Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1892-11-24

place of great leSees. lie spends his sum
mer in the palace at Peterhof. fifteen or
twenty miles from st. Petersburg: his au-
tumns at the palace at Gratschna, and his
winters in palace at st. Petersburg, but
in quite different part of the city TO that
occupied by the winter palace. He rides
through the streets unattended, except by
the empress at his side and the driver on
the box. There is not a person in this audi
ence more free from fear of harm than he
"a His subjects not only admire him but
almost worship him.
There are cranks in Russia, but have we
not had our Charles Guiteau and John
Wilkes Boothf But says some one,
did not the Russians kill the father of the
present emperor" Yes, but in the time
that Russia has had one assassination OF
emperor America has had two presidents
assassinated. but is not the emperor an
autoerat" BY which you mean, has he
not power without restrictions Yes, but
it all depends upon what use man makes
of his power.
Are you an autocrat in your factory, OF
an autocrat in your store, or an autocrat
in your style of businesss 1t all depends
on what use you make of your power,
whether to bless or to Cypress, and from
the time of Peter the Great-that Russian
who was the wonder of all time, the em-
peror who became incognito ship car.
penter that he might help ship carpenters,
and mechanic that he might help mechan-
les, and put on poor mems garb that he
might sympathize with poor men, and who
in his last words said: My Lord, / am dy-
ing. oh, help my unbeliefp'-I say from
that time the throne Of Russia has, for tbs
most part. been occupied by rulers as benef
icent and kind and sympathetic as they
were powerful.
To go no further back than Nicholas,
the grandfather of the present emperor
Nicholas had for the dominant idea of his
administration the emancipation of the
serfs When it was found that he pre-
meditated the freedom of the serfs be re-
ceived the following letter of threat from
deputation of noblemen: "Your Impe
rial Majesty-We learn that the coun-
ell and senate of the empire have
before them for deliberation, with your
sanction, the plan to abolish serfdom
throughout the Russian empire. We
are perfectly willing TO abide by your
majesty's decision in this matter and to
Loyalty support your will, but there are In
Russia large number Of small owners of
serfs who are dependent for actual sub
sistence ON the labor of those serfs, and
who consequently will be left wholly pen
niless and without any resource by the
operation of emancipation. They will then
undoubtedly 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 rs long as history, Gentlemen, if
should die because Of my devotion to such
a cause, | am willing TO meet my fate
When, under an attack of pneumonia
from exposure to severe weather in the
service of his people, that emperor put
down his head on the pillow of dust, Rus
STA lost as good a monarch as was ever
crowned Then came Alexander the Second,
father of the present emperor. Amid the
mightiest opposition and innumerahle
protests, lie, with one stroke of his pen,
emancipated twenty million serfs, practi-
cally saying: go free. Be your own mas
tiers, and this is for you and your children
forever"
On the day he was basely assassinated
land will parenthetically say that | saw
his carriage ia splinters, as it looked when
he stepped from il, not to save himself. hut
to look after some poor people of the street
who had been hurt and | saw the bed on
which he died, the mattress yet crimson
with his lifes blood)-on the day he was
assassinated he had on his table, found
afterward. a free constitution that pro
posed to give the right Of suffrage 10 the
people of Russia. II il 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 Kind
ness was Alexander the Second, the father
Of the present emperor 50 that the pres
ent emperor, Alexander the Third, in
herits his benignity. Alexander the
Second hearing that a nobeman had
formed conspiracy against his life, had
him arrested. Then the eyes of the crimi-
nal were bandaged, and he was put in Il
carriage and for some time Travelled on,
only stopping for food. After awhile the
bandage was removed, and surprising that
he must by that time have been almost ia
Siberia he found that he was at the door of
his own home. But this punishment was
sufficient.
The same emperor, having heard that u
poet had written q poem defamatory of his
empress, ordered the poet into his pres
ence. Expecting great severity the poet
entered the palace and found the emperor
and empress and dukes and duchesses gath-
cred together. Good morning. said the
emperor to the offender. Il 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 hearing il, "
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 whomit was
aimed, said: Il do not think he will write
any more verses about us again. Let him
go.n And so be was freed.
And now comes in Alexander the Third,
doing the best things possible for the ma
ton which he loves and which as ardently
loves him But what an undertaking to
rule one hundred and twelve million peo-
Pile, made up of one hundred tribes and
races an5 speaking forty different Ian
guages But, notwithstanding all this.
things there move on marvelously well.
q