The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-07-15
KERENSKY'S TEACHER
TELLS OF HIS YOUTH

rector Ostroumoff, was q scholar OF
renown. Before his" appointment to
his high position In Turkestan he had
been a professor of philosophy and
high school director in the province
| OF Kazan. Tall, broad-shouldered and
| heavily built, he walked with the
unsteady gait Of seaman on land.
A very spare mustache adorned his
broad but intelligent face. His wife
| was a delicate. well educated and re-
! fined German Russian lady, whose
maiden name had been Adler. Be-
| sides the two sons, Alexander and
Fedor. the couple had two daughters
The elder daughter, in 1901 mar
ried the city architect of Tashkend
and died two years later. The young
err west to Petrograd to study medi-
| cine and is now a successful prac-
ticing physician there. The family
! lived quietly
"Fedor Kerensky, the younger son
! OF the chief inspector, was a very
! quiet. somewhat clumsy young man
| and resent led his father. while the
! older. Alexander had inherited the
! delicate, graceful figure, the keen In
{ tellect and the vivacity Of his lovely
! mother. At the school festivals.
! which were always attended by the
most aristocratic and exclusive So
! ciety of the city, he invariably played
brilliant and prominent part. He
was tireless, graceful dancer, an
orator OF great force and magnetism
/ and an amateur actor of no mean
/ talent. His intellectual face, his con-
versational powers and his rehned
manners won all hearts for him. al
/ though he was very reserved ana did
not bestow his friendship easily upon
anybody.
! ITO the iron school discipline
! against which many OF his comrades
CRASHED their teeth, Alexander sub
mittel without a nurmur. He was
! a model student In every respect and
: carried off the highest prizes and
! honors every year. but this did not
make him stuck up Even in the
wear before his graduation he still
served humbly as an altar boy and
sexton in the college chapel.
His triumph as an actor in CogoIs
! comedy. The Reviser' was the talk
J Of the town for months He made
another great hit with a lecture on
( Western European feudalism- This
/ essay surprised even his teachers, as
/ II showed immense historical knowl-
edge and a critical judgment not
common with young students
( I'm the classroom Alexander's de-
/ rortment was very correct. His In
/ innate friends ne selected very wise
! IL. They were all intelligent. stud'-
oux and refined young men like him
self 7 tried 10 win his friendship,
/! hut did not succeed Although he
always was very polite and listened
to NE attentively when 7 spoke 20
him felt that ne distrusted me,
probably on account Of my friendship
/ with Director ostroumoT
After watching him for some time
7 gained the impression that his seem
4 irgly willing and enthusiastic sub
mission 70 the orthodox school rules
vas a mask, and that IN the bottom
NJ his heart he hated the reactionary
+ tyranny more than most OF his com
\. radios did
+ I'm 1saa ne graduated with the
/ highest honors and went 20 the Uni
vers.tv 81 Petrorrad. where he stud
led philologv and philosophy and
then took Up law. I left Tashkend
and returned To Germany IN iaea--A
few years later learned that my
former pupil had become very IA
nous attorney After his election 70
the duma I wrote him. congratulate
ing him and wishing his still greater
! success In his answer ha stated that
he expected 10 play an important part
IN the struggle for the freedom OF
the Russian people and had become
an ardent Socialist He then believed
that the struggles in which he now
has become the greatest figure would
he fought out peacefully IN the dar,a
and iid not dream OF the dramatic
developments that have been brought
about by the world war"