Manawatu Herald. TUESDAY, MARCH 20, 1917. CHARACTER OF NICHOLAS II.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 1688, 20 March 1917, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. TUESDAY, MARCH 20, 1917. CHARACTER OF NICHOLAS 11.

THE Impori;)I (hrone of Russia lias been abdicated by Tsar Nicholas IL a ft cr a reign of over 22 years. Mo was bora at Si. Petersburg on May JB(h, 1804, and is llioroforo in his 52nd year. 110 sucooodod his father, Alexander MI., as Emperor of all the Russians' on November Ist, 181)4, Mis marriage to Princess Alexandra Alex, daughter of Ludwig IV., (irand Duke of Hesse, was solemnised a fortnight later. The heir-apparent to the throne was the Grand Duke Alexis, who is in his 13th year. There are four daughters. Unlike most of his Romanoff ancestors, Nicholas M. is short of stature and frail of physique. There is. indeed, little left in him of the sturdy Romanoff but the mutinous nose —the nose of Peter 11. and Paul 11. and Catherine. He lias slender bones, tiny hands and feet, and pleasant blue eyes in a brownbearded face strongly like that of his cousin, King George. Mis voice is gentle and musical, and his manners are charming and frank. “He looks one so straight in the eyes," one of his Ministers said of him recently. “Me is so obviously sincere and kindly; no one ever had better intentions or tried harder to do his duty in any sphere, however exalted or however humble.” There are two acts in the career of the Tsar Nicholas, associated with Russia’s part in the war, that are of particular importance. Early in 1914 he had announced his firm, unalterable will to eradicate the drink evil. In his rescript to the Minister for Finance in February, 1914, the Tsar deplored “the mournful spectacle of wasted lives, domestic misery and decaying business resulting from intemperance,” and announced that it was unseemly “to base the welfare of the exchequer upon the moral and material ruin of his subjects.” Then came the outbreak of the war. During mobilisation the liquor shops were closed, and subsequently this temporary measure was made permanent. Probably no other country in the world could have secured the abolition of drunkenness at such a crisis. The Tsar had both the power and the will to do it. He spoke the word, and 170,000,000 of his people obeyed it. During the summer of 1915 the Tsar assumed personal command of the land and sea forces engaged in military operations. The command had been temporarily confined 'to the Grand Duke Nicholas at the outbreak of the war, because the Emperor “for reasons of a general character, found it impossible to assume those duties then.” His Ministers endeavoured

to dissuade the Tsar from taking upon himself the direct responsibility of operations at a time when the army was still being extricated from a difficult position. He replied that he felt it his mission and duty to do so, especially as at that time he took over the command without wresting the laurels fx*om anyone’s hrow, and, thirdly, if it was written (hat he and his dynasty should perish—well, it was written and lie could not alter it.