Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-03-10


would not forego the command he had
issued and they obeyed. Had Kerensky
been firm in matters of cruel discipline,
as he was in upholding the dictates of
humanity and mercy, there would be a
different story to tell today in stricken
Russia
When She First Saw Kerensky.
! first met Kerensky at the house of a
friend of my parents in Petrograd, two
years before the war. / was then a stu
dent in the gymnasium, just beginning
my course. l was not yet twenty. yet
taller than most men, and>strong and
erect. There was nothing of the Jew
in my appearance. My straight, short
nose, high cheek bones, yellow hair and
figure even among Russian women. who
are big and strong.
/ felt sense of pride and pleasure
when kerensky asked my hostess who
1 was. When he learned that my
birthplace was the Don country of the
traordinary status of political freedom
in which my family was permitted to
live there, he sat by me and asked
questions - sometimes just curiously,
like a, boy. and sometimes with the
deep knowledge and understanding of
delightful manner. ind 1 quickly un-
derstood why women We're all mad
about him, despite his modest bearing
and his lack of physical vigor.
Daughter" said he to me. you
should pose as the figure of free Rus
appearance. You exemplify our as
pirations in your life"
From this you might imagine that
Kerensky is himself Jew. That has
been often said. but it is not true. The
moujiki all believed him a Jew, but he
is a Gentle. He simply believes in
race equality. as well as equality for
the individual.
kerensky, as / saw him the first time
and as | always recol1ect him-was
a man of frail physique, with blond
hair and the most wonderful, luminous
eyes. of a color which was neither
gray nor blue In his walk and in the
timbre of his voice in conversation
there was suggestion of physical
weakness that aroused ones sympathy,
almost ones pity. l felt that l could
put my strong arms about him and
protect him from the enemies who even
then maligned him.
Afterward. when he headed the
movement of the social revolutionists
and rushed hither and thther in all his
waking hours, urging and eXhorting
the people to the great effort which
might have saved Russia taking upon
his bowed shoulders a burden greater
than that of any ruler or any COM
mander of armies, he always was ac-
companied by doctors. prepared to
give him stimulants. Never was so
frail constitution subjected to so
fearful a strain. Often he collapsed
more than once in the course of d
day, yet. restored to consciousness.
went courageously on with the fight
| II Il
ton of nation. but was not destined
to do so.
Rated as Dreamer and Theorist.
At the time | write of, when l first
met Kerensky, he was thirty-three
years old and little known outside of
Russia and, in fact, no figure of great
prominence therS. We of the social
revolutionary party knew him as our
destined leader and as the greatest and
most inspired teacher of our doctrines.
The officials of the cars government
had marked him as a man of danger
Gus tendencies but they rated him as
a dreamer and theorist. never likely to
confront them with anything but words.
Throughout Russia, among the people
who have newspapers and are able to
read them, he was known chiefly for the
fact that he was the attorney who de-
Tended Mendel Bodies against the alb
surd charge of the fanatics of the Rus
sian church that he had murdered a
Christian child in order to obtain it's
blood for the celebration of the Jewish
Passover That fact, principally, con-
WINGED the common people that he was
a Jew-that and the fact that he has
a prominent nose, and that almost his
first act as premier of the social demo-
cratic government was to declare for
the equality of Jews and for the per
mission of Jews to become officers in
the army. But Kerensky has not a
\, to III
is follower of no religion. Repeatedly
in his speeches he has said: Let US
build schoolhouSes instead of churches.
Let us have a free Russia as America is
free. Let every child learn and worship
as he will"
saw Kerensky for the first time
after | joined the Battalion of Death
on the night of May Is, when he spoke
at Government Hall, in Petrograd, and
our company (the 106th) was detailed to
act as his escort and as a guard about
the speakers platform.
On account of my stature, l was at the
head of our first file, and Kerensky
could not help seeing me. He started
when he observed me and there was a
look of pity in his great eyes. I'm you.
daughter he said, Il see free Russia
in arms. May God be kind to YOU
He threw me a bouquet of red flowers
which some one had placed in his hand
as he was ascending the platform. l
divided them among my sister soldiers
and we preserved them as treasures
without price.
Foresaw Great Social CONFUSION.
| In his speech that night he urged every
Russian within his hearing to fight to the
death for the principles of right and free
dom. The people cheered his words, but.
| It seemed to me, they failed to fully I'M
derstand kerensky could see the great
social CONFUSION which was coming, with
our soldiers deserving. our ignorant mou-
| Xxi failing to realize the dangers from
enemies without and within. and the