king were turned INTO
crown lands, the serfs on the royal do
main were emancipated and the heredl-
tary lands were converted into short-
term leases upon the death of each
inheritor.
Napoleon's chief qualification as q
great general, according to both
friendly and unfriendly biograpners.