The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1881-12-03 00:00:00

HOME LIFE OF THE CZAR.

-
Under the above heading the Daily Telegraph publishes
a letter from its Berlin Correspondent, from whicu we extract
the following :
- - - - - - -

The ordinary sitting room of the Czar in which he
transacts business is situated on the first floor of the
block inhabited by the Imperial family. It is a com-
fortably, but-simply, furnished apartment. The style
somewhat betokens the character of its ocaupant.
A number of heavy German-fashioned and capa-
cious armchairs give it an air of ponderous solemnity.
Little elegance or ornament is noticeable, but
a large writing table and other unmistakable
signs denote that many of the Emperor's
hours are here passed in close application to, the
endless busiress that devolves on the auto-
cratic head of a system of bureaucratic cen-
tralisation. The Czar is an early riser, and the labours
of his day commence at nine in the morning. Till one
o'clock he is occupied in his study receiving the
Ministers, who present their weekly or daily reports,
and consulting with them over affairs of State. The
reception of Ministers is followed by the presentation
of officials who have recently received important
appointments, or with whom the Emperor for some
particular reason desires to converse. Occasionally
.a
newly-appointed ambassador or diplomatic agent is
introduced to present his credentials, and rarely a day
passes without one or more Russian deputations obtain-
ing an audience. It is specially significant of the policy
of the present Czar that while high officials have often
a difficulty in obtaining an interview, his Majesty. is
always accessible to provincial deputations, which
are sometimes composed of wild Khirgiz, sometimes
of swarthy Kalmuks or skin-clad Samoyedes, and
sometimes of illiterate Russian peasants who desire to
present a holy picture to their great father, and to
express their loyalty and devotion to his person. The
Emperor receives one and all with a stern dignity
which, though accompanied in most cases by a certain
kindness of manner, always leaves the conviction that
Alexander 111. feels himself an autocrat, and is de-
termined to yield none of his prerogatives, but to im-
p r es
Althoughence o f an t
earbns oalnudt e
et
vheonu gohv
ekrihnedalryi
nmg a sttoewr .a
press on.all who approach him that they are in the
der 111.
cl; .the
majority of those who surround him, Alexan
has always been a sympathisi ng and affectionate hus-
band and
.father. At one o'clock daily he lunches
with his wife and children, and to this meal none but
the closest intimates of his family are ever admitted.
After luncheon, if there are no further deputations to
receive, or important business to attend to, the Czar goes
out walking or driving, in company with the Empress or
his sons. At half-past seven, which in Russia is con-
sidered a late hour, the Emperor and Empress dine,
but at this meal the children, who have been already
consigned for the night to the care of their superin-
oteftnednenatlsiudloe
music,popreawrh.
iclhnthteheEmepvernesisngis tahsei;eonids
as the Emperor, and
.her Majesty is a good pianist.
The Czar Fetires to bed early, and by eleven o'clock all
is silence in the Imperial apartments,
During the daytime the Empress occupies a room
on the girind. floor exactly below the Czar's study,
with which it communicates directly by a small
private staircase. The Czarina's boudoir is elegantly
furnished, but in a simple style, and with no appear-
ance of luxury except such as is given by the pre-
sence of certain handsome pieces of furniture and
objets d'art which remain to testify to the more ex-
travagant tastes of former occupants. The look-out
from the windows over the park is charmingly pic-
turesque, but the attention is somewhat distracted from
the beauties of the scenery by the continual pacing im-
mediately in front of the windows of the many
sentries wko closely surround the house. The Empress
is an admirable manager both of her time and of
everything that pertains to the household duties.
Her great intelligence. and !sweetness of manner have
given her an extraordinary influence over her husband
and all other persons who are brought into contact
with her. The Anitchkine Palace, which she occu-
pied as Czarevna, was s modal of household manage-
ment, and to her initiative are due the com-
mencement of sweeping reforms in the adminis-
tration of the other overgrown palaces. She is
patroness and takes as far as possible an active share
in the management of half the charitable institutions
in Russia, and particularly those that are connected
with the protection of women and children. Every
morning, whilst the Emperor is busy upstairs with his
Ministers, the Empress receives the reports of Mons.
Delianoff, General Baumgarten, and others, whom she
entrusts with the supervision of the various societies
in which she is interested. It is i are also that any
deputation or individual of importance is pre-
sented to the Emperor without being subse-
quently introduced to the Empress. But it is
not affairs pertaining to her Imperial position alone
that occupy the attention of this excellent wife and
mother. The Empress's solicitude for the satety or
her husband is well known, and it has been observed
that she is never at ease when he is called away from
home. The education and care of her children also
engross much of her thoughts. The eldest son, the
Czarevitch, is in his fourteenth year, and
resembles his mother in features. He is of
.av active and lively disposition, and, for his
:oars, is far advanced in his studies. Russian .is
always the language employed by the Imperial farn!ly
when they are together, but when the boys are with
their teachers they speak French and English on alter-
nate days. Six hours a day are devoted to study by
the young princes, but their education is not lim.ited to
sedentary studies alone. They are also practised
.m
riding and shooting, and the Czarevitch is, It is said,
already a good shot and rides well

The returns of Metropolitan pauperism, show that
during the third week of November 51,380 indoor, and 40,404
outdoor paupers were relieved, making a total of 91,701,
compared with 89,905 in the corresponding week last year.
Out of this total increase of 1,686 in the number of paupers,
1,298 are included in the south district, and there is again a
slight diminution in the north district.

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