The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1917-04-19

| Later the empress bought the pal
ace from Potemkin for 100000 rubles.
But when the latter returned In 1871
as a victor from another campaign
he again received the palace for a
present. On the night Of February
% of that year ball was given there
in honor of Catherine II, which Is re-
membered In Russian history as a
unique event. One hundred and forty
thousand lamps and 10000 candles
were used for lighting purposes that
night.
After the death of Potemkin the
Taurida palace was again acquired by
the car.
Rasputin's influence.
To the influence Of Gregory Raspu-
tin, Siberian monk and mystic, the
former car Of Russia can attribute the
revolt which has brought into being a
new Russia.
Gregory RaSputin-it Is name that
Russian progreSsives hate with the ut
most vigor. Rasputin is dead, VIC
tim Of assassination, but the whirlwind
he sowed did not die with him. The
whirlwind overturned rock-ribbed
dynasty that the efforts Of thousands
of patriots had been unable to shake in
the slightest.
The rock foundation of the Roma
noffs owes it's disintegration to the
teachings and RITUALS" of Rasputin,
the most powerful man in Russia In
recent years, the "power behind the
throne" and the "confidant OF the
cZarina."
No one knows Rasputin better than
Sergius Michaelow Trufanoff, who but
a few years ago as Iliodor, the Mad
Monk Of Russia was factor himself
in Russian court affairs and who re-
Gently wrote a serial Of his life for
the Jewish newspaper Die Wahrheit.
Russia Before the "Deluge."
| In his serial Iliodor has drawn
striking picture Of the Russia before
the deluge." 1t is a picture that de-
picts the degeneracy Of the Russian
court, of the UNDECIDED voices Of the
people asking for food and justice, of
graft and license on every side, Of a
czar-weak-kneed, foolish, pitiful, the
tool of his sycophants, believer in
mySticiSm-and in the center OF this
most dramatic stage Of centuries stood
Rasputin, the untutored, unkempt, re-
ligious mystic from Siberia, who by
his hypnotic power over the car and
the czarina was able to make and un-
make ministers, laugh at the holy
synod, force Russia into war and all
but succeeded in making a separate
peace with Germany.
Iliodor, first favored by Rasputin,
discovered the real monster Rasputin
was" and then fought him to the finish.
But Rasputin won, and IliOdor fed
to this country.
Probably the most surprising thing
about the overturning Of the Roma
noff dynasty was the ease with which it
was accomplished. But peep behind
the scenes with Iliodor into the court
life of the car, into the degeneracy Of
the mobiles, and to the czar himself, de-
scribed by Iliodor as imam without
tongue, nervous, weak, phlegmatic,
hardly able to articulate, an abrupt
voice, muffied, emitting sounds like
those from the grave, eyes dull, misty
and filled with tears" may help to ex-
plain. 1t was the French revolution
repeating itself.
Welded Terrible Influence.
For years the car had listened to
the teachings" of religious mystics
and the last and the greatest of these
was Rasputin. Iliodor said he pos
sessed almost hypnotic powers and this
power first exerted itself on women
and then through them on the court it.
self. One of those first to fall under
his influence was the cZarina and the
car soon succumbed.
How strong the influence Of the mys-
tics was on the car is illustrated by
the fact that Iliodor relates that when
his ministers had finished giving him
their opinions of weighty matters the
mystics would sweep in and get the
last moments of the cars attention,
often reversing all that the ministers
had said. Rasputin, the greatest of
these, was able to use this weakness
to great personal advantage. and many
efforts to overthrow him were defeat
ed by the car himself.
1t was shortly after Rasputin was
introduced to court by the wife of
famous general that the revolution Of
1905 took place, and the car and his
court, frightened by the clamoring Of
the populace, prepared to flee. Raspu-
tin, however, presented such a firm
front that the car again took heart
and from that moment Rasputin held
full sway.
Many serious charges were made
concerning Rasputins personal sway
over the czarina, Iliodor said, but 1t
was always the car who quashed
these charges. What were the prac-
tees of the cult Rasputin led in the
innermost circles Of the court niodor
never wrote, but he limited that the
so-called cult practiced the most re-
voting rites.
The assassination Of Stolypin, niodor
laid directly to Rasputin and the car.
Stolypin had got in Rasputin's way
and his elimination was an easy mat
ter; niodor said also that it was Ras-