Montpelier examiner., 1912-10-11

LflUuIeO Dy tue OuCldl
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
martyr. alone in the palace Of the
czar. misunderstood and tormented
with melancholy and fear.
Now a chronicler, intimately famil-
Gar with the home life of the Russian
czar, has described vividly the suffer
ings of the woman who had hoped to
reform the Russian czar and the Rus
sian land. and 1t may be said without
exaggeration, that Alexandra Feodo-
rovna is today the unhappiest Of all
queens.
according to the biographer of the
czarina, 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
buC was th6s ShC hbNhO hOWCAS WCAO
also shedding tears. and when she
was laughing, the little flowers we're
kind hearted and obedient, and she
did all she could to refrain from cry
ang, 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
Aa8 ah 10 ehnAAinn NOW
within the walls of the palace, as the
queen of the long suffering Russian
people. Being OF sensitive. impress
sionable and artistic nature. the prin-
cess was deeply interested In the best
kind OF literature. She familiarized
herself with the most important
works of the masters OF fiction in Eu-
rope and she even made some at
kempts at writing poetry and dramas
AS she was frail, the physicians
feared that she was undermining heI
health by devoting most OF her time
TO books. and she was told that heI
health was more important than ali
the books In the world, and then fol
the first time she learned that she
was not free The books were now Sc
lected for her by physicians and she
was permitted to read only verJ
limited number Of such books. Tt
while her time away she took up the
study of drawing. and soon showed
considerable talent In that direction
Little by little she commenced tc
notice the life beyond the boundar,
of her fairyland; she saw the life o.
the people who were suffering ant
starving, and she learned that wha
was new to her was not new to hel
father, TO her mother. to her aunts
70 all those who lived contented In hel
eairyland OF luxury. And she began Il
ask herself the question which sh'
was for a long time unable to answer
How can they all remain care fre'
and SO shamelessly cheerful when be
yond the windows of this palace L
the moan OF an entire suffering ma
tion?"
Princess Alice became the cEarin
of Russia. She came to the Russial
land at a time when the people. e1
hausted by the burden of absolutisn
were returning from the funeral o
Alexander I'LL, and were hopeful
waiting for a more merciful reign O.
the part of the new czar, Nicholas
who was reputed at that time to be
liberal.
The first day of the new reign wa
marked by the Khodinka tragedy
when thousands of people lost thei
lives amid the festivities. The TRACED
made profound impression upon tn
czarina. 1t seemed to her forebot
ing of terrible future.
The superstitious inclinations an
weaknesses of the czar. manifested l
his eagerness for a male heir to tn
Russian throne. filed the czarina wit
untold grief.
She had to obey the orders of v,
rious charlatans who were welcom
advisers Of the czar. And the II
trigues directed against her In th
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