A LITTLE RUSSIAN HEROINE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 412, 22 January 1909, Page 3

A LITTLE RUSSIAN HEROINE.

; All sorts .of. stories.:lav© .been told of the Russian. girl's thirst for a university : edu- ' ;cation,. the' privations; she-trill .endure,' and . the" ertraordinary,.steps';she will 'take-to ob- . tain :it: Vln: the.'Dipgraphy of evsky, ;.thel : Russian;mathematicianj are; told .'now : two', eagerwould-be student girls, : anxious..tdf obtain:.the. freedom . that- would,. enable them to study, went to a young man :' who was an and asked'/ ;him', :if;he woijld ...marry ;.on'efbr. : -th"o j to'set her ireb from 'the.:rule 'bf 'lie'r' family,' ■; in 'which : case : sh,o would bo able to help: her, .' 'byith^themi ; was sis'ter 'to :;one jofrtlie ; and" at f that time; a very young girl. To.thesurp'riso of; Soriiaj ;!the ,o,nte. ; ' : pffered.i > :tp^'marryi L ;ai'. suggestion ;:;which' ha"d .never' , jb'eeh; thought o^ : of.b.V'The. marriage v toolc'place,' ; and .was. a happy one, Sonia devoting • her- • 'self ; . 'chiefly;; to the'.; studies-' < which afterwards won; her fame and' a pro-; ; ;fessorship vat -an ' impbrtant .university. - : ; ; Ah American paper quotes, another Jin? ' stance of; a' girl's, determination' : which was- 1 related by tho . Empress: herself to Miss • Eager;-her.,children's English: governess.' 1 •' ! : '.'One ;mbrning:- : there arrived on the- train' '. from, tjie Caucasus, a ,'little•; girl,'; aged eleven;She;; approached,'a istation: porter.; and asked to bo sent to theMiriister of-Education.'The' ; porter was hesitated : as. to . what he should do.. Then the child : said, ;'wi% ; . oldish., solemnity, :'I -. have, come ' ■from 'the. Caucasus,. a "seven- days!: journey'; : to bo put tp school; you : :miust.'please get me T a droshky and send mo to his ; house.' So the, porter, called ; :a ; .carriage ,and.<directed ' •^V-8|»/!»'%j7®''tb.;the.''Mimsiij^."-'6f. l Iidtt- ! - cation. Arriving;"there, she' had 'great "diffi-. cnlty in ;gaining, admission.'to /the .'Minister; but tho. ■ doorman finally, consented • to .tel' the Minister , that a little girl from the ; desired ?to., see;him.;. The Minister was occupied at tho moment .with a secretary ,bf the Empress,; but:the latter was interested:' , in : the', message, and '.the.-' child': was : ushered > into: the office:.; The little girl bowed, to' the : two dignitaries, and - proceeded to relate' her case. The Minister appeared - greatly amused, and told; the • child -. she must. return ' to :her home, as he had' no vacancy.' But .' the litt'.o, girl was . persistent, and soon ' showed. that '.she had no ideaV,of returning so easily to .her: distant home across: the dm- > pire.'.V'You. are-Minister' of' Education,' she: exclaimed, ;; 'and 1.. have' come all- tho ■ tvay from the Caucasus to.St. Petersburg to'be put \to' schools,--'You...-must;:put' me fso'ineV where.'--'' The : Minister, though puzzled, was .beginning.-.to.beimpressed. -'.At last the Empress's secretary begged that tho child be cared for-until-there- wasa vaca'ncyin one of. the schools patronised by the'Tsaritsa. These schools are few. in' number,. and are. very- exclusive/.; -: A. note..'- was" '.thereupon' written by ', the Minister 'to • tho ' mistress of: one' of these.: schools;- and the littlo girl was ' sent to'- her;::under: escort 'of. °a. footman.Tho joy of the child was unbounded; 'she could scarcely find words to express her gratitude - to. the: Minister.' The '. secretary went that afternoon: to ' Peterhof-' and'' ;■ Related' tho inoident: to the Tsaritsa herself. The Empress asked that air inquiry be made immediately ahd ;-.the'. triith, of. 'ttie-,''chil<J's" story substantiated: .The investigation showed that; the two elder:-- sisters of ' the child-, had Vbeen'iadmitted tofa -"Iqcajl---school,-but -there-'WaaVno^rpom'for :hei\ She'toolr : this: greatly to. heart, and -fretted':over sit until; at last, she determined to' get', a school-' ing ■' anyway.She ; appealed' to friends, ' to the .loeal-.i)riest ,: :£in'd rtlie doctor,, atid; all V o f: their combined-efforts'' to'reconcile;.' her to-the 'Will ' v bf. God',-proved futile.: At. 1 last, 'to pacify her, - they: subscribed; enough': mbney:. for a. , ticket.i .to, the.;-capital) and tho ambitious:'.' child / was permitted to , set ', forth', on her long journey from, the Caucasus':'all. alone. .i./::; "When the Empress heard tho story in detail, her- heart; was touched : and, she' com? manded that'place be made-for. her in one of her own schools.Tho child is thoro 'today, receiving very careful instruction, and enjoying the direct patronage of the Empress.". v v