Few people realise in readiny history how much of whit is reputed fact rests upon the imagination of the writers. In everyday life one person knows a man as "a good: sort," another as a man who would exact his comforts and luxuries at the cost of the very lives of his household, whenever denied himself to spare anther prin, Anyhow it is interostiny at the present Russian crisis to consider what utile has been told of the Czar's character by ple who have had the advantage of know ing him, ay we ay, that is of seeing and conversing with him for at least a few minutes. That vivaciously sympathetic describer of sovereigns, Md.le. Vacaresco, writes of himas inspiring her with his youthful enthusiasm and freshness, when the first met han. "Kew faves are more characteristic of the type of the clever young Russian student than that of the Czar," she says. Then she summonses part of his conversation as follows love travelling, but only when I can doit in my own way. I never travel otherwise than at night, and "pend my day visiting museums and quai streets, bazaars when I am East, antiqua the North. am mere of an Asiatic than a European in my. tastes and I have not only " vast collection of ondisn curios and quite an army of Buddhas large and small, but also a lib eTmpored of books treating of Indian ign in 1894.3 9 highly sensi ik, youn man, who shrank instinctive from the fierce light beats upon the spite of his camp experience mother's child, passivity trait. nm diffidence one of its temporary symptoms." It was thas he appeared, when he visited China, gentle, attractive youth with his mother's brow and-eyes, the last kind of type that ought to be exiled to rule autocratically over "great nation. Who does nut re member the two rolls he crumbled in silence during the long banquet at Hao. kow?
Acco: ding to the Russian high official, during bat a short period of suggestion the impressimable youth was made "to feel that he wa: God's lieutenant, the|a earthly counterpart of his divine Muster. From that time forward hix Majes y has been filled with a spirit of self-exalistion which has gone on gaining strength, in accordance with the psychological law that pride usurps as much space a. servility is ready to yield. Nikolsi Alexandrovitch now began" to lock upon himself as the centre of the world, the peace of mapvkind, the torch-bearer of civilisation among the yellow and other barbarous' races, and the dispenser of almost every blessing to his own happy people. Taking seriously this his imaginary mission, he has med-died continuously and directly in every aGsir of State, domestic and foreign, thwarting the course of justice, under mining l-ality, impoverishinghi boasting his fervent love of porce plunging his tax-burdened people into th horrors of a sanguinary and needless wai What follows is but the natural sequence; people who fen themselves greater than their kind must, if they live, end by sinking. "Unsterdy, half-hearted, self-complacent, and fickle, he changes his favourites with his fickle moods. allowing a band of casual obscure, and dangerous men to usurp the functions of hie reaponsible Mitisters, whose recommendations are ignored, whose warnings are disregarded, and whos® niessures for the defence of the State are not only baffled, but resented as, symptoms of disobedience "Ime." Japan will never ght. My, reign will be an era of peace to the end.
The sad conviction is now rapidly gaining ground that © nicholas IL is getting Paull He is emin resemble in certain ways the unfortunate ly_unfic to control personally the desti of @ great people, and he is, unfortunately, ignorant of his onfitnens."
It is very hard ever to arrive at the real character of human being. But to reconcile the "enthusiasm and freshness"
the young man with the retreat to Tear-kos Solo, whilst a people on knees prays mercy, requires some such sories of tr ditions or development as are portrayed the foregoing extract. The ian who might have been so charming small social circle, is to be pitied for having been called to a position for which he was not suited, but yet more to be as "a tall reporting her Of course, I am gay sometimes, and sometimes I can be pleasant, I sup: poe, but I am rather a contemplative, serious being, one who looks into the depths of all water, whether it be clear or dark," and of whom as a girl her lady of honour said "She is proud, not of her birth, her rank, or her beaut as you might suppose, but of the great effort she daily makes towards the development of the better side of her ind talent, will have Tcsnnot help brilliant future tence fu.l of splendid toil.'
Can she, our own noble Privesss Alice's Russia and her Busand? There te wre beloved daughter, yet do something tu sav.
4? There is now opportunity and every reason to bein the heroic soul. But cana woman? Fin any country it be possible, Russia ith ite great respect for intellect and strong character in women would be that country.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.