The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1904-05-03
NO. l.
For The Messenger.

Tor Inc M-ScCiASCAs
Afttr q careful n painstaking
study of the annals Of Russia. / find
myself involved IL doubt and difficult
~. not only from discrepancies in
names and dates-really OF little i'm
portance-in the various chronsclers.
but radical differences as to issues OF
fact. OF very great Importance. and
also as to what Dionysius of Hall
would call the philosophy
OF its history" As this article can
be nothing more h a summary of
the rise and progress OF n MuscoVfte.
empire. / will endeavor to keep
closely in touch with the most trust
worthy authorities: and. as time and
space are both brief. l had best begin
this narrative at a period n little af-
ter the middle OF the ninth century,
when h Slavs. despairing OF hold
ing their own against the warning
tribes pressing them on all aides,
invited the varangians to an alliance.
or rather, to an occupation OF this
country.
Those formidable Varangians-
whose parent stock was Scandina-
Wan, with an admixture OF
down adventurers and mercenary
soldiers of fortune-were not stran-
gers to the Slavs. The latter were
as a people until they were
thrown out upon the vast plains Of the
upper Volga, as vexed and troubled
waves from the migrationS OF the
Huns. Avars, Bulgarians and Tartar
free-booters of the fourth and NTH
centuries. and are held by Latin au-
thors t. be the same people as the
ancient Sarmatians. At the time OF
their settlement On the upper Volga,
however. hey were not the pure
blooded SarmatinS, but were partly
Sycthians, and, pushing the Firms
further back to the Arctic ocean. they
nn1
nants of those people that did not
migrate. The Russians OF today,
as a mass. are the descendants Of this
composite stock, as seen in hair, COM
plexion and facial traits.
About the middle of the eighth CEN
fury the Slavs had already founded
two f1ourishing probabilities, of which
the strong cities of Kier and Novgo-
rod were the capitals, when the Va
rangians, in one OF their forays,
bounced down upon a land oner1ng
such promise OF booty. Meeting with
organized opposition, they changed
their raid into a conquest, and pos
sessed themselves of the country
h Slavs succeeded in throwing on
this yoke; but, a century later, as l.
have said, invited them back, know
ing them to be mighty men of valor'
who would likely be as powerful pro-
tectors as they had formerly been
9 L Il II =
the old historian Nestor, their invi-
tation was expressed in these broad
terms: Our land is great and fruit
full, but it lacks order and Justice;
come and take possession, and gov
ern US"
They waited no second bidding
these Varangians, whom tho Slavs
called Rus, whence the name Russia
and, not only with their warriors
but with their wives, children and
possessions, they entered upon this
broad domain headed by their prince
ly chiefs, three brothers, Rurick,
Sinef or Sineous, and Travor. and
from that time, until the death OF
Laroslaf or Yaroslav, the house OF
Rurick ruled. This barbarian Morse
man Rurick-the founder of immense
empire of $50, 900, 600 people over
which Nicholas II. rules with despot-
ic sway-applied himself wisely and
beneficently to the task Of bringing
order out of chaos, and Of welding
together into an established govern
ment the discordant tribes Of petty
factional chiefs.
1t is impossible to do more in a
newspaper article than to give bare
mention to the less important epochs
Of Russia, dismissing with a few
lines the reigns Of dig, son of Ru-
rick, who invaded TZargarod with an
immense army and 2,000 ships, which
his subjects declare, he placed on
wheels, and carried overland; Of Olga
regent during the minority of her son
Sviatoslaf, who embraced Christian
ity, and was baptized in the imperial
city OF Constantinople; of Sviatos-
laf, who made war against the By
zantine empire for the possession OF
Bulgaria-until we come to Vladi-
mir. a bloody, willy, sensual barba-
rian, but who, like Clovis in Britain.
,,a - DrS-sa (~h riatio nitv-G1rrh az
it was. This was no humble peni-
tent, confessing his sins Of idoiatry
in sackcloth and ashes. He went.
sword in hand. to win a new faith
for himself and people, demanding
of the Greek Emperors Basil and
Constantine that they give him bap-
tism; and, that he might the better
enjoy his religion, asking for wife
Anne, a princess of the imperial
house. Their demands were COM
piled with, and Vladimir returned
to Kiev an apostle, but an apostle
militant. Even as fernando Cor,
ties and his Spanish warriors hurled
Aztec idols from the t~eocallis of Cam
poalla. Cholula and Mexico. so Vlad-
imir dashed the idol Parun from
rock and cliff, and forcibly baptized
his subjects Of Kiev and Noygorod
by thousands.
This muscular Christian died In
IUl0, lSdSilS many HciI5, VI Whohu
we have to do with only Laroslaf
the Great, who reigned t~hirty-eight
years, and, by the force Of his genius.
consolidated the municipalities into
something like a stable and oher-
ent monarchy. Though continually
at war, he found time for the admin
istration Of the affairs Of his kingdom
and formulated the Russian code Of
laws. Kiev was his favorite city. a
splendid capital I'm his day. adorned
with 400 churches st Sophia ex-
ceiling all others in magnificence.
In his relations with the outside
world Laroslaf held a distinguished
place. His son Vladimir married the
beautiful Githa, daughter Of the ILL
fated Harold, King OF England, and
hos daughters Elizabeth, Anne and
Anastasia became respectively the
wives Of the kings of Norway, France
and Hungary. He was a generous
and hospitable prince to the Cypress