The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1896-05-23
WHOLE NO., 286.


the betrothed pair might become ac-
quainted, and they might break off the
engagement if they would. No more in
fants should be put to death. Wives and
daughters might go forth freely. and
ladies might have salons like those of
Europe. There should be public meetings
to which the people could go unlimited.
dressed in European garb. There should
be refreshments at social parties, and
Polish and German dances, and French
and Swedish prisoners should act as
masters of ceremony and models of COOL
manners.
In order to amuse the people of our
new capital, not yet 20 years old from
its foundation, we will institute a feast
Of fools. Our old teacher, Zotof, shall
he tho prince pope Of the fools. He shall
be dressed In crimson and ermine. At
his feet Bacchus shall ride on wine
cask carrying RUNNER and goblet.
Our cardinals shall march and drink and
be intoxicated, along with nohlemen and
princes and governors and ourself The
procession shall be closed with sledge
drawn by four big hogs driven by gen
| tleman OF high rank! Our court jester
shall be Neptune. There shall be sledges
rigged like boats. and our admiral shall
command them. At the harbor ship
shall be launched, and those taking part
shall not go ashore undrunken. Our ad-
miral and Prince Menshikof-whom we
beat with a stick-and we, the autocrat,
! shall drink and revel and swear together,
but none shall prostrate himself before
us. We are the father of our people, and
their servant also, even in rout and dis
sipation
All this was real to degree. 1t was
enacted to the letter. No honester man
than Peter saw the dawn Of the eight
eenth century. He reformed the mill
tary and the church in the same startling
manner. Nothing could surpass the an-
dacity with which he struck down and
rebuilt the ancient usages. He sent his
young men into Europe to be educated
for command. Forty of the more prom
Using youth were dispatched to Konigs-
burg, to study finance and political econ
omy. The czar plunged into the Offices
Of his subordinates. He took their
ledgers without saying by your leave and
ran them through, and woe to him who
was in error!
Opening the book of his secretary of
the treasury one day, Peter showed him
that by his own figures he was robbing
the state, and then in another column he
showed him that one of the under Off
GERS was robbing Mml Peter admins
tered the punishment to the secretary by
beating him with his stick and then
told him cheerfully to go and do tho
same to the rascal who had cheated him.
Such was the order of the day. Every
thing was turned upside down, and the
wonder Of the modern reader is that the
czar could for one day escape assassina-
tion. Nor would he, but for two reasons ::
The people knew that he was sincere to
his inmost fiber, and, secondly, the mat
ter of killing Peter, if it fail, was the
most fatal experiment that any human
being might attempt.
Peter reformed the education also. No
system of free public schools could be
then established, but special institutions
were planted at all advantageous places
Nearly all Of these were technical in
character. The yonng Russians We're
taught commerce and agriculture, man
ufacture, tactics, engineering, mining in
particular, and as to scholastic branches,
every young man Of good birth must be
able to speak one language beside his
own. In st. Petersburg an Academy of
Sciences was founded.
Peter himseH made new alphabet,
using the old Msscovite letters in part
and the Roman alphabet more freely,
The czar lived to see four printing
presses at work IN st. Petersburg, and
there were two In Moscow-six in all
the Russian empire! But the Imperial
Academy was manned with capable
scholars, most Of whom were brought
| from western Europe. In gathering his
men, Peter selected from several nations.
He got him an astronomer and an arch
Bologist several linguists, experts in
chemistry and in al the current branch
es Of the higher education.
| Meanwhile Petay made the headqrar-
ters Of the empire in the little wooden
house which he bailt for himself at his
new capital Two rooms We're sufficient
for him. The cottage still stands and is
regarded with vsneration, as sort of
shrine for those loyal Muscovites who
believe that a military autocracy is the
true empire of man and that Force il
the greatest secretary of state. In that
cottage were elaborated by Peter the
plans for his military campaigns and
for the civil reconstruction of Russia
He worked with his own bands. He
sprang from one thing to al other with
the bound of leopard. He conceived
that he could do everything. If work
man was injured in the street and the
surgeon was not at hand, tho czar rush
ed out and used the knife himself. He
considered himself capable dentist and
would snatch out an Offer ding molar
from the jar of field marsh Al or prince,
whether the victim would consent Oh
not II history, with her sphinxliko
face, could be brought to smile at any
thing. it might we'll be at the inspired
antics Of Peter the Great.
The manner and spirit OF Peter were
shown by his conduct after Ihe peace of
Nystad in 1871. He had then been at
war almost constantly for 20 years.
With the defeat Of the Turks he was
able to exact an advantageous treaty.
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