The Raymer enterprise., 1912-10-03

rum lis
mentary reports It has become known
that the czarina, who had come to
Russia with lofty ideals and a liberal
western education. is an invalid and
martyr. alone In the palace OF the
car, misunderstood and tormented
with melancholy and fear.
Now a chronlcler, intimately famil.
lar with the home life OF the Russian
car, has described vIyldly the suffer
ings OF the woman who had hoped to
reform the Russian car and the Rus.
Sian land. and It may be said without
exaggeration. :ha, Alexandra Feodo.
rovna Is today the unhappiest OF all
queens.
Princess Alice OF IIesse- Darmstadt,
according to the bographer OF the
czariDa, lived amid ideal and idyllic
surroundings throughout her child.
hood, The small. good looking prin.
cess. dressed as beautifully as her
dolls. was told that the flowers daily
presented her were so beautiful and
fragrant for her sake, and that when
she was crying. the little flowers we're
also shedding tears, and when she
was laughing, the little flowers were
kind hearted and obedlent, and she
did all she could to refrain from cry.
Ing. for she recalled that every tear
drop OF hers would cause SO much
pain to all those who loved her.
But the tears she repressed In her
childhood days she Is shedding now
within the walls OF the palace. as the
queen OF the long suffering Russian
people. Being OF a sensitive, impres.
sionable and artistic nature. the prIn.
cess was deeply interested in the best
kind OF literature. She familarized
herself with the most important
works OF the masters OF fiction in Eu.
rope and she even made some at.
tempts at writing poetry and dramas.
AS she was frail. the physicians
feared that she was undermining her
health by deyotlng most OF her time
to books. and she was told that her
health was more important than all
the books In the world, and then for
the first time she learned that she
was not free The books we're now SO.
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 10
notice the lie beyond the boundary
OF her fairyland she saw the life OF
tho 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
iairyland 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 80 shamelessly cheerful when be.
yond the windows Of this palace is
the moan OF an entire suffering mn.
tion7"
Princess Alice became tho czarlna
OF Russia. She came to the Russian
land Mt time when the people. ex.
hausted by the burden OF absolutism.
were returning from the funeral of
Alexander ILL.,. and we're hopefully
waiting for more mercIful reign on
the part OF the new czar, Nicholas,
who was repu,ed at that time to be a
liberal.
The flrst day OF the new reign WAS
marked by the Khodinka tragedy,
when thousands OF people lost their
lives amid the festivities. The tragedy
made a profound impression upon the
czarina, 1t seemed to her n forebod.
Ing OF a terrible future.
The superstltious incl!nations and
weaknesses OF the car, manifested in
his easerness for male heir to the
Russian throne. filled the czarina with
untold grief.
She had to obey the orders Of VA.
rious charlatans who were welcome
advisers OF the clar. And the In.
thgues directed against her In tho