Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1923-06-07

Inc TRUSTEES 0I the art gallery 10 uUl
know what to do with this gift, which
is something worse than white ele-
plant on their hands. The chances
are they will accept it and keep it for
20 years and then put it on exhibition
if 1t is artistically worthy of place
in the gallery.
Inquiry fails to disclose what has
become of the statue of Frederick the
Great, which until the United States
entered the recent war stood as
stone sentinel near one corner of the
Army War college on the Potomac
washed peninsula which serves in part
as an engineer post.
This statue was removed from its
pedestal as soon as the United States
declared war against Frederick the
Greats country. 1t was taken some
where and placed in hiding. The Gus
ably knows where it is, but few if any
others do know and recent inquiry
fails to disclose its retreat.
When this statue of Frederick was
offered to the American government by
the great Prussian descendant, Kaiser
Wilhelm III, protest came from all
over the United States against its ac-
ceptance, not because Frederick was
German but because he was an abso-
lutte monarch, the American argument
being that the statue of king, and
despotic king at that, had no place in
republic.
Vicissitudes of Frederick.
The statue, however, was accepted
because it could not be declined with
out giving offense to a friendly power.
Frederick the Great, after running
away in his first battle, proved to be
soldier of parts and a general of
great ability. Therefore it was decided
to emplace the statue near the war
college in which American officers take
postgraduate courses in military
science.
The statue had not been long in
place before an attempt was made to
destroy it. 1t was not much more than
a firecracker attempt but it caused a
great sensation. Some person exploded
statue was uninjured and the bomb
placer never was discovered. No other
attempt was made to injure the statue
and it stood in front Of the war col
lege until detail of army engineers
took it down one cold spring morning
and carried it away to place I'M
known.
Here is what was written at the
time that the statue was on its way
to America:
IF Frederick the Greats statue
should be lost at sea such q sigh Of
relief would go up in Washington that
weather observers at a distance would
think a Potomac fog was lifting. The
chances are that the great Prussian
statue will get here all right, and that
it will be duly placed near the war
college, an especially appropriate
! place for it. considering the rows the
/ gift and its acceptance have kicked up
in the capital city and In the country.
Gave Sword to Washington.
"Frederick wasn't half a bad fellow
in many ways. To be sure he helped
to annihilate Poland, he was extremely
discourteous to a royal lady or two ;
he was an absolute monarch, believing,
with the great Louis, that he was the
whole thing as far as the state was
concerned, and he didn't love republics
little bit; but, as someone in Wash
l ington exclaims:
"'What are all these things beside
the fact that Frederick the Great gave
George Washington a sword inscribed
"From the Oldest general to the
ablest.'"
This story about Frederick the
Great having given the Father of his
! Country sword with the inscription
quoted seemed at the time of the pres
entation of the statue to be news to
the city Of Washington. People here
lad it that General Scott gave a sword
with the inscription quoted to General
Mcclellan, and the story also has been
told in relation to several other an
j cient and adolescent warriors. Curf0s-
| ity led someone the other day to look
the matter up and in book published
/ about 100 years ago the story of the
sword giving was found and the names
j Of Frederick and George are coupled.