THE TSARINA.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 722, 22 January 1910, Page 11

THE TSARINA.

M'Of.,all memorable 'lives, that of the Tsaruia has -.-for.- years been pre-eminent in i.unhappiness,. and ho one can be surprised at the news;that her nerves .have given way,' and . her mental condition ; is occasioning; the gravest., anxiety; "•-..-. .-' From ■ the first.. the 'friends' of the young Princess .-Alex—the \most': beautiful' 'of. Queen Victoria's : granddaughters,: . must have felt that the ".Pates had iVerV'-donbt-ful .■ gifts', in; store .'for .her.■,.- She only, attained .: her v position; as wife of ..Tsar" :pf all' the 'Eussias'by« an act of conversion,: that:'appears to /be considered ,worthy • in a, princess,, and. ~unworthy in. all; others, and a Protestant by: training ; she became , a;Greek churchwomanibj;adoption, and ; went to live in a :court.-.whoso;.traditions and. 'oustpms; ' were "in every respect foreign, to • her.:own. ; v She ;■ had' ,6ev€ral! beautiful, ohildren, but «aoh princess was' a .source of -disappointment 'arid . disoon-tent-to.theiiiation,•'and;'when'the long-: hoped-for, prince .arrived, it was at atimb of; : such national, distress.;and , peril -as made : rejoicing, almost' impossible... 'It seemed'.for a:.tinie';as: though; the: ohild had.'ibeeh. born";to share ■ the;fate of rMarie Antoinette's'young .'son. ■.■:■. V.', ' r'' ■,• All ; the '.world knows -the, story of "the peril.-aiid , panic 'that have surrounded the royalties'..,of:: Eussia,Vand,-the:ceaseless fear: of; assassination, .*.and •'..■ many have wondered \ how ■ a : . woman's": reason V could stand, the. awful.strain.'under■ which,the' Tsarina: has.-lived, for so'.many: : years: There,are;those:in-Russia who:hold the Tsar's, wife responsible l for niuch- of .'the stubbornness ' and. obduracy: that'.have characterised his :,rule,'.eaying. that she and a certain ..Greek' i>riest:have.. formed a boudoir: Cabinet. , , which really /ruled Eussia, 'powerless-to: understand .' the. real' trend ' of: nopular feeling, '• oonfirmed the Tsar: in his. desire to maintain: the .autoaraoy.-: without. a shadow of compliance. ■-.'.••... ■; '\:.- ■/. ■'-?.:■,

'Even: if this were so, it'might .well'i be that the, Tsarina's ceaseless fear: made her, dread':any- concession, to the:people. l that meant an, abatement. of the'royal-power,' and- put a weapon into -the ..hands of the misgoverned ■ nation.v " ■.' :,j'.'- :..;';■?-