Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-08-27
Peter the Great.

IF Won could have seen the tall. strone
j man carrying his queer cane which
was nothing but a staff Of iron. too heavy
for most men to lift. you would have
thought that Peter the Great was kind
Of Riant. He was really not q giant, MOI
did he get his name from being so large
but the people OF Russia called him
great for his wonderful deeds. When
little Peter was a few days old he was
given royal apartments OF his own IN
hts fathers palace. No baby ever had
greater riches about him. The walls OF
his room were hung with beautifui rec
niture was OF crimson velvet embroid'
cred with blue and yellow silks. When
the servants, who were themselves dress
ed In very fine clothes. made little Re
ter's bed they put silken sheets ana Six.
en- pillow cases on 1t. They spread II
with covers of silver or gold cloth.
The small carriage In which the baby
prince went driving through the pretty
parks was drawn by little ponies ano
tended by dwarfs. All this sounds like
velvet uniforms rode on ponies on each
side OF the princes carriage and one
tiny man rode behind. How the children
OF the town where little Peter lived must
have watched this procession when the
prince was taken out for ms afternoon
q, .
when he was sent to school TO learn
10 read, He was SO young that he al
WAYS disiiked his books afterward. lie
never became a great scholar, TOT ne
wished TO learn the things which ~
those DAVIS were not in books. BEFORE
Peter was eighteen years old he was
made ruler of one OF the most powerful
nations of the world, for he was Car Oh
Russia,
lived In the most beautifui palaces IN
the world His dress could have been
the finest and his jewels the costliest, All
of hts day might have been spent ~
idIeness and pleasure, This life might
have suited many young men, put fs. &c.
did not wish to waste MS time. M
young ear hated luxury aha earea n't IS
for comforts. His only pleasure was 70
work, work, work, At that time httis wa
known about boat building. so II was
Peters first aim after gaining the eroHn
| Of his country to build Meet OF fnips
| for Russia. To do this the csar Wen, W
Holland. where the best ships were then
made He took with him many men, &c
that they, too, could learn the TRACE
Euery day for several months RUSSIA
ruler and the workmen tolieo tose.ne,
| in the shops. No one could nave toIo
which man was the great h,ns.
for he would only answer When cahe'
Carpenter Peter" ;,
LATER the monarch went to England u
learn other trades until at last ne va
master of fourteen different occupalons
| His hands, which must have been rougL
| from wood carving and metal worhins
were trained even in dentistry, NO Won
| der with all this hard work Peter seemed
out of place when he visited the castles
and palaces of other kings VINO did noth
| ing but show the fine manners gay a.le,
day. The Russians excused their c1ai
for his seeming roughness at court. pul
thew always wished that he mignt iearI
tn control his temper. IL ne could nave
succeeded in doing that one tnihs MS
name would be honered more than u u
even to this day.
with its grand palaces and wide streets
now stands there was once nothiha nut
a watery marsh. Peter saw !nai AT tha.
Mace the Russians ought to build Tori
to protect their country tlsm enenles
ME. for few saw how such watery
waste could he made solid ground:
strong. iron will conquered the many dli-
ficulties for Peter tho Great mace up nts
mind that he would succeed IN the wofA'
He employed many men to iaber In dram
ing the land ana theh III pa'o"e ''Ao
The ezar himself endured the same
hardshjps as his werkmen: win MS
own strong bonds he built log mouse on
a part of the marsh There ne mMeo 10,
nine years, arising every morning al !
O'Clock and working all day with the
other men. Finally the great work was
finished and little by little the city Oh
ST. Petersburg grew up At that Place
People of Russia love the memory OF the
hard yorker after whom the city was
named and to this day they treasure the
log cabin in which Peter the Great lived
when he worked 1t founding the NJ
tons capital s.+h-