WHAT THE WRATH OF KINGS IS LIKE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2688, 20 September 1905, Page 80

WHAT THE WRATH OF KINGS IS LIKE.

(By Otic Who Has Experienced It.) The wrath of kings is not what it U6ed to be. It has lost much of its terror. It no longer sends its object straightway to the block or to a dungeon. Even at the present time, however, it is not to be lightly encountered. A royal frown' frequently means ruin — -the blasting of ambitiona, hopes, joys. The Tsar has had gcod reason to be irritable of late. He has treated his Ministers to several outbursts of rage at their councils. One of the chief of them declares, however, that th.s passion of the Tsar upon these occasions has been greatly exaggerated. Nicholas has been trained in a severe school to control his feelings. When he was shot at on the occasion of the blessing of the Neva, not a muscle betrayed -my agitation he felt. Whfen the news was brought him of the assassination of the Grand Duke Sergius, the Tsar was ■entertaining at dinner a G-ermian prince. Horrified and affected as he must have been by tihe intelligence, the Tsar fulfilled has role as host — more grave than before, but calm and dignified. When his guest left, his Lost expressed to him his regret at an occurrence which had overclouded tihe festivity. The Tsar is not the man to ruge without consideration for his dignity. Russians, however — sven those in the highest positions — are accustomed to beincr rebuked more energetically than a British nobleman would tolerate. When the Tsar is angry, the chief signs he shows are in quick motions of the hands and arms. Hk voice glows shrille«r, the small figure is rigid, and the eyes penetrating When excited 1 in Council, lie bangs the table with a clenched hand. T-lie noise seems to make him cto<Tier. Thn Tfwr's grandfather— Nicholas — had a temper, some part of which may have descended to the present occupant " of his throne. Nicholas vrss reputed the handsomest man in Europe, and was oft-n spoken of as "the Emperor with the Mild J^yes, from their peculiar softness and beauty. But th»j "mild eyes" often flashed terribly over the ill mews that was brought Dim during the Crimean War. 4t the report of the defeat of his troops at the Battle of A' ma, Nicholas raged so that all Europe heard of it. Men«,chikoff, the Russian leader, despatched an unfortunate aide-de-camp to inform the Tsar what had happened. The officer was shown into thle despot's presence, and Nicholas greeted nim^ affably, and demanded his report. "Sire," stammered the officer, "your army has covered itself with glory; but " • The Tsar started at the word, flew into a transport of rage, and, without waiting to hear more, covered the unlucky officer with abuse, and ordered him out of his sight. In a quarter of an hour the wretched messenger was again commanded to his presence. i "Your despatch !'' cried the Tsar, thrusting out his hand, and surveying the trembling aidle-de-camp with eyes that blazed. "Your despatch, sir !" "Sire, I bring no despatch " began the officer. "How! Nc despatch!" shouted the Tsar. "Sire, Prince Menschikoff has not sent one. He was much hurried, and " "Hurried !" almost shrieked the Tsar. "Was he running?" And once more th!e owrer of the "mild eyes" broke inio a wild transport of fury. I once had the pleasure of seeing his Majesty King Edward very angiy. I say pleasure, because it was on an occasion vhien anger v,as demanded, and when it invests a. monarch with dignity as an abhorror or injustice. King Edward is one J of the most equable-tempered of men, but his wrath is certain, as was that of Queen Victoria, upon discovery of anything approaching to oppression. His anger shows itself in a peculiar coldness of carriage and speech, the significance of which Is made intense by contrast with thle urbane condescension which at other timss makes his Majesty so charming. "Jns.t as If the sun went behind a cloud," a Cabinet Minister expressed it. "It grows cold." It freezes -the tramsgreysor. The Kaiser's anger is of the stormy kind He is easily provoked, often mistakenly, and his anger is that of a commanding officer ;ith a Divine authority to order those beneath him "in the way they should go '* When his counsel is not taken, the ctilpvit is ronndVv rated, and not quickly forgiven. It was quite unpO'FisiVe for him and Bismarck to work together. Succeeding Ministers have had need of a considerable amount of self-control and devotedness to the interests of their country to render them insensible to hasty rebuffs. The Emperor of Austria, Francis Joseph, has, under the influence of sorrow and in tensely deepening religious conviction, become in late years almost unmoved to any feeling approaching to anger. He is grieved rather than driven to wrath. The ugliest monarch in Europe when he is in a rage is King Peter of Servia. The Karageorgeviteh fierceness of countenance has descended to him in all it< pronounced features. The necessity of tolerating and even of being most polite to persons whom he hates most intensely has endowed King Peter with a rare power of restraining his words. He rarely says anything under the most provoking cirounstanoes. — Home | paj>er fi