The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-11-21

lu6d Oh us tAc emancipation
Of the serfs. When it was found that he
premeditated the freedom OF the serfs he
received the following letter of threat from
deputation of noblemen: Your imperial
majesty; We learn that the council and
senate Of the empire have before them for
elaboration, with your sanction. the plan
90 abolish serfdom throughout the Russian
empire. We are perfectly willing to abide BY
your majesty decision in this matter and 10
loyalty support your will, but there are in
Russia q large number Of small owners Of
serfs, who are dependent for actual subsist-
ence on the labor of those serfs aud who
consequently will be left wholly penniIess
and without any resource by the operation
of emancipation. They will then uudoubt-
eddy resort to desperate measures, and in the
extremity of their despair will put the life
Of your majesty in jeopardy" The emperor
replied IN words that will last as long as
history: Gentlemen, if should die be-
Gauss Of my devotion to such a cause | am
willing to meet my fate" When, under
attack OF pneumonia from exposure 20 Sc
we're weather in the service of his people,
that emperor put down his head on the pill
low OF dust Russia lost as good monarch
as was ever crowned. Then came Alexander
H., the father of the present emperor. Amid
the mightiest opposition and innuinera-
BILE protests, he, with one stroke OF his pen,
emancipated twenty million serfs practically
aud this is for you and your children for
ever" On the day he was basely assasslnsted
land / will parenthetically say that ! saw
his carriage in spin ters, as 1t looked when
he stepped from It not to save himself, but
to look after some poor people OF the street
who had been hurt, and / saw the bed on
which he died, the mattress vet crimson
with his LIES blood on the day he was
assassinated he had on his table, found
after ward. free constitution that pro-
posed TO give the right of suffrage to the
people of Russia. II it had not been for
| the assassination, he would have soon
signed that constitution, but that horrible
violence put things back, as violence al
ways does. What a marvellous character
of kindness was Alexander H., the
father of the present emperor, so that
the present emperor, Alexander Ill,
inherits his benignity. Alexander II.
hearing that q nobleman had formed
a conspiracy against his life, had him ar
rested. Then the eyes of the criminal were
baudage1, and he was put in a carriage, and
for some time Travelled on, only stopping
for food. After a while the bandage was
removed, and supposing that he must by
that time have been almost In Siberia
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 poem defamatory Of his en-
press, ordered the poet into bis presence.
Expecting great severity, the poet entered
the palace, and found the emperor and en-
press and dukes and duchesses gathered
together. Good morning." said
the emperor to the offender. II hear
you have written most beautiful
poem, and / have sent for YOU
that you may read it to US and
we may have the pleasure Of hear
ing itn The man cried out: Send me to
Siberia or do anything with me, but do not
make me read this poem in your presence.
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 60" And so he was freed. And now
comes in Alexander Ill, doing the
best things possible for the nation which he
loves and which as ardently loves him. But
what an undertaking to rule one hundred
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
we'll, and do not believe that out of five
hundred thousand Russians you would find
more than one person who dlsliKes the en-
peror, and SO that calumny OF dread of as
sassination drops so fat it can fall no fiat
ter.
Calumny the Second: II you 90 TO Rus
STA, you are under severest espionage.
stopped here and Questioned there, and in
danger or arrest. But my opinion is that
if man is disturbed in Russia 1t is because
he ought TO be disturbed. Russia ia the
only country in Europe in which my bag
gage was not examined. | carried In my
hand, tied together with cord so that their
titles could be seen, pile of eight or ten
books, all Of them from lid to lid cursing
Russia, but had no trouble in taking with
me the books. There is ten times more
| difficulty in getting your baggage through
| the American custom house than through
the Russian. 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 il i had
hereafter man believes he is uncomforra-
bly, watched by the police of ST. Petersburg
or Moscow, 1t is because there is something
suspicious about him, and you yourself had
better, when he is around. look after your
silver spoons. / 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 regions,
| you will have no more molestatiou or SUPER
visal than in Brooklyn or in New York or
the 1uietest Long Island village.
Calumny the Third: Russia and It ruler
| are so opposed to any other religion except
the Greek religion that they will not allow
any other religion, that nothing but perse-
cution and imprisonment and outrage in
tolerable await the disciples Of any other
religion. But what are the facts? I had a
long ride in So. Petersburg and its suburbs
with the project, 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. said to
him: II suppose your religion is that of
the Greek churchp NO" said he, 81 am a
Lutheran" "What is your religionpi |
said to one of the highest and most in
| fuential officials at st. Petersburg. He
| said; II am of the Church of England y
| Myself. an American OF still another
denomination Of Christians, and never
having been inside GreeS church in NV
life until l went to Russia, could not have
received more consideration had | been
baptized in the Greek church and all NV
life worshiped at her affairs. | had il
demonstrated to me very plainly that a
mans religion in Russia has nothing TO do
with his preferment for either Office or
social position. The only questions taken
into such consideration are honesty, fidelity,
morality and adaptation. l had not been
in St Petersburg an hour before / re-
ceived an invitation to preach the gospel
of Christ as ] believed it. Besides all this,
have you forgotten that the Crimean
war " hitch ShOOk the Garth syrauv out