The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1922-02-05
of the Mind
Tortured Car

dence Of comprehensive grasp.
1t seems as If the supreme
nominal chief of Russia In
:: !: !: :: !: :: !: !;
arms knew no more than, If as ... ,ssy:$s
much, as the news editor of any a.$*
great European daily. And Sa
through it all there is an i'm $Ss3
preston of fatalistic impo- ss
tency; history is rushing by in
tumultuous torrent and on it's
flood the poor Emperor is toss
ing and bobbing about like a
helpless cork. But there is,
within his limits, keenness and
anxiety No one to whom it
has been given to glance
through these diaries of the
doomed sovereign can doubt the
reality of Nicholas lis loyalty
to the Allied cause. In the light
of these odd, pathetic SEN
fences the stories of conscious
or unconscious pro-Germanism
in Russia's highest household
become not only absurdly inept
but insulting and cruel.
The last volume deals with
1878 and carries the story of
this tragedy of imperial help
lessness down to the Both of
June, 1918. It is crescendo of
human interest. During Janu-
airy and February, 1917, there
are frequent references to the
progress of revolutionary ideas.
Often it Is some trifing Incl
dent that reveals the coming dis.
location: the insolence of some underling
the GOODNESS of a crowd, the report of some
act of INSTRUMENTATION in one of the ser
vices. Straws of no intrinsic moment per
haps; but some wind has blown these
straws into the inner chamber of the Gar
and the anxious, highly strung man scent.
in them the coming of tragedy. 1t is il
very truth premonition he did not know
enough Of the truth to Judge for himself
and he was not so mean spirited as to yielt
to personal irritation about these trifles
The Empress plays a greater role in tn,
diary now; she Is in difficult mood, al
ternating between childish peevishness ant
real terror. That is discernible between
the lines, for every reference to his wife |.
worded in tender, affectionate terms. Tht
b,rch or nd foil
of much stronger fiber than the ruler ant
the reaction of coming revolution on those
near and dear to him is of greater moment
than the coming revolution itself.
Here and there short sentence hints al
warnings from saner quarters. The EN-
press Dowager figures frequently in these
and there is one striking entry about tn,
British Ambassador. buchanan cam,
and had serious talk. He was very frank
II what he says is really true, we are NOV
ing on wrong lines. But he Jcannot know
as much about Russia as the Russians
themselves. Everybody tells me differ
ent story"
He was soon to receive an even sternel
warning than the well meant frankness oil
the British Ambassador. The troubles in
Petrograd assumed proportions that made
1t impossible to conceal them altogether
from the Gar. He seems to have been
quickened into a spasm of action and made
inquiries mot through the usual chan
nels" as to the troubles and the measures
adopted to deal with them. The result OF
these inquiries determined him to leave
Army Headquarters and go back to Petro
grad.
II will go and see for myself how
things are. Why have l not been kept
informed?"
1t was too late. The fever of revolution
had spread to the army. On its way to
Petrograd the Cars train was stopped
The entry describing this is simple, but
significant.
THE train stopped suddenly 'en pleine
campagne.' I could get no one to tell me
what was wrong so l got out on to the
line. The rails had been torn up. When
insisted on being told the truth. I learned
this was the work OF rebellious regiments.
My regiments! What a disgrace!"
The Car went TO Pskow. II was there,
on the I'd of March. 1917, that he wrote
his last diary note as a reigning sovereign:
"Russki, Gutschkow and Shulgin came
demanding an audience. They told me the
situation was serious. had some con-
versation with them. II appears to be in
evitsble that should abdicate. They told