The herald., 1894-11-02
czsK.s CAREER.
Alexander HI Had Faults ~ Well 81

| prospect OF succeeding to the throne.
He wac brought up as soldier, az ex-
clusively as his grandfather had been
before him. II wss natural, therefore,
when his brother died that he should
have found himself totally unprepared
for the fulfllment OF his further duties.
1t was upon his brother Nicholas, the
czarowitz, that all the best training was
layished. 1t was he who, as the eldest
con, wac supposed to be destined to as
cend the throne and rule. But this eld-
est con died OF physical and nervous ex>
haustion in the flower OF hia early man
hood.
Alexander now became the heir to
the throne. He was surly young giant.
Opinions he was believed to have none.
II he possessed any, he at least kept
them pretty much to himself. Like his
brothers, Vladimir and Alexis, he WAS
the performer of fabulous feats at tho
eupper table. He was . splendid
wrestler. extremely powerful, who could
drink more champagne than any oil his
brothers and who took pleasure in Inn.
itating the tricks with which history
has credited Peter the Great. Thus he
used to crush horseshoes in the hollow
OF his hand, roll silver roubles into tubes
between his thumb and finger, and
used to sally forth with his brothers to
dsreputable drinking places at night, in
strict incognito, and thrash the as
semblsd company.
He was in active service in the army
from his boyhood. Before the Turko-
Russian war he had already attained
! the rank OF full general of infantry and
command OF the corps of the guard, a
picked body of troops. numbering about
$4,000 men OF all arms. He gave up
that command at the outbreak of the
Turkish difficulty and took command of
two corps OF the line. to which were in
trusted much important work and which
gave him some hard fighting experi-
ence.
Early in life Alexander displayed an
animosity, or at least indifference to
Germans, with whom his father main
tanned such intimate and cordial rela>
tions throughout his lifetime. In the
estimation of his people he was Rus
sian TO the core. personally In sympathy
with Slavic and national aspirations.
Alexander was the first emperor, since
Peter, who married elsewhere than in
Germany. In 1866 he married Marie
Dagmar. daughter of King Christian TX
OF Denmark. At first Alexander neg
lected his wife, who was too beautiful
and delicate flower for him to appre-
ciate. But his fathers attentions to her
and the stories which these attentions
I called into being made him madly
Jealous. He satisfied himself that these
| were ISLANDERS, but he began to see that
the flower he was neglecting was beautl-
full and sweet.
Four children were born to Alexander
Ill and his spouse, the Princess Dag
mar. Ihs eldest, the Grand Duke Mich
olas, born May IS, 1868. became heir
apparent upon the accession OF his
father as emperor OF all the Russisa.
The other children are the Grand
Duke George Xenia, born April Is, 1875 !;
the Grand Duke Michael. born Decem-
ber 5. 1878, and the Grand Duchess
Olga, born June Is. 1882.
Alexander's coronation, which was
reported to have taken place privately
the day of his fathers death, did not
take place publicly until over two years
afterward. May 81, 1888. Its long post.
ponement WAS not wholly due to dread
OF the nihilsts, who threatened to make
his coronation and assassination closely
connected events, but was delayed for q
part OF the time at least by the extern
sive preparations which he specially or.
dered for the event. Even in compare
son with the almost barbaric pomp of
Russia's national ceremonials, the coro-
nation OF the late czar stands out in hie-
| tory as an unexampled parade OF wealth,
power and magniticence.
The coronation took place at Moscow,
which ancient city was ablaze with
thousands of decorated and uniformed
| nd lad NIT hnn of
thousands OF soldiers. Everything that
lavish expenditure OF money on deco-
ration, illumination and oil that goes to
make brilliant royal pageantry could
do was added to lend splendor to the
occasion. The czar brought. at his own
expense. every civil and military officer
from every province in his domain, that
they might see the magnitude of his
army and the pomp and glory of his sur
roundings.
The reign of Alexander III was not
si0naizsd by the liberality which it WAS
hoped he would adopt. On the con-
trary, his government was even more
despotic than that OF his two Immediate
predecessors, and the climax was capped
by crusade against the Jews so horri-
BILE that it received the condemnation OF
the entire civilized world, without, how
ever, producing the slightest effect. The
emperor'a enmitv toward the Germans
had previously found expression in
various methods, but the anti.SsmitiC
iaws were worse than anything that the
nineteenth century had yet witnessed.
During his reign Alexander was con-
stantly pursued by the nihiliets, who
killed his father. A serious attempt was
made in the beginning OF April, 1887.
He was fred at in the park at Gatachine
by ON officer, but escaped uniniured,
although the pistol was discharged al
close quarters. The would-be assassin
was arrested.
On the 10th OF March, following the
attempted assassination, three persons
were arrested in the streets OF st. Pc
tersburg with explosive machines ir
their possession, and from them ths
authorities obtained disclosures respect
ing the ramifcRtions OF the conspiracy
Some OF these men were confined in tn,
Schlusselburg fortress, while others were
placed in the citadel OF ST. Petersburg
On this occasion two women--ons thu
wife of general, the other of q doctor
who were compounded to some exten
in the murder OF the late czar in 1881
were parties to the plot, but they re-
fused to give any information to tht
police. ri ENa
About the same period q military
plot was discovered in the Causasus
and as a result of the discovery over 10l
officers were arrested. The chief con
spiritor in this case wac ON old officer
who had eerved more than 35 years, anC