Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1880-06-12
TIE DEAD CZARIWA,
The Marriage that Made a Sensation
IN the Russian COurt-Her Influ.
onCe i'm Russia.

The Marriage that Made a Sensation
IN the Russian COurt-Her Influ.
ence i'm Russia.
A cable dispatch announced the death, on
THURSDAY, June Sd, OF Marie Alexandrovna,
CZarina OF Russia in her f1fty-sixth year. Her
last moments were entirely painless. and death
was doupIleSs nappy release after years OF
For Cars Of Russia 1t has ever been great
embarrassment to select wife, because the
n nats1n C CONSTITUTION foroids their marrying
the time OF Peter the Great, however. they OBJ
served the custom Of marrying in their own
s.ate: when the Car wished to take wife, he
published proclamation throughout the en-
pire to the effect that from every province the
nandsOmest girl should be brought into his
presence He then examined them personally
IN review, without any regard to their social
condition, and finally selected the one that
pleaSeo MIN, no matter what her occupation or
position. The bestowal OF this favor was not.
| however. unattended with peril, for the young
woman frequently became the object OF In
ulgue, and she was occasionally doomed to
death before she had formally been elevated to
GREAT. the emancipation Of Russian women put
an end to this custom, and following the exam
PIE OF other sovereigns; instituted to usage Of
crowned heads. The heirs to the Russian throne
nave since had no trouble In finding lady of
royal blood willing to compromise with the
Ialln In WHICH She was educated.
when Alexander ii. determined upon mar
rage, every German princess aspired In secret
ON, % tne honor OF becoming the Empress OF all the
Russias His choice fell upon MAXI miliana VIII
helmina Augusta Sophia Maria, daughter of
Ludwig H., Grand Duke of Hesse, and of VIII
neimina Louisa, daughter of Charles Louis,
Pr1nce OF Baden; and his selection proved a
happy one. The marriage. on April Is, 1S4l,
almost caused revolution In the court regime
OF ST. Petersburg. The Emperor Nicholas and
M. de Nesselrode had made the winter place a
sort of gloomy tomb When the wife OF the
Czarev1tch, now the CZarina, changed her name
on her wedding day-as is customary with all
ladies' who marry into the imperial family OF
Russia-and became Maria Alexandrovna, she
OLD not change her nature. She was extremely
cheerful and v1yaciOus and charming II not
very beautiful. In the Russian court she soon
began 10 exert the marked influence that might
be expected to emanate from a woman VINO,
oesces being lovely, was also good and pure
MINDED; The stale conventionallsms and rigid
formalltleS that hitherto had prevailed in i'm
per1al circles began to thaw before her sunny
lace and infectious nvelineSS. At that period
she was great lover of excitement and plea
sure. she was extremely fond OF dancing and
she waltZed with the ent,afn of German girl
Inere was no aristrocratic party which she did
Lot attend, and wherever she went she was the
soul OF the entertainment
"A love marriage was something new In the
stately atmosphere that had for years lob.
structed the blood OF the Russian court. The
nance or the Emperor had made their impress
upon the heart of his wife, and the imperial
pair showed by the affectionate attitudes that
they tnvoluntarily assumed toward each other
that something beyond political necessity &C.
mented their union. The Empress made a lin
lted number of warm personal friends, who be-
came enthusiastically devoted to her and her
interests, so that up to the time of her death
she had lost none Of the intimateS who were
early attracted to her side. The maids of honor
who were selected in the first year of her reign
were to the last her bosom companions. and
among them are Nine. Malzor, the Baroness
Fetlnghof, the Countess Mile. Tolstoy, former
Edinburgh, and the Countess Bloudoff. The
latter played an important part in the politics
OF the National party when, in 1861, the Em
peror decreed the abolition of Serfdom.
After the first few years Of her married life
the Czar1na began to exhibit singular, and, to
many, an unaccouEtable change In her life
she gradually retired from entertainments and
pleasures, and became, after a time, so COM
pletely withdrawn from the outer current of
court LIE, that her history from that time until
her death consisted of the mere routine OF home
existence and travels. Her solitude was In no
small degree traceable to the unkindneSs of the
Car, and: of late, possibly to jealousy of the
Princess Dolgoroukl But her devotion to her
hus0and was almost unparalleled: and to heI
anxiety for the safety OF the Emperor during
the period OF the attacks upon his life must be
ascriDed much OF the recent failing OF her
nea t., although the loss OF her first son In 1865
cred.
The late Empress seemed studiously to shun
court intriguing. Her political influence was
indeed, so small that in the Winter Palace she
was called mere ghost For many years past
she took hardly any part In the fetes Of the
street, except when the Emperor held one of
his great reviews Then she would follow him
In al open carriage, wearing the enSigns of her
eighty and the glowing purple color brought
OF her complexion Her life turned toward the
d0mesuc hearth. Her chief preOccupatiOn was
TO make her apartments kind OF sanctuary, in
which the Emperor might forget all the ankle
ties inherent In power. She was extremely
charitable. She did not seem to know the value
OF money. One of her ladies-in-waiting once
appealed to her for assistance on behalf OF the
destitute widow of a staff officer.
"Give her five roubles, " said the Empress.
The lady hesitated and mildly suggested that
the widow might expect something more.
els five roubles too Hitler" the Empress said.
''Then give her five thousand"
For several years Maria Alexandrovna SUI.
passed the winters in Italy. Her first Journey
to Italy will ever be remembered by the Mus.
c0vlteS for the money that 1t cost them, and by
the Italians for the money that the Empress
laV1shed upon them wherever she passed. Her
charity seemingly knew no bounds. At Naples
she was styled the " Russian Madonna A
whole host OF waits followed to Russia "the
fairy" that had SO kindly smiled upon them
but half OF them soon died from the cold.
Maria Alexandroyna was tall and slender
Her race was long: Her eyes were full Of ex-
preston. Her trials never changed her tenn
per, and she was kind to all who approached
her. She was uncommonly we'll read and Guilt
waited, her dominating passion being painting
As her visits to the Hermitage the art gallery
public, she seldom allowed herself the gratifica-
ton OF going there, but she had three or four
of the masterpieces taken to her apartments.
where she kept them two or three weeks. Six
OF her children are Iving-the Grand Duke
Alexander, born March 10, 1915; the Grand
Duke Vladimer, born April 20, 1s47; the Grand
Duke Alexis, born Jan. II, 1850; the Grand
Duchess Marie born Oct II, 1853, and married
to the Duke of Edinburgh: the Grand Duke
Sergius, born May II, 1851, and the Grand Duke
Paul, born Oct 3, 1860.
Fanny Ellsler's Chalk.