The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1915-06-22

f~f departure Tor 81 Ift-F~HlIF. she
stated IN her Memoirs her deicrrnlna-
ton to do everything and believe
eVerythine-o pretend 10 believe
which would win the appreciation and
admfration al her future subjects sni
prepare her for the crown. 80 she.
born a German. became thoroughly
Russian. and ON the other hand her
husband detested ali thincr Russian
and adored everything German save
his brilliant spouse. He idalized Fred
erlck ,he Great and brought TO 4
speedy end the war Russia wss ~ss
ing against Prussia at the time of his
accession TO the throne. In order that
he might secure a German atmosphere
he himself with tioistcin-
ers. To her resolve Catherine ad-
hered rigialy. She strove To develop
her mind reading Plutarch. Tacitua.
Montalene, Noltaire and other au-
thors that might prove useful I. her
as a sovereign.
The years as wife OF the heir appa-
rent Were trying ones. knowing full
we'll that any false step would land
her amid the SHOWS OF Siberia. or IN
the dungeon beneath the waters of the
Neva, or to death without uaraing.
However. she acted with ~coasufnmate
tact and learned Valuable lessons in
craftsmanship, made friends aud
gained in maturity. Even her hus-
band recognized her wisdom and con
, SUITED neT III All important matters OF
: state. calling her MADAME Resource"
? or Madame Quick Wit" neNertheIcsS
? his hatred and dread Of her grew with
the passage OF years and attained its
e zenith when in January. 1859. the En-
press Elizabeth died and he and Cash
C crime became Joint rulers al Russia.
Their reign was of Short duration.
They were crowned IN April and ne
following July. in the EinDerorS lb-
s sence, catherine and her party seed
[ the reinS Of government Peter Al
once abdicated with the underestimate
n ing that he was to bid in the Il IL
stein he loved So Well. On the Journey
n thither he was seized with n 1lalady
S. that showed suspicious symptoms Of
e poison. The Empress name has ever
since rested under a shadow. In this
age were her case brought to trial
~ she could easily be acquitted on the
S plea of self defence, for she knew
a that the Emperor had q scheme .
4 impriSon her for life i'll some dungeon
ID for life. in which existence was 4
st matter of but a few months.
Catherine II. was the fourth woman
" to occupy the imperial throne Of Rus
er STA. Catherine L., Anna and Elizabeth
e. widow and daughters of Peter the
a Great, had preceded her. one strong
VS. proof of the breadth of mind OF this
IN nation is that they allowed a woman
H. to govern. AS a rule the SlavS oppose
e, her being vested with power, so DC
some of the Teutons and the Latin
races, except the Spaniards. Gather
IN inc set to work to perfect the TN
finished reforms of Peter the Grea'
a and accomplished more than any Other
Id sovereign since that monarch in eX
ly tending the boundaries of Russia
reaching nearer the leng-souGht prize
Of COnstantinople than any of her de
scendants except her great-great
grandson, Gar Nicholas H., now ham
h. mering away at the Dardanelles. Sh'
extended her donlinionS to the Blacl
it Sea and with Frederick the Great ant
ed Maria Theresa she ~overpowered ant
-er partitioned Poland, keeping the lion
* share. Her own words sum up he
achievements for the land of he
ler adoption: Il came to Russia a poo
e; girl and Russia has lowered me rich
on ly. But | have paid her back wit
es. Azof, the Crimea and the Ukraine.
cir She was an indefatigable worker
even though many Of the towns sh
his was accredited as founding were onf
)Se sta kes driven in the ground-mer
STA visions Of fancy. Daily she was poste
with the movements of the armie
and she was the inspiration OF he
ere generals, ever urging them to push o.
i'd to their destination. Her ambitiol
1t for gain was N~apoleOnic.
he In the midst of her vast schemes 70
acquisition of territory. When she wa
tn. planning war on nearly all Europe
IN death came mysteriously and unex
he pectedly in the SiXty-eighth year o
me her age. on the floor of the ante
ice room of her chamber she was diScOv
an cred living in q StuDor and died 500
nd after without gaining speech. So ro
)uS bust had been her health that sh
)lts had declared she scarcely spent fiji
eSS teen pence a year on medicine. lie
,ed son Paul succeeded her. twenty year
ter later than he should have, the Rus
ct sian law gives the inheritance q
tWenty-one.
ost Thus passed one of the create
ok sovereigns of Europe and the secon
not greatest of the Russian empire. afte
T s a long. tragic and eventful reign {
-rly thirty-four years. To the world tn
history Of Catherine the second fuI