Woman's World

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 147, 16 November 1914, Page 6

Woman's World

WEDDING BELLS. PiOWYER—I-UJiBOX.S. A very pretty wedding was solemnised in St. Paul's' Church, Okato, on Wednesday, the Mth, the contracting parties bcin;,' Miss .Maud Gibbons, youngest daughter of the late Mr V. Gibbons, of l'uniho, and Mr. Walter .[. Bowyer, late of Mangaonoho. The bride, who was given away by Mr. 11. Lander, looked charming in a handsome, dross of ivory duchesse satin, with an overdress of beautiful lac, caught up with sprays of orange blossom, and she wore the orthodox; wreath and veil. She also carried a lovely bouquet of white azaleas and maidenhair fern. She was attended by two bridesmaids. Miss Alma Corbett, of Okato, and .Miss Annie Jakes, of Fitzroy, who were prettily attired in champagnecolored satin dresses, lightly relieved with pale blue, with hats to match, anil carried boui|iiets of cream roses and maidenhair fern. They also wore the bridegroom's gifts-—gold brooches, set with rubies and sapphires respeetivelv. The bridegroom was supported bv Mr. Kdwurd Corbett as best man. The l!ev. ('. Addenlirooke was the officiating minister. After the cor, >nv the guests adjourned to the Okato Hall, where a sumptuous wedding breakfast was laid out, the usual toasts being dnlv honored. The popularity of the young couple was shown by the large number of pretty and useful presents tliey received, amongst them being several cheipies, They also received a large number of telegrams of congratulations. The happy couple left amidst showers of rice and good wishes from their ninny friends 'for Xew Plymouth, en route for Auckland, where the honeymoon is being spent. The bride's present to the bridegroom was a gold sovereign-case, and the bridegroom's to the bride a gold initial bangle. The bride's going-away dress was a pretty .-axe blue, with hat to match.

WOMAN'S PART IN WAR. CATHKRLXhI TWO ("IREAT, OF KCSSIA. 11 v Man- Vfatts. Cue (if the most'remarkable stone; wlrch "iiis-toi-y has to Ml is that, of Catherine 11. of Russia, an insi.nnilicant Ccrman princess willi no hcreditarv claim upon the throne of Russia, who nevertheless ruled tlmt country from 17(12 to lTii'ii and whoso rule embraced such vast enterprises thafc sic lias come down to us through tlic centuries as C'atlu r'm> tile (In at. So liiucli lias been written on the emotional side of Catherine's nature, which hits called .forth condemnation from tiiose who have not liccti aide to make allowances! for the different manners of a dill'i rent time, that often even historians seem to have lost sitr'at of the real meaning of .Catherine's iv'j»n, of her services to Russia, her far roach--.iiift schemes for the srlnrification of thai empire and the vitalizing of ihc eomitr.- which siirauL' from her own vital rpirit, and of which won tile admiration of. the leaders uf thought in the F.iirone of her own generation and in their opinion entitled her to the (|iialifvin«' "i.rcat" of her accepted sobriqm t.

urnn praise from volt-aiui:. "The Scmiramis of the North" tlio French idiilosop'iicvs of her own generation cal'cd '. athcrine. ami Voltaire, in tribute to 4in l glorious promise of her career, declared that the "sun had taken to shining upon the world fiom a »:w quarter." Jt was this universal admiration v.-I.it-li she was able to inspire that was hugely responsible for placing her upon llie throne to which she had no legal claim, anil even more responsible for kcep'tig her tiiei'e in spite ef successive ell'orts to replace her which continued to crop out through all the early part of her reign. One of the most magnificent services which a sovereign could render to his people, according to the belief of that time, was the acquirement of territory. Kthics had not at that period developed to the point where exploited country is considered as very important, and the monarch who could partition another country to the advantage of his own domains was greeted with the highest favor by almost all classs of his subiccts except perhaps a handful of advanced thinkers.

Catherine, according to this standard, was one of the most siicccsesful monarchs of all time, for she won great stretches of territory for the Russian Empire by her wars with Turkey and Poland, -by entering into schemes for the jfllrtition' of Poland with Prussia and Austria, and by annexing various smaller countries on her borders. - She extended the frontiers of the Russian Empire to th« Niemcii, the Dniester and the ISlaek Sea. No ruler who came after Ivan the Terrible has won so much new territory for Russia.

