History of Friedrich II of Prussia — Volume 04Carlyle, Thomas
History
History of Friedrich II of Prussia — Volume 04
Carlyle, Thomas
Frederick II, King of Prussia, 1712-1786; Prussia (Germany) -- History -- Frederick II, 1740-1786; Social problems
In return for these Russian sons of Anak, Friedrich Wilhelm grudged
not to send German smiths, millwrights, drill-sergeants, cannoneers,
engineers; having plenty of them. By whom, as Peter well calculated, the
inert opaque Russian mass might be kindled into luminosity and vitality;
and drilled to know the Art of War, for one thing. Which followed
accordingly. And it is observable, ever since, that the Russian Art of
War has a tincture of GERMAN in it (solid German, as contradistinguished
from unsolid Revolutionary-French); and hints to us of Friedrich
Wilhelm and the Old Dessauer, to this hour.--EXEANT now the Barbaric
semi-fabulous Sovereignties, till wanted again.
Chapter VIII. -- THE CROWN-PRINCE IS PUT TO HIS SCHOOLING.
In his seventh year, young Friedrich was taken out of the hands of the
women; and had Tutors and Sub-Tutors of masculine gender, who had
been nominated for him some time ago, actually set to work upon their
function. These we have already heard of; they came from Stralsund
Siege, all the principal hands.
Duhan de Jandun, the young French gentleman who had escaped from
grammar-lessons to the trenches, he is the practical teacher.
Lieutenant-General Graf Fink von Finkenstein and Lieutenant-Colonel von
Kalkstein, they are Head Tutor (OBERHOFMEISTER) and Sub-Tutor; military
men both, who had been in many wars besides Stralsund. By these three he
was assiduously educated, subordinate schoolmasters working under them
when needful, in such branches as the paternal judgment would admit;
the paternal object and theirs being to infuse useful knowledge,
reject useless, and wind up the whole into a military finish. These
appointments, made at different precise dates, took effect, all of them,
in the year 1719.
Duhan, independently of his experience in the trenches, appears to have
been an accomplished, ingenious and conscientious man; who did credit
to Friedrich Wilhelm's judgment; and to whom Friedrich professed himself
much indebted in after life. Their progress in some of the technical
branches, as we shall perceive, was indisputably unsatisfactory. But the
mind of the Boy seems to have been opened by this Duhan, to a lively,
and in some sort genial, perception of things round him;--of the strange
confusedly opulent Universe he had got into; and of the noble and
supreme function which Intelligence holds there; supreme in Art as in
Nature, beyond all other functions whatsoever. Duhan was now turned of
thirty: a cheerful amiable Frenchman; poor, though of good birth and
acquirements; originally from Champagne. Friedrich loved him very much;
always considered him his spiritual father; and to the end of Duhan's
life, twenty years hence, was eager to do him any good in his power.
Anxious always to repair, for poor Duhan, the great sorrows he came to
on his account, as we shall see.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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