The Palatka news and advertiser., 1917-04-27

ligion, has been the constant effort of
the empire for years. The most no.
ticeable was the Jewish persecution
of 1892. This persecution was in
two forms. Assaults of brutal mobs
upon the Jews, destroying proper
ty, committing murder and all kinds
of outrages; and direct attacks by the
government, in driving them out of
every profession, trade and govern
ment position-eXpelling them from
schools, their homes, and cities, and
confiscatlng their property. The
Car, in prosecuting the Jews, was
playing the roll of Pharaoh. The diff
ference however is that Pharoah
wanted to keep them in his realm as
slaves while the Car was attempt
ing to expel them from his territory.
Pharoah had his doom in the Red Sea; !;
Gar NicholasII his in life imprison-
ment, and others ought to profit by
their example.
Until now there were two Russias
two entirely differcl.t Russias-
with different hopes, aspirations,
achievements and claims. One was
the Russia of the Cars and his re-
dictionary supporters, that made trea-
ties with other nations, that sent dip
lomats abroad and received them, that
employed the army to crush the peo-
pie, that built prisons instead of
schools, that banished the best sons
and daughters of Russia to Siberia,
that melted, organized and partici-
pated in massacres of oppressed ma
tionalities within the Empire. But
that Russia has now been overthrown
by the other Russia, which gave to
the world Tolstoy and galaxy of
glorious sons, which produced mar
tyrs, which wanted schools instead of
prisons, which fought for liberty, for
the opportunity OF development and
independence, which developed litera-
ture, arts and sciences, which carried
all the burdens of autocracy, and
which finally worked it's way out of
dark dungeons up to the light and
through the bloodless revolution to
the present liberty.
At the close of the war with Japan
popular revolutionary movements
compelled the Gar to grant the new
parliament called the Duma-it was
liberal and popular-rcprescnting the
people and was composed and led by
strong and patriotic men. The Du-
ma was given very limited powers by
the Gar and his cabinet. Whenever
the members of the parliament as
serted themselves, the Car would i'm
mediately suspend it like Louis XIV
of France, who cracked his whip over
the Estates General" or parliament of
France and said: "Disperse! | am the
state"
On March 9th, the Gar suspended
the Duma for a month, but the Du-
ma refused to be suspended. The
army, the nobility, 80 per cent of
the bureaucracy joined the Duma in
it's revolt. When the nation made
gesture toward securing it's rights
it found nothing in the way. 1t
thought it was shackled, but it found
it had only been asleep. 1t looked
upon Czarism as a powerful Citadel,
but in reality it proved to be house
of cards. Gar Nicholas and his con-
sort Alexandria abdicated, which act
saved them their lives. The first
victim of popular wrath was the cab
met. The revolutionary army, swept
into the administration buildings and
executed or imprisoned the officials.
When the committee of safety call
ed for the abdication of the Gar,
This was followed by the obdication
of the entire Romanoff dynasty.
The old fortresses of St. Peter and
st. Paul, where political prisoners
were confined, were opened and the
martyrs for freedom were set free.
These prisons were partly DESTROY
ed, but like the Bastille of Paris.
were left in ruin as memento of
the revolution. Thus the Romanof
family that had been ruling for 300
wears, came to an end.
A new democratic government was
Immediately set up with the strong
est men in the country at its head.
The handwriting on the wall now
reads "autocracy has been weighed
in the balances and found wanting
The Kaiser and the Hohenzollern
dynasty ralize their coming doom. 1t
is only matter Of time when all ma
tions will have a government. of the
reople, for the people and by the peo-
pie.
Lessons.
]. The bane of an absolute mon
archy.
2. The evil influence of an intol-
Grant State church.
g. That we learn to appreciate the
rure Bible religion which we pos
SeSS.