Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1905-03-18
Written for the Washington Evening
Star and the Chicago Record Herald.

SluT hHu the NulChgO heCOTu-IlSlhiu'
EI=-TmINE OF the most astonishing
NG G features Of the crisis i'll
Russia is the attitude of
LO the Empress Dowager Dag
iI9l I9I mar, widow of Alexander
III, sister of Queen Alexandra of Eng
land and daughter of the noblest ana
best beloved of all the sovereigns OF
Europe-King Christian of Denmark.
Dagmar was brought up In poverty.
She and her sister Alexandra did
homework, swept and busted, cooked
and made their own dresses when they
were girls. for their father was mod
est captain in the Danish army on very
small pay. Until her marriage to the
Prince Imperial of Russia in 1866, and
indeed until the assassination OF her
father-in-law, Alexander H., she was
liberal, democratic woman, fond of
charitable work among the poor and
constantly engaged in measures for the
alienation of the sufferings of the
peasants. There is no other country in
Europe so democratic as Denmark; no
royal family is on such good terms
with the common people as her own
and until some years after her mar
riage she shared the views Of her
father.
But the influence of her husband,
Alexander Ill, seems to have changed
her character and disposition, and she
is now the most extreme in her conser-
vatism and in the defense of the auto
cracy of any OF the imperial family OF
Russia. Alexander III. was narrow,
gloomy, intoleranr despot and religious
zealot. He was a man of sincere con-
victions, of honest intentions and of
great courage. But he was dull OF in
tellect and stubborn Of will, and during
his brief reign was continually under
the shadow of hisafather'S fate. His
persecution of the Jews, his relentless
hatred of all liberals in politics and his
intolerance of everything that was pro-
gressive were largely due to resent
ment because of the cruel manner in
which his father had suffered from the
people he had endeavOred to serve.
During the last century the Cars of
Russia have been alternately liberal
and conservative. Alexander l. was
liberal; Nicholas I. was an ideal auto
crat and was called THE Iron GAR
Alexander II. was "The Good Gar"
who emancipated the serfs and would
have given Russia q constitution, which
lay upon his desk waiting for his sig
hn aSG0ocinntnns
Alexander III. was the direct opposite
of his father. and there has been no
such reign of terror IN Russia since the
days Of Nicholas as prevailed during
the few years he sat upon the throne.
During his entire administration be
was the constant object of conspiracy
and was in continual peril of his life.
There were forty attempts to assassin
ate him. He lived surrounded by SOL
diers and detectives, but was allowed
to die q natural death. His narrow,
uncompromising intolerance was inner
tied by his widow and by his brothers
rs a sacred legacy to be continued as
long as the dynasty endured. The
widow Dagmar brought up her son
Nicholas, the present Emperor, to wor-
ship his fathers name and to believe
his policy infallible. Nicholas inher-
tied many of her traits, rs well as her
stature and complexion. All of the
Romanoffs have been giants until his
time, but he. like his mother, is small
Of frame, of delicate health and ner-
vous. While his disposition is natur-
ally gentle and kindly, and his desires
have been to promote the welfare and
happiness of his people, his mother has
exercised great influence over him,
and has prevented him from carrying
out several of the benevolent schemes
that he has had in view for fear they
would impair the autocracy.
She has not renowned any of her
prerogatives as Empress; she. has not
been willing to live in retirement; she
occupies one of the most conspicuous
palaces on the principal street Of St.
Petersburg; is seen in the streets and
the parks more frequently than any
other member of the imperial family,
and is an habitual participant in all
public functions. She is exceedingly
jealous of her daughter-in-law the
reigning Empress, and is constantly
placing the latter in false and embar-
RAISING positions. She assumes au-
thority to which she has no right, and
frequently usurps the privileges and
prerogatives of the Empress at public
functions. She even insists upon re-
tanning the imperial jewels which
should 60 with the crown, and wears
them on state occasions. to the intense
satisfaction of the gossips Of the court,
who hate Alix because Of her purity of
character, her modesty and her refusal
to receive certain women whose repu-
tatiOns are not equal to their rank.
CHARACTER OF THE CZARINA.
Alix is a woman of modest dignity,
strong intellect and very liberal in her
views. She has even greater influence
over her husband than his mother, and
there is n constant struggle between
the two women as to which shall con-
troll him. Sometimes it is the mother,
but more often the wife. The dOwager
has the support and sympathy or the
Grand Dukes Vladimir, Alexis, Sergius,
her husband brothers, andnearly every
other member of the imperial family,
as well MS a majority of the ministry.
AliX is almost alone.
1t is one of the current stories in
London and Copenhagen. where you
can get more news and gossip CONCERN
ing the imperial family Of RussIA than
you can ever hear in st. Petersburg
that IL Alix had not had an earache
there would have been no war with
Japan. She, OF all the court, was most
urgent in advocating an amicable set
Element of the questions In controversy
but about the time they were reaching
the crisis an abscess gathered in one
of her ears, which was not only in
tensely painful, but made 1t necessary