Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-03-16
|USSIA'S REGENT
IS SGREATLBERAL
Grand Duke Was Banished
for Marrying Beneath
His Station
HAD A STORMY CAREER

The talents. inclinations apd capacities OF
Z ne Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovitch, the
/, oew regent, have been obscured. or rather
lave had no opportunity to become known
Z ~ reason Of the personal AFFAIRS which re-
suited a little more than four years ago In
hH being forced into exile in England.
This residence outside the empire. which
vas forced on him by the imperial dis
pleasure following his marriage to woman
Of lower birth, came to an end at the out
break of the war. when the Grand Duke
returned to Russia, was taken back into
the army and commanded division during
the attack on the Carpathans in the spring
Of 1915 with distinguishing success. Since
then little has been heard of him. and II Is
TO be presumed that his military career has
continued.
He was born at st. Petersburg, November
~. 1878, and is, therefore, ten years
younger than the Gear, three years younger
than their sister Xenia, now married to
Alexander Michailovitch. and four years
older than the Grand Duchess olga, who
7, married Duke Peter of Oldenburg.
OPPOSED TO AUTOCRACY
In his carly life he received the ordinary
education of an imperial prince, and. as
usual with imperial princes, is reported
tendencies. His character, however, does
not seem to have made very definite Inn
preston on the court circle, either because
Of his easy-golng disposition or because ne
was not In sympathy with the mystical
and autocratlc tendencies dominant in his
family.
Aside from representing the Emperor at
royal weddings. royal funerals and other
similar occasions. he did not come into
prominence. particularly after the birth Of
the Czarevitch Alexis made him only the
heir presumptve, until 1908 when there
was much scandal in Petrograd over the
report that he had fallen in love with the
daughter of member of the landed
aristocracy of southern Russia and had
been visiting her family incognito.
This affair, which was generally believed
10 be his first serious ENHANCEMENT of the
sort despite the frequent rumors that he
was about to be engaged to one another
princess, was quickly dissipated by the in
gtant manifestation of imperial displeasure
But 1t was hardly two years before he be-
came involved in another and more serious
one. which led ultimately to his marriage
MARRIED WOMAN FROM MOSCOW
Natalie Sergeyevna Scheremeterskaa
was the daughter of a Moscow nobleman
who had early married a wealthy man
named Mamontoff. Early in 1910 it began
to be whispered that her recent divorce
from Mamontoff had been motivated by
love AFFAIR with the Grand Duke Michael
Alexandrovitch, and that the marriage with
Captain Won Woulfert young guard officer,
which followed almost Immediately, was
an arrangement in name only, designed to
cover the continuation of the imperial con-
nection.
\ For more than year the Emperor's
feelings did not become poblicly manifest.
but In January. 1913. he issued decree
neving his brother of the command of the
Chevalier Guards and of his position as
egent-designate during the minority of
ne Czarevitch.
According to all accounts the married
life of the new Regent has been an ex-
tremely happy one, and his return to the
army and to successful command has given
him a high degree Of popularity with the
Russian people
He has been credited, and in view of re-
cent events no doubt rightly, with being
m antagonist of the German influence at
eoutt As to his other characteristics, ar
ticles written for English readers represent
him as strongly sympathetic with England
and those for Americans give him credit
with being a careful student of American
history and addicted to American manners