Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1883-07-20
Stories About the Car Nicholas.

In 184S, when instructions were
raging all over Europe, a riot broke out
in st. Petersburg, owing to the unpopu-
larity of police officer. Nicholas
jumped into a one-horse sleigh, was
driven to the scene of the disturbance.
and, marching alone into the mob, or
dered that three ringleaders should sur
render. His terrible presence at once
cOwed the rioters. Three men stepped
out, went by his orders to the police
office and were there logged. The Car
never showed mercy to mutineers, and
no doubt the men knew quite well what
punishment awaited them when they
gave themselves up. A few years be-
fore this, in 1874. when Nicholas paid a
visit to England, his grim looks made
our Court uncomfortable. Lady Lyttle-
ton, after saying in one of her letters
how grand and handsome he was, adds:
1.-The only fault in his face is that he
has pale eyelashes, so that his enormous
and very brilliant eyes have no shade;
besides which they have that awful
look impaired by occasional glimpses
of white above the eyebal1 which
gives him an expression of savage
wildness. His face has an awkward
character of deep gravity; almost sad
ness. and a strange want of smiles" The
Cars military habits also caused aston
Ishment ut Windsor. After wearing
civilian clothes for couple of DAYS he
begged the Queen to permit that he
should resume his uniform, for he found
the other clothes uncomfortable. He slept
on feather sack stuffed with straw.
The first thing his Wallets did on being
shown his bedroom at Windsor Castle
was to 60 to the stables for clean truss
es, proceeding which, as Baron Stock
mar remarked, "was pronounced by our
Englishmet to be affectationi but af-
feetation or not, the Emperor adhered
to the practice through life.'' The
Cars sOldierly tastes explain the quail
ity of his rule. As obedience is reck-
oned virtue in q soldier, Nicholas was
resolved that it should be regarded as
such by his subjects; and he also had
in him a strong notion of the pdtriG
poteStGs, calling himself father of his
people, and maiptaining that his ''chil-
dren" ought not to feel degraded bv
any order he gave Or any punishment
which he inflicted.
One night at court ball a young
Prince Kortasow made a foolish remark
which the Gar overheard you'll
walk up and down the ballroom all
night when the guests have gone and
cry out in loud voice, i am a pup
py, said his Majesty, and the fright
ened young gentleman did as he was
hidden. Horace Vernet, the French
painter, who was at st. Petersburg
when this happened, said that the affair
''sickened him. so that he declined an
invitation which had been given him to
live In one of the imperial palaces for
a year while he did some work for the
Emperor. The Frenchman and the
Russian autocrat were not likely to
agree upon human dignity sentiment
which the Car never took into his CAL
culations,
Nicholas dlsliked books and hated to
hear arguments in favor of his system.
He said it was a natural system that
needed no argument in its favor. When
told of Guizot's maxim: The best gov.
eminent is an intelligent despotism,"
he remarked shrewdly enough that
there was no real despotism, that is
mastery, without intelligence. London
Ts113ao