SETTLERS EXEMPTED FROM TAXES. Not only did she add greatly to the extent of'the Russian Empire but she sought to populate .those great spaces 'so that the country would be as prosperous as it was vast. She promoted schemes for colonization which are among the most advanced of her time. She invited colonists to settle upon the licit lands of the Volga and the l.'kraine, provided capital for the initial steps of colonization, encouraged the settlers with easy terms of payment, exacting no interest on the money loan- ! Ed for ten years and exempting the settlers from taxation for thirty years. Also, with a view to colonizing the vast empty spaces of Russia with desirable emigrants, she invited persecuted religionists of other countries to settle in Russia. The Moravians and other sects responded to this invitation. One province which has notably ben- ; efited by this immigration .movement ! was that of Saratof, where ]2.f1«0 Prussian families settled. Even to this day I it is a flourishing colony preserving its | German speech. I Worn Germany came the largest numbers of these much desired immigrants. No less than -2MOO responded to the invitation to leave Prussia for 'Russia in 1771.

The peopling of licr realm was a matter of great pride to Catherine, quite, as much as the acquirement of territory under her rule. Of the. hitter she was accustomed to say that she had come to the Russian people a doverloss bride but she would leave them a dowry of some importance. Her ambition to see Russia .populous was so well understood that her Minister, Potemkine, .played upon this weakness during a tour of the sovereign through her domains and built up for the occasion a long succession of prosperous Tillages.

ARTIFICIAL PROSPERITY. It has been asserted by some MstorLknaJthat this astute and unscrupulous

orine, who, of course, did not leave her carriage, could glancv in almost Hiiv direct,on -and be-hold what appeared to bo the root's-of ti village llio .spires of churches or the outlines of some gnat mansion. This, however, 'has been denial l),v other .historians. It is generally admitted, however, that the wilv Potemkme had sent his emissaries' out for mouths ahead of the royal progress so as to build up an artilicial appearance •of prosperity and growth. In order that the numbers of the peasants mHit comup to t',Uli 'i-ine's de.,ires Polemkine order,.,! l.vjro liedies of the denizens of soil to dash from one village to another ecross the fields so as to' angnont the jopulaee at each place before the arrival of the royal carriage. Their taskwas much that of stage soldiers who hurry "lit of one door so as to join the line again at the other end.

Hy no means all the expansion of population was artificial, however. In addition to the immigration mentioned there was a, large natural increase. The population increased during the reign to -lO.IIIKWW!!). But, in so large a country as Russia this was not nearly enough for the cultivation of the land Catherine, with great intelligence, set herself to remedy the evils which caused a large infant death rate and which ■otherwise, through ignorance of sanitation, prevented the increase from being as rapid as th<> large hiiih rate woii'd lave provided for.

ADV.WCKi) STI'DY OK .MKDl'.'lN'tf. She inviled progressive nhysicians from oliur countries to settle in Rmsia. cstabli-h'd a pharmaceutical head-quar-ters at .Moscow and subsidized business iiiterprises for the manufacture of surgical instruments, which were -much needed ill Russia. She also ndvis-"d the young men of Russia to study medicine. As smallpox flourished at ' the time mil she saw that its ravages were so extensive as to affect the population.

she introduced inoculation from 'Moscow.

Tn our day this seems an unimportant thing for a sovereign to do, but at that t'nio it was a momentous step for anv Hilcr to take, for it was not enlv feared l.nt objected to bv -many per.-<>ns on sn-i rstitious grounds. Catherine, however. aiwavs f and delighting to -take the initiative, cliercd herself as the first subject to take the treatment at 'Moscow, thus (|Uo!iing the fears and distrust of Unpeople.. This was at the lime when smalipox had caused the death of Louis XV. and tile children of the King of Spain. The action of .Catherine therelore tuned the tide of Russian sentiment in favor of inoculation and Catherine lma-,ted with pardonable pride that mo.e persons were inoculated at Moscow in one month than at Vienna ill a- war.

