Oakes weekly Republican. (Oakes, Dickey County, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1883-1898, 1894-11-09
THE CZAR'S LIFE.
Ericf Biography of the DISTINGUISHED
l.


Ruler of Russia.
Less is known of the real personality O,
Alexander Ill, the deceased czarof Russ
than of any of his contemporaries among
the monarchs of Europe. He has been de
scribed as man of marked intelligence
and of stupid dullness, as Il man of great
kindness and of ferocious cruelty; it has
been stated that he personally read the
newspapers every day, and that lie rarely
II ever, glanced at. Il newspapers; it has
been declared that tile real facts regarding
the condition of his unhappy subjects were
seduously kept from him, and that he was
personally well acquainted with all thcil
troubles; the cruelties of Siberia, it has
been claimed repeatedly, were perpetrated
entirely without his knowledge and it has
also been said that he has not only been
cognzant of these cruelties, but that he
has rcjoiced in them.
All this being true, it must be obvious
to the reader that anything like an accu
rate picture of Alexander Ill as he really
existed is out of the question. Hew the
second son of Gar Alexander III. He was
born March 10, 1915. His mother was tho
Princess Maria, daughter of the late Grand
Duke of Hesse-Darmstadt.
Nicholas, the Oldest son, died April "a
1S65, aged ~, and Alexander became he'll
apparent. Nicholas was engaged to marry
the Princess Dagmar, daughter of the
King of Denmark and sister to the Prin.
cess of Wales, and it was the wish of AL.
eNander IL, after the death of Nicholas.
that Alexander Ill should take her for a
wife. This was done and the marriage
has proved IL very happy one, notwith
standing the unusual circumstances which
led to their union. Car Alexander II was
killed by II nihilist bomb March IL, 1881.
and his son succeeccd him immediately as
Car Alexander Ill.
Physical Strength and Courage.
Alexander III was n man of remarkable
physical force. He stood 6 feet inches in
his stockings, and it is told of him that he
could take silver coin of the size of a dol
lar and double it between his thumb and
forclinger.
He kept himself in good condition by
the most severe manual labor Like
Gladstone, he was fond of cllopping down
trees. and in the winter time hc used to
shovel snow paths in his palace grounds.
During the last war between Russia and
Turkey he showed that he had plenty of
personal courage as well as physical
strengh, and although during his entire
reign he was in constant expectation of
being murdered he never hesitated to show
himself to his people when he thought the
occasion demanded it, and lie oftentimes
was accounted even rash in his manner of
doing this.
All authorities agree that ALEXANDER III
was very hard worker. He rose at Z in
the morning, and after quiet stroll
through the grounds of the palace partook
of ell early breakfast, which was followed
Immediately by severe manual toll. AS
soon as this task was finished he plunged
into the official business of the day with
energy and dogged persistence His work
consisted principally of the examination of
edicts, ukases, laws and all sorts of reports
on all sorts of subjects, on the margins of
which he would write decisions or impres.
sions with u frankness and an abandon
that We're refreshing.
These duties were usually finished by /
o'clock and luncheon followed. After
this came recreation in the park and the
newspapers, The evenings were fire.
quently given up to the theater or opera,
There We're FIVE children and the czar
was very fond of them, devising MANY
ways for their entertainment and amuse
ment.
The czar was intensely religious and
bigoted, but was accounted strictly honest
and sincere. He believed implicitly that
be ruled by divine right.