A HEARTLESS RULER.

Kumara Times, Issue 867, 11 July 1879, Page 4

A HEARTLESS RULER.

Of the late Czar Nicholas, " A Russian Nihilist" tells in the North American Review a striking story:—A. young student, a relative of the writer, had, with a few friends, formed a literary society in which the works of contemporary political economists, publicists, and philosophers were read and debated. The secret police denounced this society as a revolutionary organisation, and the young student was imprisoned and ordered to be sent to Siberia. All possible influence was brought to bear upon the Czar, but in vain, and at last the young man's mother, meeting the Czar one day in the Summer Garden, knelt _ and implored her son's pardon asserting his innocence. The Czar seemed touched, and promised to give the youth a personal interview. The latter was brought to His Majesty the next day, and the Czar, forcing him to his knees before an image of the Saviour, exclaimed : "Can you swear before the Almighty God that neither you nor your assocfates had any criminal designs against my life 1 Can you swear that you believe in the holiness and eternity of the Russian autocracy 1 The surprised prisoner answered : " I can swear to your Majesty that neither I nor any of my friends had the remotest idea against your safety. As to the autocratic form of government. I cannot conscientiously swear that i believe in its eternity. The history of other countries teaches us that the time must come when, even in Ruisia, when the people itself will take part in its government." The Czar tenderly embraced the student, and giving him a ring drawn from the imperial finger, said: " This is a token of respect from your Czar. You have been sincere and truthful to me, and there is nothing I hate so much as a lie." He then approached the writing-table, where lay the student's sentence of exile, and with one stroke of the pen—signed the paper ! "I pity you from the bottom of my heart," he said, " you are an honest man, and an honest man, true to his convictions, ij more dangerous to an autocracy than an unprincipled rascal. Therefore, I must punish you, though never was this duty more painful to me than now. God bless you, my son, and judge me mercifully if I Bhould appear to be in the -wrong." Then, once more embracing the student he dismissed him to Siberia. '