The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-04-12

age. and he owes his present position as Nicholas IIs mentor to his abilities alone
 Mestchersky was born in 1S45. Before he was 30 he became the brains and pen of Czarevitsch Alexander, late Czar Alexander III. That was in the era known as the great reforms" and Mestchersky pleased the absolutist heir by daring to oppose the then pop ular emancipation movement. In the next 20 years Mestchersky showed his talents by producing a dozen novels which boldly and coarsely paint St Petersburg high life. In the eighties Mestchersky was a much-read novel, ist, with following outside Russia His best known books are "Women of St. Petersburg "One of Our Bis marcks," "The Nihilists." and the four volume Men of the Great World' None of Mestchersky's books show much literary talent; and his shame less way of writing offended many. But Mestchersky is not literary. He took himself seriously as a politician and misinster- maker; and by confidence and zeal so riveted his yoke on the dull witted Alexander III that with the exception of synod Procurer Con stantine Pobirdonostseff he had no equal in power
 Mestchersky has all along played the role of uncompromising reactionary His reactionary influence on politics was exerted through his friendship with Cars and his reactionary in- fluence on the public was exerted through the "Grazhdanin," which was founded in 1872 with capital supplied by Czarevitsch Alexander The "Grazh- danin'' always showed such perfect knowledge of court and cabinet actions that 1t gained Mestchersky his soubri- quet "tainovied"-''the secret knower." The progressive majority does not buy or read the "Grazhdanin." which is re- garded AS mere incendiarism, but those who want to know the inner history of Russian affairs, the latest intrigues the future prospects, these all buy it. Today the "Grazhdanin" Is the least read but the most quoted paper in the empire.
 At one time Mestchersky had the privilege of visiting Alexander III whenever he pleased. Then came a period of quarrel. The "Grazhdanin" published an ostensibly reactionary ar ticle of the kind which pleased Alex ander immensely, but an enemy point ed out that the first letters of every word spelt out a violent lampoon on the Czar as Alexander the Great-Lit- tle." The Czar rejected Mestchersky's explanation that he had been imposed on by an unknown contributor Later the pair made friends. and Mestcher- sky was the chief instigator of the Czar's peasant repression in the early nineties.
 In those days reactionary Black Hun dred" organs of the type of the "zeru- stchina" and the "Tchorni Oriol" did not exist and the "Grazhdanin" was the most reactionary' journal in the empire. Through 1t Mestchersxy made himself Russia's most hated man. He preached stern authority and ruthless suppression; condoned the peasant dragonnadea and when corporal punishment was abolished he frantieally demanded it's restoration. He even dared to defend serfdom. Thirty years after the emancipation of the serfs he proclaimed that this act was a blum der, and he recommended that the peas- ants should be returned to servitude ara put under the lash, The progrcasivcs We're furleun. Mestehcrsky took a per- verse delight in causing them to rage, and he rubbed in all the harder his reeommen- dations of repression,
 Most Russian progresives paint Nest ohersky as q black, unqualified agent If provpeatioa, but this view is wrang. The