WOMAN'S PART IN WAR

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 229, 31 October 1914, Page 3

WOMAN'S PART IN WAR

WILLIAM FRHDTSRICK HLTSBANTD OT~ THE FIGHTING QLTE&N

. T tlj e little town of Tilsit. Prussia, one of'tho moat LfVM mctiiornbls banquets In history took place on tha was not tho number of iiinftva thai; made this dinner notable. Nail-har was it the elegance of m tbo vlautta that marked if it n.V exceptional. lull - gtead It was tbu iapme» : |v tous nature of the occa* . slott. ■ . * -Napoleon ■ Bounparl.o, tbo boat, llll(l _' 11 "' .very flay derided f tolly that u.er. «» » .Be no modification qf hi. demands Htt "W cession of Prussian territory and Unit Pu gia muat pay ftn indemnity which wou l b cripple the country that its entire subject!© bv the conqueror and deeply gii©*cd ky blow to liU country, was equally unable to make a pretence of ■conviviality. ■AlexnMei\ Tear of Itusaia,torn 'jcUvcoU Ms avowed friendship for the Prussian kj n S , and his new found admiration .ft? Napoleon, was disagreeably conscious thai since tho arrival of NaP oleot | .^jf" sia there bad been a deeidedk a^ in £ ardor of the Russian support of Its allies. The fourth member of this notable group was Louise, of Prussia. Withn woman's sense of social obligation, she tiled to introduce some note of festivity. But her own heart was too heavy for the effort to be successful. Presently she too subsided into silence. - . \ rn-l •+ The day before her entry into Tilsit, to Which she had journeyed on the earnest solicitation of the Ivlng, the Tsar iand .many of the statesmen o? Prussia, who believed that her influence, would induce Napoleonto mcderate his demands, she had. been greeted .effusively by the French Eiuperor. She had held a long private conversation with him and had asked that hei 1 country be not despoiled of some of its most important possessions. The manner of the Emperor gave her hope that he was seriously considering her plea. , , / • But hope was speedily dashed «o the .ground. Napoleon calmly announced that his manner of receiving the Queen's sug-gestions-had been dictated solely by politeness and there would be no change in the trority of peace which he was willing to sign and which exacted such humiliating and ruinous concessions from the Prussians. . • ' • r ' _ T As the Sinner drew to a close even Isapo-, leon seemed to feel the necessity for presenting himself in a somewhat better light before his guests, or at least before one of .them—the Queen of Prussia.- Refusing to grant tlie requests of a Queen, he sought to show lier that he was willing to render due homage to a- Woman. ; . The great conqueror looked at her hail deprei'atingly, half contritely, then leaned forward, and, taking a rose from a vase, presented it to her with a gallant gesture. „ Quick to think bnall occasions, and still unsubdued by Napoleon, Louise hesitated _ for a moment and then extended her hand for the rose. . "At least with Magdeburg?" she, questioned, making one last effort to retain for the Prussian people this oiie beloved possession. ■ \ r 1 Napoleon, feeling that even the tender of the rose' had been r omewhat of a condescension on his part, which could meet \vith the proper response only in the entire captivation of the Queen, was extremely -irritated by this reply. "Your M.ajesty," he said, icily, "has forgotten our relative positions. What I offer is for you to receive without condition." ■ • But the fearless Louise, knowing that she had nothing to lose by the defiance of her own and her country's enemy, replied sadly:— "l'our rose is too thorny for me."- , The episode of the rose was the drastic ,climax of Louise's efforts to influence Napoleon to spare her country. From that moment she abandoned her attempts to conciliate or to persuade the enemy and set Jierself instead to inspire her countrymen to construct a new Prussia, so strong, so jible and so patriotic that in time it should need no kindness from without, but should be able of its own might to win back its independence , and reassemble its lost territory. History scarcely, affords a more striking instance of the triumph of enthusiasm over material obstacles than the astonishing influence ;of ; Queen Louise of Prussia in the rehabilitation of her country and the development of the great German Empire. . Her name is linked with that of Frederick the Great as representing—among royalty—the two great sources of inspiration to which may be attributed, the upbuilding of Germany. With one hand the gentle Queen seems to reach , back through the weakness and degeneracy .of the reign of Frederick Willlam 11. to the proud era of Frederick the Great, while with the other she points the difficult but glorious path out of despair and into the splendid future of her country. Augusta Wilhelmina Amalia Luise —-afterward Queen Louise (Luise) of Prussia—was the daughter of Prince Charles of Meckienburg-Strelitz, a younger brother of . the reigning duke of that family, and a brother of , the Princess Charlotte, who married George 111. of England. When it was seen that Louise was growing up to be a very beautiful girl, tall and graceful, with dazzling blue oyes and glorious golden hair, her relatives at once began to think of an advantageous marriage. Lcj.isp had familv Dosition

and personal charm, but no money. Her relatives, however, believed that uo match was too good for the lovely girl, and long before the Crown Prince of Prussia and the girl had met, Grandmother Princess George William, Uncle George and the rest of the relatives had agreed that the Crown Prince would do very well as a graiidsoa or nephew in law. The result of a fortunate meeting was even happier than the iVmily had dared to hope, for not only did the Crown Prince Speedily fall in love with Louise, but his younger brother was equally pleased with the Princess Frederica, so that two engagements instead of one were speedily announced. Louise was, married on Christmas 'Eve and her sister a few days later. Both sisters immediately became favorites at court and with King Frederick William 11. In their new palace and in a smaller,

