The sun., 1896-09-13
RUSSIA'S GREAT MINISTER.
WoRLD- VIDE POHER OF THE LATE
PRINCE LOBANOF.


Wonderful Resuits OF His Career or Eigh.
teen Months mt thc Head OF the Ru-sinu
Fo-eiEn once The Erect or His Death
Upon Ruspta's Plans OF AERrandise ment.
LONDON. Sept. 4.-Thc man who died In q
Russian railway train near KIeff last Sunday
evening wns the custodian of greater power
than rests In the hands of any other human be-
Ing at this moment. That is strong stnto-
inent but 1t is neither reckless nor extravagant.
His own sovereign and country trusted and
loved him. France obeyed him. England feared
him. lie and he alone kept the trembling and
guilty Sultan upon his throne. He moro than
any other man was reshapinR the destinIes OF
China. His influence weighed most heavily In
the councils Of European statesmen. Two
years ago this man was almost unknown to tho
world at large. and his talents were unrecog-
nized even In the circlo OF statecraft. Verify,
history has given us few Prince Lobanofs.
Ii Is too early to analyze the character and
abilities of this remarkable man. We do not
even know all or nearly oil that he has done.
He was an old man. according to the usual
range of human activity. and yet his career had
only just begun. 1t was, in fact. eighteen
months long, and he himself planned to terml-
nate 1t IN a few months more. All his life was
but the preparation for those eighteen months.
| 1t WAS honorably spent. many years OF 1t In of
fees of dignity and responsibility. but the de-
tails OF II scarcely concern us now. He was
taken away at the critical moment OF what
promised to be tho most splendid diplomatic
triumph Of the century. The world is most
concerned. therefore. with the fate of the great
plans which he loft half executed.
The temptation 10 strong to stop for q moment
| to consider this marvellous spectacle of sub
ordinate OF an autocrat who suddenly became
tho most potent factor in the politics OF two
w ha pf
cendancy, and upon what did his influence restf
Iobanof was no creature of circumstance, al
though fate played an important part In help
Ing him TO the pinnacle OF fame. He was no
demaRogue or popular idol. He rather despsed
the common herd and he never sought popular
ity. 1t is said OF him that he was all head and
no heart; that he was lacking In human SYM
pnthy. 1t 10 true that he did not hold human
life sacred, or rather that he permitted the sac
rihce of thousands rather than risk the sacrifice
of tens of thousands. He possessed In q remark.
able degree the genius Of statesmanshp Even
his enemies acknowledged that He combined
with 1t knowledge, experience. and hard work.
Too much Of the latter killed him. but without
II he would never have succeeded in supplant-
ing Great Britain in political prestige In eigh-
teen short months.
1t astonished all who know him. this Unsuitable
passion for industry which he developed on re-
ceivng his last appointment. He had no love
OF work for its own sake He was even regarded
as lazy man by his subordlnates. During the
.rapouil period when he was RussIan Amh,.-
sador at the Court of ST James he maid I'm,
slight attention to the routine duties of the
position. For days he busted himself in histori-
cal researches. which were his lifelong hobby,
and his secretaries found 1t difficult to obtain
from him even his signature to official docu-
ments. But when hard work had great object
in view he was tireless. He made himself nm.
nonular in the Russian Foreign once at fr., bv
notwithstanding its methods. IL had be,n for
many wears. under ensy going NJ. de Gi.rs AN
almost fos,ilized museum. Iobanof mode 4, n
hiv. n, i,dp.trv
80, ',','. ~ ~ N1N- ies"'u tuo
, o,o'uon ~ .n0 .o,.'su po.', y. Nues'a unueF
~ "' ."e ~, ""o ''e"''on ~ VI nis
N. 80 .o - W.. '..'''oi e. "ou'u
unaer Count de S,aal or ,nv otber man whoh.a
been called to the Foreiun Ninis,er,s ofBca II
would have come Because ,he ttms had arrIvea
IN tho y,eot scheme NJ Ru.,ian dI,lornaox ,,r +.
change from pn,icnt passive nre,nratIon n .e-
or.ssiv. aotIon nnd ACKNOWLEDGEMENT, Tb.r.i.
a ra.t sicnioca,c, in tho f,ct that s,nc. 1s,.
Ru,.Ia b,, had only four Min,,t.rs NJ Fore,.n
A1o,rs Ne..elrode C;or,ch,ko1 n. ci.rs .na
Ioh.no1 7, ,,h..omo verified Er,no. h.. 30,
..v.n,v NJ o,hsr .xn,nr,,,o, 4. ,..5oa T ~
IN suupe.t nj tho foct that France I. to.dav thu
v,Iling tool n, Russta IN tba execn,Ion y, ~.
,.o., ,,o,,,,oo, n,.r. -, ,ha ,.,to-
IT,. Ia no .roh ,hin, 4, prs.,.
a, nolicv dp. n chang, ~ admin,s,-o,ion TSo
ca h;rss,, 4. hv no m..ns nn,n,no,.,,, :, ~.
cop,-o, of,t ua ,nust ho,v ,o Oh. iii, -, nav
-. norn.. nro arn,o., rnL,o,S, g. -"
i,s.,, and ,vhom tho or,.,d. ,orId nov.- ha.rI
~ Tho Court nartv as +, ia somo.inas called
-, -. =,