Wilmington daily commercial., 1874-08-18
Picking AN Empress of Russia.

There was said TO be very ancient precedent
among the Byzantine emperors for choosing
wife as Ahasuerus chose Esther Sophia's son,
cut off from all equal choice, sent envoys with
ers to all the boyars and princes throughout
tn empire, commanding them to assist in an ex-
animation of the young girls of their respective
distr cts, rich, noble, poor or serf, that selection
might be made and the most beautiful sent to
Moscow for his inspection the inhabitants we're
warned that any one who disobeyed or tried
TO conceal his daughter would be visited
with condign disgrace and punishment.
No one drrat disobey the edict the young girls
were passed in review, aud fifteen hundred es-
teemed worthy Of their masters appreciation
were sent 10 Moscow. To form an idea OF the
sacrifice we must try to fancy what Russia was
in the fifteenth centuary. Those immense dis
tances, those sparsely-settled districts, those
rude habits which disInay the traveller OF to-day
when stages and railroads and hotels and all the
forms Of modern progress are at baud to smooth
the path then presented all their formidable
pristine difficulties. The risk, the COST the fa-
tigue Of journey from the remotest provinces
to the capital we're appalling. Yet these hard
ships had TO be faced the tumulte OF hope and
fear controlled, all the hatred and jealousy of
rivals encountered, End the bitterness and NOR
t fication OF disappointment endured. On arriving
at MOSCOW further examinations were made, and
various competitors dismissed unseen by the
czar, until the number reserved for the actual
exhibition was comparatively small They were
all lodged in one large house, and slept in DOR
mitories of twelve beds. In each room was Il
throne in which the czar seated himself the
young girls knelt before him in turn. After he
had contemplated each at his leisure, she drop
ped a pocket-handkercheif, embroidered with
pearls at his feet, aud withdrew. Ivan the Ter
rible, the second WHO adopted this CUSTOM mar
ried three times, and always in the same fashion.
His first and favorite wife was AnastaHia Roman-
| of. When about to make third choice two
thousand girls were sent from every part OF the
empire of these only eighty-four passed the
who were then turned over to physicians and
midwiveH for certificates of health. OF this
dozen the czar, after much deliberation, choose
one for himself and one for his son. Thus in
| two regns the custom became fixed in the man
ners Of the nation, and the people soon came TO
regard it IN right Of their daughters, which gave
the humblest born beauty chance Of becoming
empress. Thus girl who but u few weeks before
lad been gathering mushrooms in the fields for
the support Of her family, came TO find herseli
| wife Of the emperor Of all the Ruseias. How
| did she adapt herself to such position How
| did the autocrats tolerate her homely ways The
! French commentator on N. Zabieline observes
that the difference was slight then between the
daughter OF the proudest bOyar and the poorest
peasants; 1t is the development Of education and
luxury which makes the true distinction OF
clahses. In Russia three centuries ago all were
nearly equally illiterate and dirty LippincoW,
Mdqdzne for August.