RUSSIA'S ROYAL FAMILY.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 401, 9 January 1909, Page 11

RUSSIA'S ROYAL FAMILY.

■ One- always hears the most ; interesting things about European' royalties .from^. the American magazines, which nro not _ hampered 'by. the deferential' ideas. obtaining in 'monarchical, countries,'. and. it is a. Particularly frank and interesting''.account-of tho, Empress of Russia that a. well-known 'New .York journal polishes. ;■ 'When tho Tzarevitch was twelve days old ho was taken to tho royal chapel at Peterhof in ,a:gil(led coach drawn by" eight horses,'and christened. The name he bear?, .'interpreted,' ' means ■" Bringer of ■ Peace.',' ■ . Yet at .this time the Tsqritsa said,.. are.bound {toihand- over, to our. son. an autocracy such' as. .we ourselves received." . . ' ! .Here, .is .one of the curious'phases of'her character. Born of lan English'-mother, reared': in. Germany, where at-least the: idea of a constitutional monarchy, is; accepted, she'yet opposes'the least step toward reform: and .progress in Russia if.it' interferes with or. threatens autocracy. It • would seem that, in this, as. in ~so. many other things; she learned, to conform . with' the will'' of the Tsar, who is her sole liege.. The Tsar,, two years- later,' said '.in' .private:,conversation ..to a friend of tthe writer's, " I believe; Russia can go for twenty years more without a constitution.". • The training of a young - Tsar does . not conform- with .-American ideas of training a, child, 'for very largely the Tsarevitch is oouraged to do everything he is inclined to ■do, on the theory that , the instincts and impulses of an autocrat' must be rigl^t. • During 'tho summer of 1907.1 was in' Finland wiled' the royaj" family '.were cruising alohg the'-picturesque Finnish' coast'. in the royal.'.yaeht;Standart,'..and. .I gathered 'Various stbries of Alexis from sailors and' officers' of- the ship. '; On''.this cruise Alexis . was > the •Emperor's adjutant, and ,by >ay. of' train-; ing,: this three-year-old' was :placed,in ;oom-: imand .of the.,squadron—that'.is. to-say; the royal yacht'and tho accompanying pilot; boat,

gunboats and.' other: vessels. that' make . up - a royal 'fleet/ when, the Imperial -family.-.of Russia goes for ' a summer . outing.,, - - ~.... -Onij night' in 'August, when the air/was still and-.warm, Alexis' had/difficulty in falling asleep. ' Suddenly; he sat up in his. little bed/and announced that he desired the ship's band /toycome and' play for him. - The - officeron- duty -explained that the. hour was late, and; the band-had retired, whereupon Alexis ;grew- furious and commanded that the -band, 'be ;arid- brought to '.him immediately, • • wbich/was-' done. - The Tsar .on this: occasion •was 1 inordinately-;pleased-with the: boy's action, and exclaimed;, . -"-That's- the way. to bring up an.'autocrat I." ... • Theattitude- of the 5 Tsaritsa' toward'the, 'education;, of \the- Russian people' will': seem Boniewliat extraordinary' to' Americans. When a/certain' Count; Tolstoy was Minister of Public., Instruction lie /once appealed; to ' the -Empress : to>aid/'him in 'extending the: educational advantages of the; empire to the girls and young women; of the country. : • ..The Tsaritsa listened to the' Minister, tentatively as ho set forth the' needs of /Russia in this direction.. and. when; he had concluded, she' replied, that she thought all young girls'/ should be taught 'to sew, to care for their homes, in short, to become helpful wives and good mothers,-'but as/ for granting .them the, privileges; of 'so-called higher' education," knowledge' of : history, philosophy;and the,science's—to-this she was entirely opposed. " Because these studies, when offered to women, ;only resulted in such 'terrible - times as; : Russia is, now passing through;" '- .Thigj/sutelyj js a remarkable tribute-to. the women of Russia—the Tsaritsa holding them responsible for the great movement toward liberty/ as//a /result, of their./education- and culture!. .. ...... '~./, The .Empress, has Jew recreations. Evenings she, and tho, Emperor choose;.to"retire to, their, private, apartments, and if he hasriio guests,, /she reads: aloud to,,him, not infrequently from -English newspapers ■ or an English novel,. Sometimes theTsar-^and-Tsar*

itsa play; a duet, on .the pianoV; This is apt to'be ah unequal performance/ however, for she" is an accomplished' musician, while ho splays rather,more by ear than by note.

Tile . Tsar.itsa's -'life has been lived out on tho plane of the'family, not of the Empress.:. Had she pushed her own thoughts and urged her own preferences.in regard to Russia she might have swayed vast power, she might have liberated or helped to liberate onei hundred ,and ; forty . million . people from oppression and tyranny; her name would have been enshrined .'in all'hearts for generations.' But she ,has chosen a. part. In proving herself./the,. absolutely .loving and loyal wife tho'.Tsaritsa turned her back upon .the opportunities* fate gave her for moulding history ■by...ameliorating the ' condition of humanity in- her own >a'st sphere.. - The,end of the. chapter is not . The Tsaritsa is still.' a young, woman and Empress of; the most turbulent empiro on earth. The rrank and' file of her- one; hundred and. forty .million subjects hold nothing against her, but they-are weary of the Komanoff regime, and ' Nicholas 'maintains his power only through the support of militarism. Martial law is spread over a large part of the empire .and the-, people are: kept; in subjection,- in; artificial quiet, only through the constant' menace of bayonets ancl prisons, whose doors ever yawn , to-political heretics.