Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-12-18

Thanks to this senseless interdict, it
believable tales concerning him and the
attitude which he had adopted in re-
gard TO state affairs, with which he
had begun to occupy himself, much TO
the dismay of those who had by that
time learned to appreciate the fact that
the ''phophet" was but the plaything of
men far cleverer than himself and 3d.
900 times more dangerous.
HOW CENSORSHIP HELPED RAS-
PUTIN.
St Petersburg has always been famed
for its gossiping propensities, and in no
place in the whole world do the most
incomprehensible rumors start and
flourish with the rapidity that they do
in the Russian capital. What the news
papers are forbidden to mention is told
by one person to another, whispered
from one ear to another and discussed
everywhere. in clubs, drawing rooms,
restaurants. in the houses of the proud
est aristocrats as we'll as in the dwell
ings of the humblest citizens. Nowhere
does, or. rather, did, because l believe
this has become invisible nowadays, the
telephone contribute more to relate all
kinds of gossip concerning both private
people and public matters. OF course, as
there existed no possibility of controll-
ing all that was being related under
the seal of secrecy all over st. Peters
burg, the most improbable rumors were
put in circulation and were carried about
not only in the town itself, but in the
provinces, where the travellers return
ing from st. Petersburg were but too
glad to repeat with considerable ad-
ditions all that they me heard in ere
capital.
The very secrecy which was enjoined
BY the authorities in regard to Rasputin
added to the latter's importance and
transformed him into a kind of legen-
Diary parsonage. either too holy or TOO
bad to be mentioned. Soon all kinds of
things in which he had had absolutely
no part began TO be attributed TO him,
and many persons, earnestly believing
him to be all-powerful, took 10 asking
his help not only in the matter Of lreIr
administrative careers. but als0 in qC"s-
tions where their private life and pr:-
vate interests were involved. II hap
pened every day that man who had
a lawsuit of a doubtful charac~e- sought
out Rasputin. hoping that he might &c
able to put in word capable OF iT.II-
enceing the judges before whom the case
was to be tried. AS il was absolutely
impossible for any one to appr7qch him
without passing through an intermediary
of some kind, il was generally this Va
termediary who began the regular plum
dering of the pockets of all the unfortu-
nate petitioners who had hoped TO re-
trieve their fortunes by an appeal to the
prophets" protection. This plunderinS
went on as long as the victim had
penny to spare ana a hope 20 live upon.
on the other hand, the liberal parties
in the country began to be seriously
alarmed at the importance which this
uncouth peasant was asSuminS' aud they
il was who helped by the anN eCy which
they openly manifested to set Ihs Sener-
al public thinking, about him more than
IL ought 10 have done. In the dIna
the name of Rasputin was mentioned
with something akin to horror and allu-
sions without number were made cot
csrning the dark powers" as they were
called, who were grasping in their hands
the conduct of public affairs. The pro
phet" began to be mentioned as the
scourge of Russia long before he had
become one. His followers, on the con-
trary, made no secret OF his ever-grow'
ing importance. and invented on their
side any number of tales absolutely de-
void of truth and tending TO prove that
nothing whatever was done in regard 10
the management of state affairs without
his having been previously consulted.
Who consulted him no one knows, and no
one could tell. Certainly il was not the
emperor. who had, when the "prophe:"
once or twice had attempted TO touch
upon this point in his presence, rebukcd
him most sharply; certainly ii was not
the empress, who at that time had never
yet cared for politics. whether foreign
or domestic. II was also not the min
listers. and most certainly il was not he
leaders of any party in the Duma, nc
cause all parties there were agreed as
to one thing. and that was ,horougn
detestation of Rasputin and of tho whole
crew which surrounded him and with
out which he could not exist Who
consulted him. then? No ono knew, ana
very probably no one cared TO know. I5ut
the fact that he was consulted was ar
established one. most probably due to
the efforts of those persons in whose
interests it lay TO represent him as the
deus ex machina without whom nothing
could be done in general and upon whom
everything more or less depended.
/ II was even related i'm st. Petersburg
that one day, during an audience which
| he had with the czar Mr.. RodZianko,
I The president of the dums. had attempt
. ed a remonstrance on the subject or
, Resuutin for which he had been severely
reproved by the sovereign. Personally.
I ] do not believe for ono single instant
I that such an incident ever took place.
I For one thing, no one. not even Mr..
/ Rodzianko. would have dared to talk to
! the emperor about such an unsavory
i subject as that of the Prophet even
/ il he had been endowed with a moral
courage far superior to that Of the pres
! Ident OF the duma Then, again, people
I In the know were. at the time l am re-
/ ferrfng to, far too we'll up as to what