The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1916-01-22

> On Monday next Emperor William
will pay his annual tribute of respect
to Frederick the Great, the most il
lustrious of the Hohenzollerns, on
the occasion of the 204th anniversary
of his birth. That William through
out his career, has sought to emulate
Frederick, is acknowled dyed. The
[ eighteenth century king who started
Prussia on the road to power has
been the model by which the present
Emperor hass ought to pattern his
life. In times of peace William, like
Frederick, was the patron of litera-
ture and art and industry. William
has attempted, in every way possible
to assume that completeness of royal
power which was lodged in Frederick
"a military despot, who listened to no
council, conf1ded in no friend, and
was bent upon the single purpose OF
enlarging his monarchy. Frede rick
regarded himself as an instrument an
pointed to elevate Prussia and make it
a power among nations. 1t is the
ambition of William, to all appear
anceS, to carry on the work begun
by his great predecessor, and make
Prussianized Germany the power.
William the Great-as he is already
called by some of his more enthusiast
tic subjects-did not find IN peace the
complete fu1fillnent of his ambition
In regard to power, but he at least
gained a larger measure of authority
CONSTITUTIONAL
arch of Europe. That much is ad-
raftted by friend and foe alike. Linn
tied in his authority by q, constitu-
tfonal government, in which the aspi-
ration for democracy had gained a
firm foothold, he yet succeeded in up
holding and imposing upon his SUBJ
jects the theory of the "dfvine right
of kings" Only in the matter of relig-
ion Is there a marked divergence be-
tweene William and Frederick. The
latter, influenced by the French phil
osophers.. dismissed Christianity as un-
all his life firmly upheld the tenets
and doctrines of the church, and all
his public addresses are filed with
illusions to the Deity.
For the rape Of Belgium William
may have found a precedent in Fred
er1cAxs rape OF SIlesla and his Inva-
sion of neutral Saxony. Early in his
career as monarch Frederick, with
out warning entered Lower Silesia. at
the head of his army. routed the few
AustrianS who were stationed along
the frontier, overran the PROVINCE and
in six weeks returned to Berlin flush
ed with triumph. Queen Maria. The
resa of Austria was almost jncredulous
of what had happened Frederick
officially pretended to justify himself,
but privately admitted thai "annbi-
ton, interest, the desire to make peo-a
pie LAlk ABOUT me- carried Inc gay
and decided to make war
The invasion of SilesIa by Frederick
aroused the alarm of all of the neigh
boring states, and resulted in a CO.
aIition against Prussia, just as the de-
mands on Serbia and the invasion OF
Belgium caused Great Britain to join
France and Russia in the present
war.
The similarity is admitted and
pointed ont even by German writers.
and is elaborated in a volume entitled
..Friedrich und die Crosse KoaIItion,"
recently published by a Berlin house.
The author is Thomas Mann. one of
the most popular of German nove1ists,
who sets forth, the inspiration. of
Frederick, in present-day Germany in
the following languages;
ssGermapy to-day is Frederick the
Great 1t is<his fight that we have
te finish, to fight over again. The
coalition4is slightly changed. but it is
his Europe, Europe united in hate,
which will not endure US, which viii
not endure him. the King, and to
which it must once more be proved by
hard achievement, perhaps seven
years years OF 1t. that he cannot be
pushed aside. It is, his soul. too. that
has awakened within us that not too