The Czar's Daily Life

Alexander usually riscs at sovcn ana hurriedly dresses himself, with the assistanee'of his (xusted servan), han Savelioff. It is Ivan vvho informs his Majesty envlirr Hian any of the offiölals of ■11 news of importanoe. It is in Ivan s powac eiiher k iet hisMujesty ina rage for a whble day or to make nim peam with hencvolciicc. The Ministers are fnllv nmii-fi of Ivan's inilueace, and uva; .hini us their equal, if not as their superior.' Aftor lio is dresaed, the Czar enters the reception room and receives the report of General Tcherevin, the eommandant cd öatoiina and the clnef ol the C.ar's body-guards. Then he toVoa o. walk in the wahice o;arden. Whon in a good humor he enters the palace yard, throws off his overeoat, seizea 'i lingo as and chops wood. Tüiek logs of oak and pino are one alter nnnlltor sn (TPvl V ntl il (ll'Xt (irOUSlV Clll llld split by the Autocrat of all the llussians. How skillíully he wit'lds the heavy ax! How swiftly and mishtily he whirls ít down upon tho thick logs! If he wielded his scepter as mightily as he does his ax, tiic snaue vi i uu;i u taw ,...i rest perfeetly satísfled in the tomb. But, alas! Alexander III. is a good wood ohopper and a vory poor rulcr. If lie were not surrounded by so many loggcrheads he would bc popular. Suppose that instead of tlio picture of the Czar dressod in gorgeous uniform, they should distribute everywbere a pieture ot the ('zar with his coat off eutting wood. The good-natured Ivans would give up body and soul for the Czar who, liko them, was cnopping wouu. Alcxander has a merry holiday every time cither the Grand Duke Vladimir or the Grand Duke Alexis visits him. Then he is store he will have a good time. When Ozarcvitch, Alexander nsually overpowered his brothers Vladimir and Alexis, whetheí in wresüing or in tugging. But sinee he has become Czar ae has begun to lose in weight as well as in strength, and now-a-days Vladimir, who is two years younger than the Czar, beats His Majesty almost every time they i,. i nfliAv Tliw wnrripfi tho Autocrat of all the Russias a great deal more than the forced postponement of his coronation. When Vladimir, who is the Ciiief of the Gnards and of the St. Petersburg Military District, comes lo seo his brother and inaster abont somc business, the lattcr impaliently interrupts him saying: "Ah, Volodia, leave that to our oflioialB, and let us wrestle." ïhen thoy retire lo the Czar's own mnms. take ofl'their fflittering uniforms, and begin to toss each othov nd t WTestle and Büg. When His Majesty iinds himsolf lying underncath mir, flat on the preciOUS r ersian carpei, he gets mad, shakes his fist, and exclaims: " ]) tho Nihilista and the Ministers! They havo quite spoiled my constitution!" "Monsense, Sasha," answers Vladimiy; "the trouble is that ijoW-a-days yoii don't cxercise as much as you used Bnt "Sasha" is not to be calmed by süch an argument, and is determined more than ever before to crash the Nihilista and to pay no attention to "tho silly prbjfictsT of tho Ministers. The Czar is satisiied, ho wever, that at least Alexis as yet can not Hoor him. When A lxriindni' anil Aliivi; rctiri' 1() frt&t theil' méseles, tbc co-.ivt ladies iind tho bost opportuiiity to offer their incensé to the Russian Júpiter. They coax the i I .iL L'í s" l uiiVJii i1-' ■- w ...... - wrestle, and under lier protection they enter, just aceideHtáüy of course, the Guarís room. They behold the Czar and the Chief of tlie navy with their uniforms off, wrestling, struggling and rolling on the thick carpet. Alexander would bO satisfied witii liis quiet life at Gatchiná if he were uot troablod daily by lns Ministers, Goyeruors. Generáis," Bishops, the foreign ambassadors, various dupntation.s, and so on. Here, for instance, comes Platón, the Metropolitan of Kiefï, to di&tribute his benedietion and to lay the golden holy cross on eaeh and every member of the imperial Jamily. Of course the Czar is ready to listen lo the Metropolitan' s lalkcf (iod's providence .... ,1 .'