The Cairo bulletin., 1912-07-16

cation lasted, He NAN The TfRRlBlE
was taught to enjoy robbery, plumber,
torture ana killing. He was made to
win his teachers applause by gallop-
ing at full speed through Moscow's
crowded streets and trampling help
less women and children to death I'M
| der his horses ironshod boots. The
boy was Ivan ". of Russia, known as
Ivan the Terrible"
| Russia was least civilized of all
European lands. Its early history was
one OF needless bloodshed and merci.
less conquest. The rulers were called
grand dukes. until Ivan the Terrible
became the first car He took the
title Of ''czar" because that was the
| Russian form of Caesar" title APP
piled to Rome's emperors. C'kaiser"
is another form of the same world
| Ivan mounted the throne in 1888, at
! his fathers death. He was but four
! years old at the time and was for the
next ten years wholly in the power of
! brutal mobiles who ruled the court.
J Then when he was fourteen political
1 clique made up of his relatives came
into power and proceeded to teach
!, him to be more tiend than a human
being When Ivan was seventeen he
| had vision, or trance, in which he
| believed an angel warned him to lead
better life. He obeyed-more
through fear and superstition than
| from religious zeal.
For the next 10 years Ivan was a
model ruler He did much for his peo-
| pie, was gentle and wise. and gave
promise OF an ideal career. The
| noblest influence in all his life was his
lovely wife, Anastasia. He loved her
and was guided by her advice. In 1860
came the change that made him an
| object Of dread
In that year Anastasia died Ivan
| fell dangerously Ill through grief.
When at length he was we'll again his
whole nature had changed 1t is prob
able sorrow and Illness had affected
his brain. In any case he rose from
his sick bed more Ike a wild beast
than man. He was filled with fear
Of fancied conspirac!es. To crush these
imaginary plots he slew numbers OF
noblemen. along with their entite fam
lilies. He devised fortunes too repul,
siye u be named Among the pildest
of these was the turning loose OF wild
dogs and bears among thongs Of limo.
cent people.
The city of Noygorod incurred his
displeasure He marched against 1t
with an army and massacred $4,000 Of
its inhabitants He had the prisoners
herded In an Enclosure and slew them
with his own hand as long as he could
strike a blow. Then he ordered his
fierce troops to continue the slaughter
on them
thousandth part OF such cruelty
as his would have set any nation, in
late days, into a flame OF revolt But
the sixteenth century Russians looked
on their ear as god, and bore meek
ly whatever outrages his maniac brain
might choose to intlict upon them
ivan had seven wives in rapid sue
cesaion. and sent to Queen Elizabeth's
court for an eighth. But the English
girl he chose--daughter of the earl Of
Huntington-begged so piteously to be
saved from the fate Of wedding the
imperial monster that the match was
broken off
Fiend as he was, Ivan the Terrible
did great things for Russia He opened
its ports to the commerce of the world,
established the first printing office
there, conquered and annexed Siberia
and--except in his fits of madness
encouraged civilization and progress
among his savage people, He was a
shrewd statesman, crafty warrior, a
man not devoid Of genius.
AS the years went on VANS insane
fear of conspiracy and assassination
grew stronger. Falsely suspecting his
eldest and ablest son Of plotting with
his foes, he struck the young man
dead with blow of his iron staff
Remorse for this murder fastened
VANS own death. Surrounded by
quacks and "magicians prey to
superstitious terrors--now repenting
his cruelties, now feverishly planning
fresh atrocities--the tyrant wore out
the last three years of his vile life,
dying In 1884.