LOUISE, naitlNG QUEEN lor Prussia who opposem ' 6 NAPOLEON # v

simpler house wbieli the Crown Prince built at Parotz and in which the-young man was able to play the part which he loved so well —that of the simple country gentleman—Louise and her husband lived an extremely happy life until the death of the King, in 1707, called them to wider responsibilities. That during the reign of Frederick William 11. all classes of the community had lost faith in the beauty of high ideals, that popular standards of morality had been lowered and family life and patriotism impaired was recognized by both Frederick iWilliam 111. and Queen Louise. But the new King was incapable of initiating thorough reforms. Ho was by nature opposed to change, and he therefore entered upon a quiet and honorable path of public conduct mildly corrective of existing evils, but entirely insufficient where the fault was so deep rooted and so Avidespread. In the autumn of 1805 the Queen had an opportunity of making an important friend for Prussia, and it was then that she took her place seriously in the forefront of European politics. Alexander, Tsar u£ Xlussia,

QIJEEK LOUISE fIJQM A CONTEMPOTiAKY:

visited the King and Queen at Memel, ■where the autumn manoeuvres were being lield, and the Tsar was so mucli delighted with his Prussian friends that, to theLr great happiness, he wished to enter into a coalition with Prussia for mutual protec- : tion against the French. The pact, was most solemnly' sworn at midnight at the tomb'of King Frederick the Great, where the Tsar and the King and Queen had gohe in order that the memory of the Great Frederick might lend weight to their proceedings. • Louise no longer had any faith in the Ministers of Prussia nor in Its public men, with the exception of Baron von ; Hardenberg and Baron von Stein. Both of thesa' men acted through the Queen in their efforts to Induce Frederick WUliam to pursue course sufficiently bold to meet the need of .. the moment. Through ..Prince;Wittgenstein* chamber-lain- to the royal household, in. attendance on Her, Majesty, Louise ""listened... to the suggestions of - - and sought to make them acceptable to the King. failed, for Frederick William's horror of change had grown rather than qther>yisev with the disasters of the country. Nevertheless Baron Hardenberg said of the Queen at this time i—. -. ' ; "My only hope for the country is based . on her penetrating insight, her patriotism ' and'her sense of; honor."-.-Louise now, igave her support to a group of influential and patriotic men who advocated immediate war with Napoleon. She saw plainly that war was coming in any * event and,believed that it was better for the Prussian army..to be in readiness. NjThe King consented. to the mobilization q£. liis army, but refused to lead it, arid, unfortunately, the command was intrusted to the Duke of Brunswick. - Queen Louise accompanied her husband to the seat Of war arid tried in vain .to alter his decision in regard to Jthe leadership of the army. On the jonrney v Louise showed that she was already looking, beyond the troubles of the moment to a wider horizon which embraced an empire. "l am convinced,'' she said, "that the .only deliverance is in the close union of all who bear the name.of German." Frederick William had gone on ahead. 'On October'-18 the Queen- started out to • meet him in the neighborhood of Jena and OVerstadt. She soon turned back, however, 1 for news, arrived that a battle was impending. The battle was lost by the the Queen made her way first to Weimar, ; then to Berlin, then to Schmedt, where her two Oldest boys were. ■ 1 - - "I weep for the humiliation Of my fatherland," she told them, and urged them to grow strong so that they could free their people and be worthy of their great predecessor Frederick the Great. 1 The lads neVer forgot this occasion, and when William, the second son, became King of Prussia and left his capital to join his forces in France he first made a visit to his mother's grave at Charlottehburg. The beautiful Queeri of Prussia, once so : carefully protected and so handsomely housed and attended, now lived in no more stately fashion than the poorest villager. j From one small town to another the; royal : couple wanderedj usually occupying but one room of a humble dwelling, which apartment served for both bed and sitting room* There was often a lack of the necessities of life, which was only relieved by the generous gifts of fish and game provided by the country people. After the unfortunate meeting at Tilsit and the signing of the treaty which gave the French so many valuable possessions of the Prussians the royal family'was permitted to reside at Konigsburg. Queen Louise at once gave her assistance to Liifc movement for returning Stein to the - Ministry. Five days after he took office came the edict for the emancipation of tha serfs, and immediately other legislation was enacted which made the mediaeval Prussia a modern State. Louise, enthusiastic for all of these measures, feared greatly that they would offend her more conservative husband. "If only Stein could contrive not to appear so-great a man as he is everything would go well," she wrote to her brother. She saved the day, however, by acting as intermediary between the two opposite characters. Mo'-e and more was the office of intercessor extended, until it was generally understood that the Queen should stand between the conservative King and the ' croup of wonderfully able men who saw that only in radical measures was there to be a recovery for their country. -Whether hised on womanly intuition, on sharp observation or on faithful study the Queen's iuflgment of men was never once at fault, and she seemed to grow in her ability to see things clearly with every year. She nlaced even Napoleon, whom she hated, far more properly in the scheme of things than of the statesmen of his generation. , The Queen, who had been forced by circumstances to devote -herself to public affair* to encourage her depressed husband and to give every particle of her strength to tlie furtherance of the League of Virtue •ind other movements for the promotion of. the well being of the realm, hailed with delight the opportunity to leave all these cares behind her and make -a visit to: her father nnd grandmother. She had long looked forward to this, and finally, when Baron vou Hardenberg was made Chancellor, she felt that in his able hands', all would be well and she was at last at lib- . erty to carry out her long cherished wish. It was to be her last journey. Shortly, after reaching her home she contracted; severe cold, which developed into a fatal < malady. She died July 19, 1810. She had been the mother of seven children, and her second sou became the first Emperor of Germany,