Year: 1871

TIE Coming OF Alexis.


The strong bond of sympathy that knits
Russia and America together is something Of
diplomatic mystery. Why there should DO
anything in common between the two nations
is an incomprehensible riddle, if we argue in
accordance with all reasonable precedents for
international sympathy and alliance. The
mother tongue would seem to be q common
cause Of affection between Old England and
ourselves, and yet 1t seems to have required q
very carefully prepared treaty to give such
affection words-very cold and unimpassioned
words at that-and in many quarters even
these endearing accents are derided. Tho
memory Of Lafayette is enough to have bound
us with hooks of steel forever to our old ally.
France, and yet during the late war ws
seemed to incline rather to the beery Ger
mans side.


The great bear of the East-the rough.
despotic giant that sits wrapped in his i'm
penetrable SHOWS, upon the common border
Of Europe and Asia, glorying in his rude
strength, Influenced to sullen growls by
every piece of shallow diplomacy that shakes
the rest of Europe to its centre-is as unlike in
all his features and institutions as he can possi
bly, be to the 1.-THE young republic Of the West.
The one is free, so absolutely free that its
elected potentates can steal the peoples
money and defantly hold Office. The other 10
despotic, so absolutely despotic that the great
mobiles only live by the light of the Czar's
countenance. The two are separated by fve
thousand miles of sea-one at the frozen
loins OF the north, the other just verging ON
the warm lap o! the tropics. There seems to
be nothing in common between the two, ex-
cept Alaska; and yet no two nations on tho
globe feel such gushing affection for one an
other as the great, shaggy bear Of Russia and
the soaring, screaming eagle of America.


During the war in the Crimea that hearty
sympathy which the people Of the United
States insist upon showing to the side they
like best, regardless Of international entangle-
ments or the sophomore arguments OF mother
tongues and old alliances, was extended to
Russia, Gagged in her fortress of Sebastopol by
the allied forces Of France, England and Tur-
key. Again, when the dark days OF 6S
lowered upon us, and our discouraged armies
had met Charlottesville and Chickamauga, her
welcome feet dropped anchor in our harbor
and brought Russia's words Of cheer as cor
dial testimonial to the developing strength and
heroic endurance of her comely young friend
of the West. And then, when our gallant old
tar, Farragut, the hero Of the maintop, was
sent by his grateful country to show the
nations of Europe what stuff our sailors were
made Of it was Russia who received him
with the most hearty welcome, and treated
him az if her admiration for US were alone
untinged by the shade of jealousy that tainted
the demonstrations of every other nation oi
Europe. And now comes the young Alexis, .
specimen of Young Russia, and the way in
which Young America is to receive him will
be worthy of the strange and inexplicable
sympathy that binds the free, wild spirit OF
Western America to the strong, good-humored,
unaggressive despotism Of Russia.


Probably it is something in our very dis
similarity that makes US have friendly regard
for each other. 'Like seeks unlike, they
say. Perhaps surly old Russia, like the good
natured beast of the fairy tale, is attracted
toward America by her brave beauty. Per-
haps fair aud light-hearted America loves
Russia on account of that giant strength
which she uses so little like a giant. But,
whatever the underlying reason may be, il
would seem that International sympathy, like
kissing, goes by favor, and, like love, ''comes
without thy CALL"


Anarchy In South Carolina and Georgia.