The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-11-26

cfo1 CROWNED.
Then came Alexander the Second, the
father of the present emperor. Amid the
mightiest opposition and innumerable
protests he, with one stroke of his pen,
emancipated twenty million serfs, prac-
tically saying: $50 free. Be your own
masters, and this is for you and your
children forever On the day he was
basely assassinated (and I will paren-
thetically say that I saw his carriage in
splinters as it looked when he stepped
from it, not to save himself, but to look
after some poor people in the street who
had been hurt, and I saw the bed on
which he died, the mattrass yet crimson
with his life's blood Ion the day he was
assassinated he had on his table, found
afterward, free constitution that pro-
posed to give the right of suffrage to
the people of Russia. If it had not been
for the assassination he would have
soon signed that constitution, but that
horrible violence put things back as
violence always does. What a marvel
GUS character of kindness was Alexan-
der the Second, the father of the present
emperor, so that the present emperor
Alexander the Third, inherits his be-
nightly. Alexander the Second, hearing
that q nobleman had formed a conspir-
acy against his life, had him arrested
Then the eyes of the criminal were band
aged, and he was put in carriage and
for some time travelled on, only stopping
for food. After awhile the bandage was
removed, and supposing that he must
by that time have been almost in Siberia
he found that he was at the door of his
own home. But this punishment was
sufficient.
The same emperor, having heard that
poet had written a poem defamatory
of his empress, ordered the poet into his
presence. Expecting great severity, the
poet entered the palace and found the
emperor and empress and dukes and
duchesses gathered together. stGood
morning." said the emperor to the of
fender. II hear you have written a
most beautiful poem, and i have sent
for you that you may read it to us and
we may have the pleasure of hearing it. %
The man cried out, "Send me to Siberia
or do anything with me, but do not
make me read this poem in your pres
ence." He was compelled to read the
defamatory poem, and then the empress,
against whom it was aimed, said: II do
not think he will write any more verses
about US again. Let him CO." And so
he was freed And now comes in Alex
ander the Third, doing the best things
possible for the nation which he loves
and which as ardently loves him. But
what an undertaking to rule one hun
bred and twelve million people, made
up of one hundred tribes and races and
speaking forty different Languages. But,
notwithstanding all this, things there
move on marvelously well, and do not
believe that out Of five hundred thou
sand Russians you would find more than
one person who dislikes the emperor,
and 30 that calumny of dread of assas-
sination drops so fat it can fall no fistter.
Calumny the Second-If you go to Rus
STA you are under seyerest espionage
stopped here and questioned there and
in danger Of arrest. But my opinion is
that if man is disturbed in Russia it is
because he ought to be disturbed. Rus
STA is the only country in Europe in which
my baggage was not examined. car
ried in my hand, tied together with a
cord, SO that their titles. could be seen, a
pile Of eight Or ten books--all of them
from lid to lid cursing Russia-but I had
no trouble In taking with me the books.
There is ten times more difficulty in get
ting your baggage through the Ameri-
can custom house than through the Rus
sian. l speak not Of myself, for friends
intercede for me on American wharves,
and am not detained. / was several
days in Russia before was asked If l
had any passport at all. Depend upon
it, if hereafter man believes he is un-
comfortably watched by the police of
st. Petersburg or Moscow, it is because
there is something suspicious about him,
and you yourself had better, when he is
around, look after your silver spoons. l
promise you, an honest man or an honest
woman, that when you go there, as
many of you will, for European travel
is destined to change its course from
southern Europe to those northern re-
gions, you will have no more molesta-
ton or supervisal than in Brooklyn or in
New York or the quietest Long Island
village.
Ca1umny the Third-Russia and Its
ruler are SO opposed to any other religion
except the Greek religion that they will
not allow any other religion that moth
ing but persecution and imprisonment
and outrage intolerable await the dis
ciples of any other religion. But what
are the facts? I had long ride in st.
Petersburg and its suburbs with the pre-
feet, brilliant, efficient and lovely man,
who is the highest official in the city Of
st. Petersburg, and whose chief business
is to attend the emperor. I said to him,
II suppose your religion is that Of the
Greek church," mo" said he. 81 am
Lutheran" "What is your religion
said to one of the highest and most in
fuential officials at st. Petersburg. He
said, II am Of the Church of England"
Myself, an American, of still another
denomination of Christians, and never
having been inside a Greek church in
my life until went to Russia, could not
have received more consideration had I
been baptized in the Greek church and
all my life worshiped at her affairs.
had it demonstrated to me very plainly
that mans religion in Russia has moth
ing to do with his preferment for either
Office or social position. The only ques-
tions taken into such consideration are
honesty, fidelity, morality and adapta-
ton. had not been in st. Petersburg
an hour before l received an invitation
to preach the Gospel of Christ as I be-
III Gov.