The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-05-30

rhe Great Catherine Of Russia.

The Empress Catherine IT. matched
the mlstresses OF emperors with a sue
cession Of court ~favorites. she had a
fondness for literature and patronized
French philosophers, she ruled Rus
STA. and of these three aspects Of her
career none Is neglected in T.. A.
ERAvIEr HoDGETTs's Life Of Catherine
the GREAT Of Russia tBrentano's).
Contemporary and subsequent chron-
iclers OF scandal have wearied the
world with their worrying Of this poor
rat Of a question. just what were her
relations with the various gentlemen
who at one time and another enjoyed
her favor. until the world refuses to
get excited over the loves OF the oh
scure German princess. born Sophia
OF Anhalt-Zerbst. elevated to imperial
power. This author neither shirks nor
magnifies this part of the biography:
he does. most fairly. insist upon due
allowance being made for the infu-
ence OF environment and contempo-
rary custom: those were licentious
times In all the courts Of Europe. but
from the point OF view of grossness
and cruelty. self-indulgence and bar
barrie righteousness Russia was pre-
eminent" In a court of clique n
cabal. intrigue and calumny Catherine
was II not actually n restraining force
certainly at least no encourager Of
corruption. Her tastes were those OF
neither the Hun nor the Tatar and
her influence for refinement was
not negligible.
The author means to develop par
t%icularly "the more intimate sides Of
her intellectual life" and wherever
possible let's her speak for herself in
quotation marks. But 1t does not
seem. even when this part of her
personality Is presented with special
fivor. reasonable to think Of the En-
press az anything more than a person
'f intelligence and pretty good taste.
She must. beneath the patrons man
ner. have entertained some feeling OF
contempt for the French philosophers
unmcasurcd nattery; n she openly
scorned the fruits OF their political
preaching. There is no persuasion.
again. in p%ortraiture of her as a
genius in planning military enterprises.
The really interesting Catherine is she
who presided so ably over the domes-
tic development Of the empire she
married and managed with skill and
firmness the foreign policy Of Russia
through the maze OF European con
f'ict. She was a real ruler. and a
builder.
Catherine did not wait long after
her rather sensational accession to
show the Russians that she WAS not
merely a person of determination and
energy but a statesman. h took the
sona,o IN hara aua - =, nour.a,,.
n,ai, ,.,a a a. ~ -. s.aasa.,
-. u,re.s
81 h,, 49, - 80
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ch.,raa r,nn,o,. ,,,nh, am.,, ~.
,mn,,a, ,u,ns -
aava.o, -,
torios ,na 80 nra,.,, n,nirra,Ion. T.,
r,ord Co 49,, na,;anaI anm,
t,or uor oyor,s n, ra,nrr, - 10,
a, AIR., snooos,,,i. - 90 -, 49,
had pocessar;ly 90 on,rus, ,h. do,,i,s
~ ,drinis,r,tion u,o,n no,r ,,,,r,
$50. 20 ua,.. ..,hn -
49, p"''E "'"uSe
!" '"'aP"'''s ""u Pirtl! "eV"use OF
i"ck Oh WIN her motives
fnd intentions. n mad TO fnd the
material or craftsmanship and train
IL, and that was perhaps her most dis
tinctive achievement, the one that
most powerfully affected tho growth
~ Ru.sian nationality Tho Earl NJ
buckingham tho British Amha.sador
wrote Of her: 'The Empress herself.
from all the observations J-can make
and all the lights I can obtain. is in
talents, information and app.ication
greatly superior to everybody in this
country"
In June. 1866. she opened an ad.
dress To the Senate with this siynih-
cant sentence: Gentlemen. Senators.
7 cannot say that YOU have shown no
patriotic care for Ny interests or for
that Of the public. but with regret 7
must nevertheless tell Won thu, tho
ira nsaction of business is not attended
with the success which is desirable A"
Perhaps n myth, the following ,nec-
Gote is a, least hon troyato.
There T.. ,.rcnd n tho ocoo, .,,,
she was once spprosched nv a denr,a,Ion
who peti,ioned her to gran, the nation a
constitution. II is said that she there.
rpon ordered her counsellors to search
tho archives and ascertain wha. reply had
neen given ny Peter tn" Great under SINH
"r circumstances Inc archives were
@ ~ ~ ,eps reter 'he great
49,. =" nature W
% ,ayo rotoi,oa. "nn - ,epor,e"
the deput,tion The same onsuer", ~
=, ,t.
"u NV hot 'taS"''a"Ie 10