The Southern herald., 1912-10-25

AklAsA the Official reports dis
tributed by the official
news bureau. From the various frag-
mentary reports 1t has become known
that the czarina, who had come to
Russia with lofty ideals and a liberal
western education, is an invalid and q
martyr, alone in the palace Of the
czar, misunderstood and tormented
with melancholy and fear.
Now a chronicler intimately famll-
Gar with the home life OF the Russian
szar, has described vividly the suffer
thgs of the woman who had hoped to
seform the Russian czar and the Rus
sian land, and it may be said without
Sxaggeration, that Alexandra Feodo-
Tovna Is today the unhappiest of all
queens.
Princess Alice Of Hesse-D -Darmstadt.
Occording to the biographer of the
ezarina, lived amid ideal and idyllic
surroundings throughout her child
hood. The small, good looking prin-
cess, dressed as beautifully as her
Soils, was told that the flowers daily
presented her we're so beautiful and
fragrant for her sake, and that when
che was crying, the little flowers we're
also shedding tears, and when she
vas laughing, the little flowers we're
kind hearted and obedient, and she
did all she could to refrain from cry
ing, for she recalled that every tear
drop Of hers would cause 20 much
pain to all those who loved her.
But the tears she repressed in her
childhood days she iB shedding how
within the walls Of the palace, as the
queen Of the long suffering Russian
people. Being Of sensitive, impress
sionabIs and artistic nature, the prin-
'oess was deeply interested in the best
kind Of literature She famlllarized
herself with the most important
works of the masters of fiction In Eu-
rope and she even made some at
'iempts at writing poetry and dramas.
AS she was frall, the physicians
feared that she was undermining her
health by devoting most Of her time
TO books, and she was told that her
health was more important than all
tthe books In the world, and then for
the first time she learned that she
was not free. The books we're now Sc
lected for her by physicians and she
was permitted to read only very
limited number of such books To
while her time away she took up the
study of drawing, and soon showed
considerable talent In that direction.
Little by little she commenced to
notice the life beyond the boundary
of her fairyland; she saw the life Of
the people who were suffering and
starving, and she learned that what
was new to her was not new to her
father, to her mother, to her aunts,
to all those who lived contented in her
fairyiand Of luxury. And she began to
ask herself the question which she
was for long time unable to answer:
How can they all remain care free
and 30 shamelessly cheerful when be
YOUu Luo WIuuOWb VI Lulb pulhC0 IL
the moan Of an entire suffering ma
aioni"
Princess Alice became the czarins
of Russia. She came to the Russian
land at . time when the people, ex
hausted by the burden Of absolutism
were returning from the funeral oi
Alexander III, and were hopefully
waiting for a more merciful reign or
the part Of the new ezar, Nicholas
who was reputed at that time to be q
liberal.
. The first day Of the new reign waG
marked by the Khodinka tragedy
when thousands of people lost theii
lives amid the festivities. The tragedy
made a profound impression upon th'
czarina. 1t seemed to her a forebod
ing of q terrible future.
The superstitious inclinations ant
weaknesses Of the czar, manifested II
his eagerness for a male heir to thu
Russian throne, filed the czarina witt
untold grief.
She had to obey the orders Of va
.Fious charlatans who were welcome
advisers OF the car. And the In
trigues directed against her in thu