Stories of persons and places in Europe . flowers to betrodden on by an old man like me, and stooping he picked up some of themost beautiful ones and handed them to the princess. One little blossom hefastened to his own coat. By such acknowledgments of displays, that he would avoid if possible,and in many other kindly ways, the Emperor William has endeared himselfto the hearts of his people. It was here at Ems in 1871, that the French minister Benedetti persist-ently and impolitely pressed the Emperor, then King William of Prussiaonly, to promise that no Prussian prince should ever become a ca
Stories of persons and places in Europe . flowers to betrodden on by an old man like me, and stooping he picked up some of themost beautiful ones and handed them to the princess. One little blossom hefastened to his own coat. By such acknowledgments of displays, that he would avoid if possible,and in many other kindly ways, the Emperor William has endeared himselfto the hearts of his people. It was here at Ems in 1871, that the French minister Benedetti persist-ently and impolitely pressed the Emperor, then King William of Prussiaonly, to promise that no Prussian prince should ever become a candidatefor the throne of Spain. King William, refused to make any such promisesand six days later war was declared between France and Prussia. Feedekick at Sans Souci.—The kings of Prussia have always been Germany. 237 noted more for their strict attention to the business of governing than fortheir love of display, and the one most regardless of appearances was theGreat Frederick himself, who used to go about in a shabby old coat, and. FREDERICK THE GREAT. who died without a decent shirt to his back. He had to be buried in onebelonging to his valet. Though Frederick brought the Prussians out of the Seven Years War,in which they were threatened on every side, with flying colors, and it issaid without burdening the country with debt, yet the people were in a 238 Persons and Places in Europe. desolate condition. One-sixth of all the able-bodied men had been killed,the fields were nnsown and the graneries empty. Frederick at once excused the people from paying taxes, and then orderedhis household expenses on snch an economical plan that he was able tosave a million of thalers every year to spend in improving the lands andindustries of his subjects. The only matter in which Frederick was not economical was in building,but that could hardly be called wasteful extravagance, for it gave employ-ment to many needy workmen. One of his finest buildings was the palaceof Sans Souci, where,
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