...Kiifiililii iiniri Vil il", wil f Tl M i II 'A Q to give up his muscular exercise on account of the holy father, hè can tiot licip exclaiming, "Heré oomes a holy mnmmy.!" The liigli military a-uu civn unicui who come daily by dozens from all the quarters of the empire in order "to show their truly lo al ieelings," bore the Czar terribly. Then come the Ministers with their learned projécts and plans, and talk jnst as hls instructora did, and he feels as miserable as hc feit when they weve training him to be Gzarevitch. i'his is partifiihirly Üie case wlien "the little man with the long name," who is nowtheChief Procureur f the Holy Synod, comes to sec hini. liief Censor of fthe Press, to report the' ijilts of certaia ref raetoyy editors, and o make hismaster aequaintodwithsuch heerful passages ;s this from the Mosow Vedomost!. reporter of a Hungariaii paper aid to Prince Krapotkino that the Nihilsta were probablv crushed, for nothiug vas heard of theni lately. Krapotkine answered, "What do 3-011 want from us? o vou exocot that we can blow up a jalaco and kill a Czar every day?" Of course the Czar is augry, not beeause Krapotkine said sucH athing, tmt )conuse tiie Vedemosti published it, and jartieularly bccauso the Censor dared ioreaditto liim. Xcxt. comes Qen. Cchonein and hands his Majestj' a little slip of paper found by him in the palace arden. The Czar as he takes it feels is if h; werè eharged with dynamite, and the slip of paper wete a spark. On he p:pei' he reads these lines: The rapacious double-lieadcd blrd is dead, Aud a big owl eits in his place, we earoeBuy piay iu uuavcn That this One inay quiekly go, too. In his rage Ali'xiindur orders that the autographs of uil persons who have admissit)u to the court be furnishcd to liim. Tliis is iiuicklv doue. thoiiffli afeéis of the eourtiers feel deeply offended, but the ('zar can not fina out tlie author. Thcn comes the Minister oj the Interior and ï-eports that t!ie pintures of the late Czar are in great demand, but nobody cares for liis présent Majesty's likeness. In his foolish passion (he (.zar orders that no more wreaths be placed on the tomb of hls father, the Liberator; Then comes th Minister of War and informa the Qzai that lately the officers ar.e ofteu lieard singing a new song. "Our Car is doiug nothing but c::l ing a cake oruamented witli mam-col oivd augar flowers." The salt of it is this. There is a well-known satire of Schredin in wliieh the Russian Czars are ridiculed. "There is a country of fools," said Sehedin, "who are nile'd by a king vvlio is the biggesl i'ool of all for he does nothing bul, eat au 'm mense rake prnwpented with many-ool oredsiïgar flowers.1' Now, the Czar during liis late visiL to Mosoow, was presented witn an immense cake o Via,en:sk, with the imperial eoat 0 aims on it, pictured in sugar. The ('zar accepted the cake graciously, bn now he thinks it was only a scandalous Bnch things greet His Wtajestj ilmos daily. No wonder, Uien, that lu Botnctimea blunlly refuaes to admit :m ono to the oourt for ;i day or fcwo. I is gfiierally believed thai the Czar ani Czaritza love eacli other dearly, bu tliuir family life is not without thonis Many years ago, at the court balls. Hu Czaritza used to dance with a oertaii Count Stroganoff, an incarnated Apol lo, a little oftener perhaps, th&n with the other courticrs. ' Alcxander, who is far froxu being an Apollo, felt mortally offended. When ho disagrecs with liis wlfe on some point, thc Czar, who becomes too easily excited, ungenwrously mentdons the name of Stroganoir, and many hemstitched handkerchiefs of Danísh linen are made wet with Czantza's tcars. Alexander hatea everything iha! reminds him of clectricity, and yct a strong desirc to hear tho opera without exposing himsclf at tho "theatro, induoed liim to havc a telophone put up in hia GatcMna palace, and now tlje Czar and Czaritza, putting their ljeada togother, listen lo tho operas given :ü this city, twenty-eiglit miles away. They hear the songs, the recitations, the music and the applause. No tottbt they recall with regret those days when they (lid not need any telephone in order to hear an opera, when tht-v were not guarded like prisoners and not torturedlike crimináis.