New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-03-08

By X. Walszewski. With a poTtrat.
Imperial Svo PIP. v, 40. fniidoeiPh'"
The j. B. Lippincott Company
The science of perspective, the laws
of proportion, so indispensable 10 'he
historian. sometimes receive almost or
necessity p. curious violation at MS
hands. Here is NJ. Waliszewski Writing
nearly five hundred pages about cZar
who reigned over Russia for only iou'
wears and in that brief period demon
strated nothing save his worthlessness.
Paul | would seem to deserve haru'y
more than a footnote to himself, OF at
best a chapter Yet there is reauy
some excuse for this voluminous narra-
tive and ANALYSIS. Paul is at least en-
titled to justice, and the truth ABOUT
him is hard to come at, for the reason
that all the facts of his career peculiar
lv require to be weighed with SYM
pathetic understanding Of his nature
History states with bluntness that ne
was mad. Quite so, remarks Nj. walls
yevsk but he is at pains to dist'n-
cuish in the matter of this Madness
In it's strange sources we find PAU 5
special interest for the modern oio1
rapher and a good reason for readihs
so bulky a book as the one before US
Dispensing with a cloud of details anu
going straight to the point, TINS uh-
bannv monarch is to he regarded rs
nothing more nor less than the Flc''n'
or q conflict of ideGs. a man mace SIGN
.rv ,ntoward conditions in the NE
about him and by his inability 10 rec
oncilc both liberal and pedanuc con-
victions. Thus considered ne appears
The pathetic rather than the RESPONSE
BILE hero of one of the most outrageous
dramas in Russian history. Wheh
Catherine the Great usurped the throne
she planted the deadliest of seeds' tl5
seed of jealousy, in the NINA OF he'
son. He was in no wise the creature
10 lament his fathers fate on grouhas
of pure filial sentiment, but at an UNI
cannily early age he developed ViNiu
sense of what he construed as "lcNeu
eencroachment upon his rights. AS q
matter of fact. he took the wrong cue
NJ. Walszcwski does not believe 'hit
if Peter III had liv Paul would nave
succeeded him. But in explaining MS
career we hay, to reckon with the roie
he actually adopted confronting his
mother mot merely as an aNenger DIT
as a rival" lie made a middle OF Ills
ne. to..,,eo no ctartpd
Somewhere in his cosmos there we're
the makings of a reformer. but TO bring
them effectively into play he needed 10
devon a disinteTested concern FOR the
welfare Of his country. Instead d
that he was forever mixing with his
dreams of a transmOSrifed Russia the
petty rcsontments of a son for whom
every move made by his mother was
intrinsically undesirable just because
she made il. 1t might be good move.
but he could not see this All he knew
was that she stood in his way. Tact
less enough in her treatment of him
though for = time she seems to ha' e
thought Of giving him some scope IN
tho goVcrnment-shc drove him back
upon himself. upon long broodihg
thoughts of what he would do when his
time came. Meanwhile the air was ful
of unrest revolution was lifting It's
head in France, and Paul was uncon-
sciously beginning to share in the gen
eral uneasiness When at last his hour
struck and Catherine was no longer
there to Illustrate he was in the mopd
To turn the world upside down 1t IS
at this point that he cxcites sympathy
rs well as repulsion. At another time
and in different surroundings the sodl
Of the man might have manifested -
self in wise and generous deeds. But
education. training and all the fever 'il
corrupt circumstances of Russian court
life were against him. and in his brain,
whether diseased or not, the one thing
lacking was clear. steadfast habit OF
thinking He is pitiabe in his feeble
dubjety. TO reflect, to analyzc or 20
combine was not for him. His impress
sions Invariably translated themselves
into impulses. and i'm order to think he
hdQ 10 ACT DIS Soiilc HdN' W oP'""'
Incredibly nervous from his very child
hood, he never learned seif-control, and
the would-be reformer grew into the
worst kind of despOt.
Catherine knew only too well why
she hated To leave him the throne.
you are a savage beast" she once
said. IF you do not understand that
with cannon you can do nothing against
IDEAS She must have foreseen Che
inhexibility OF the method which ne
was destined TO adopt. the method of Il
narrow minded man, utterly impatient
of argument or delay and blind 10 rea-
son. The Emperor speaks to no one
about himself or about his affairs,
wrote a member of his encourage. HI
orders and insists on being obevcd
without comment" NJ. Waliszewski
multiplies instances, but We may be
content with one, nominally humorous
in its way but at bottom tragic:
The final syllable kiO of the word
praporchtChikij (cornets) was in a certain
report carried over from one page 10 an
other The Emperor took II for proper
name. and moved by a caprice. he gave
orders that Ensign XII should be pro-
NOTED to the rank of lieutenant. He saw
an expression of embarrassment and dis-
approba ton on the faces OF the stan, VINO
did not dare 10 explain his error, so the
next day he promoted the lieutenant OF
the day before to the rank OF captain
and some days later to that of colonel,
demanding that the officer should be pre-