Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-02-19
FOREIGN NEWS NOTES

st. Petersburg. Feb. 1s.-The peas !
ants who worked the estate at Vas
maya PolyiRnR Of the late Count Leo
Tolstoi are now owners Of 4 greater
part Of the land they formerly titled
as paid lAborers. This transfer is a
carrying out Of TolstoPs conviction
that the ownership of large areas Of
land by one Individual was wrong IN
principle. and the project TO convey
this property to the Tolstoi peasants
has Just been put through by the exc
cutors OF the estate.
Countess Tolstoi retains about 500
acres OF the estate. Including the park
around the house and the grave Of
the count About LOO acres pass TO
the peasants, though the full legal
title win not DO conveyed % them to
prevent any OF them selling their por-
tons under the agrarian legislation
now IN force IN Russia
Count Tolstoi's sons have been pro-
vided for by the sale Of other lands; II
Is understood that they have received
aboUt $4,000
The dignity OF an ambassador to
foreign court is a thing 70 be reckoned
with. Such an envoy represents the
person Of his sovereign. and slight
10 him is a slight TO his master. Rep
resenting a ruler in person, an am
bassador approaches the court TO
which he is accredited with the proper
expectation that he be received with
the same, degree OF pomp and cere-
mony that would be accorded the rIl-
or OF his state were the latter person
ally present.
The annual celebration OF Blessing
the Waters OF the Nevs," which oc-
ours Jan. 10, and in which the emper-
or as head OF the church, participates,
was marked this year by an ambassa-
dorial boycott, as a protest against an
infraction OF their diplomatic dignity.
Only the ambassadors OF the two re-
publics. France and the United States,
and the representative OF Turkey at
tended; the other ambassadors absent
ed themselves from the function az the
Winter palace, since il entails attend
Rnce at a court 'lncheon for which the
emperor does not remain. The am.
bassadors, presuming themselves TO be
on a footing of equality with the en-
peror. felt they could not remain for
a function for which the host did not
stay. Their irritation had been famed
by an incident on the emperors name
day, when the diplomatic corps turned
out IN fun force at the invitation Of
the ministry Of the court for the
church service az the Kazan cathedral
10 find Russian officials Of minor ranb
only IN attendance.
II was at the blessing Of the waters
in January 1905, that a charge o.
grapeshot was fred at the emperor
and his cortege from a saluting can
non stationed on the opposite side o
the river. A bag Of bullets was II
some manner slipped into the gun il
front Of the saluting charge, and thi'
particular gun of the battery was
turned around TO bear on the tempo
rary chapel on the ice in which part o
the ceremony takes place. After al
investigation the incident was official
'y declared TO be an accident, due L
charge having been left in the gul
after drill the day before, but no salts
factory explanation Of why the gu,
was aimed as Il was has ever beef
given. To prevent accidents this yea
the salut.ng battery was placed on on
Of the islands Of the fortress, an
the signal for the salute was couveye
10 70 by a rocket
Russian postage stamps have here
tofore never been decorated with POI
traits OF Russian rulers. for he reS
son that u!ira-loyal Russian postma,
ters object TO the sacrilege involved I
picking up n rubber CanCellng STAN
covered with ink and hitting the en-
pcror sharply IN the face with H.
proceeding distinctly necessary 70
the protection of the revenues of IN
pOstoGlce department
But the old order changes. and I
spite OF protests from postmaster
with old-time sentiments of right an
wrong the postofice will issue o
March G a new series of stamps en-
bellishod with portraits OF Romanon
sovoroiEns Of Russia, past and pre-
emit This new issue is in connectio