The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-10-18
HOW THE GEAR LIVES.
SIMPLE HABITS OF THE RICH
 EST RULER IN THE WORLD.

Banqnets hts AboEntnation-Hei Is Fond
 of Driving Out Alone With the Em-
 press, and Is Careful to Avoid Dh-
 play.
 Though the Czar of Russia is the rich
 est man in the world. writes Fritz Nor
 ris in the Cosmopolitan. and the dispo-
 sal of every penny raised for the gov
 ernment os absolutely in his control, and though he draws upon it to as great
 an extent as he pleases, as if it were his private purse the home life of the inn
 perial couple of Russia is very simple and almost without ceremony. The Czarina in manner is charming and
 diffdent. more like very young girl.
 perhaps, than an empress. She blushes
 very easily and has trick of dropping
 her head. She dresses as an English
 lady and looks English.
 Although she has wonderful pearls.
 star sapphires and cabochon rubles, she
 seldom wears jewels. The Czar gene
 rally dresses in simple Russian cos
 tune in the palace. He, too, has a very quiet anl gentle manner. but great de-
 termination, and both he and the Czar-
 ina are held in great awe by those
 around them.
 The Czar rises at eight, and his toilet
 lasts until nearly nine o'clock, when he
 sits down at his writing table to dis
 charge such important matters of state as do not admit of delay. From ten un- til eleven o'clock he enjoys short rest.
 during which he partakes of light luncheon, and then the time is again de-
 voted to work-to the signing of docu-
 ments to the study of bills and the re-
 ports of ministers and governors, to
 which he adds numerous marginal re-
 marks During this business session
 his majesty takes one glass of tea after
 another, and often a cavair sandwich.
 The hours from one to four he gives to
 his family, and occasionally the aide
 de-camp on duty is summoned, and the
 Czar then desires to hear if there is
 anything new or interesting in the pa
 pe"&.
 At four the Czar begins work again,
 sometimes only until six, but often un-
 til seven o'clock, which is the dinner hour The CZar likes simple food and is
 very quick eater. He seems hardly to
 have begun when he is finished. His dinner consists of but few courses, and
 he likes to talk and joke during the
 meal. RanQuets are his abomination, and at the great state dinners it is easy to see how much his majesty is bored
 by the lengthy menu. The rest of the evening, until ten o'clock, he spends usually with the members of his family. He makes it point to do so when. the empress is present. After this he retires to his study and punctually at midnight goes to bed Court banquets and festivities interfere now and then with the daily routine of his life, but the ministers trv as much as possible to
 keep his working hours uninterrupted He makes point, whenever it is pos
 sible, of driving out alone with the em- press and with small attendance. He
 does not give notice of his drives and
 walks abroad, and is often quite unto ticed. The late Czar, when he drove out, had the streets lined with troops and always drove In splendid equip
 age surrounded by his guards and at tendants, while the police now seldom know in what direction their emperor means to drive The etiquette of the
 Russian court also has become much less strict since the accession of Nicho- las 1T, and all his subjects are allowed admission to his presence. The peas ants will travel hundreds of miles to bring their petitions to him, for they know that the Czar will personally re- ceive them and will himself read what they have written. He is grave in pub | lie, but in private he is full of fun and very fond of chafflng the members of his intimate circle. The Czarina exact ly suits her husband. and happier family life cannot be imagined. Her majesty is almost always with the Czar, even when he is at work, and when statesmen come to see him his majesty often begs her to stay with them. By the Russian people the present Czar and Czarina are greatly beloved, but among the members of the court there are many who sigh for the times when the Czarina Marie FeodorOwna was reigning empresh because she was con-
 servative and fondly cherished all the traditions of court ceremonials.
 The Czar has many palaces, ut'those he most frequently occupies are the Winter Palace, in St. Petersburg; Pe- terhof, in the suburbs of the city, which is copied after Versailles, and Livadia, in the Crimea The Winter Palace can accommodate about six thousand persons and contains some
 magnificent apartments; but the rooms of the Czar and CZarina are very plain~ ly furnished in English fashion and look more like the apartments of a middle class family. Like all Russian palaces. the Winter Palace Is a combination of splendor and seediness. Visitors are shown through many chambers, where everything is adapted for the most gor- geous ceremonials of state, but other
 parts of the palace are in state of positive neglect. The balls and ban quets at the Winter Palace are cele- brated for their magnificence, especial of To.