■During the first part of her rohjn Cathirin- .•onvrned. herself greatly 'with providing a new code of laws for Russia. She liad read the works of the leaders of French thought and hud familiarized herself with the repuldicanisiii of their doctrines. With a breadth oi Mew thus acquire J she .summoned a leir'islative commission to prepare the new (c.de. the d-d.'«ates to which represented n'l classes of the population. 'flure v,._re (j.->2 deputies in all, including representatives of the state de"l artnicnts. the iSenate, the .Synod, the (ollcL'cs, the orders, the citizens of towns and cities, the free colonists of ptovinces, the soldiers, and the crown peasants. Catherine herself had prepared the in-s-tntctions for the guidance of the deputies in their i'orniatiou of the new code. She confessed that as a basis for the hook of insti'iictions she had "pillaged th:' philosopher* of the West.' The instructions compiled by Catherine as set I in;* forth her ideals of government to he embodied in the code were

said l>v persons of an observant turn of mind to lie somewhat on the copvbook irder, although undoubtedly lofty in .sentiment.

''Tile instruct'ons eonla : n eunuch axioms to knock a wall down," said the ardenic statesman I'anine.

' OFFENDED OTHER M.OXARCIIS. Sumo of the fundamental truths which Catherine put forward at this time with such pride of authorship were distinctly offensive to other reigning monarchs, particularly to tin: French King, for whom she did not hesitate to show her contempt.

"The nation is not made for the soveieign but the sovereign for the nation," was one of the most distasteful of these axioms from the standpoint of an absolute .monarch. Others were:—

"It is better to spare ten guilty men than to put one innocent one to death.'' "Torture, is an admirable means of convicting an inn.iccnt man am! for saving a stout fellow even when he is guilty." The br.aking out of the war with Turkey made it necessary lor Catherine to dissolve the legislative commission before the code had been completed, but she said that during its existence of two '.years it had hern of great service in 1 ringing before her the needs oB the empire from varying standpoints, so that she had'come to see what was necessary and would be abie to go ahc'ad for herself.

Theoiieally Catherine was in sympathy with the emancipation of the serfs, at least in the beginning of her career f.s a monarch, and this subject was one of the most important ones considered by the legislative commission. The aristocracy was opposed to any such move, at the time, however, and Catherine scon abandoned her intention of taking any radical steps in this direction. She did complete the work of Peter the Great and of her husband. Peter ilk, in taking over the property of the Church. 'The serfs of this territory were then no longer considered' as belonging to the land, but were simply taxed a rouble 'anil a half for every male peasant. This was a considerable improvement in their state, as it rendered them able to amass some property of their own as a result of their labor. As a whole, however, Catherine did not improve the condition of the serfs, and her inclination to do so lessened w r i'tli the years." Like most men and women, she became more conservative as she became older, and although she had thought herself a friend of republicanism and a foe to absolute, monarchy in the early days of her coming to the throne, when the French Revolution actually arrived and she saw many of her - ideas coming to fruition she turned terror stricken from the movement and 'placed herself .promptly on the side of rank and privilege. ]

T'ROMOTIQD EDUC^TIOX. Catherine wis a patron of education, which, she. sought to promote through-'c-ut her realm, especially the education of women. She was' interested ajso in ;:on;Hiring libraries and works of art f<>r Russia. She boug'ht the library of 'Diderot and of Voltaire and imported many masterpieces of painting into Rus.sia. She wrote great numbers of pamphlets, plays, etc., herself, which, though "not of the first order, were quite remarkable considering the small amount of time she -was able to, tfevote to literary work.

Although Catherine was not really informed, in.military mattqra; the Rus.afliyymiv; and fleat had-remarkable sue-.

war with Turkey and tin: Palish wars her triumphs ,v,,i\. astonishing. In tin: war with Tui-Ki-y nn,l tliu polish wars battle after aiiom 'r against heavy odds, end yet she did not care to choose her commanders hca'lie of their ability, but insisted on selecting them from among her own friends.

Since this metaod of appointing men to power proved ■-» mu-i-;-:- : -hi!. Catherine became more and more adelictcd to it. .'•die attributed manv of lu-r successes to luck. Jin I there wa.s another very pronouiieed element in her power to compel events. She was an optimist and lieheved that wliat .she wanted to pass would eome to pass. She possessed Vli.lt driving energy which energizes ethers and carries 'ihem <o n to obtain what is demanded. She 'knew how to manage men, if she did nut know how to choose them. She seemed to move upon the theory that any man would do for a post so long as siie was back of him. .Much that happened in her reign might have been taken as substantiating this ■ ...ssumplioH'. tilie could wheedle as well as drive. she was tact itself sic was fascinating and lovable, and whoa she could not I make men do what she wanted because ; of her position she made them do it .'because they liked her. She expected .'great things of the Russian people, and [somehow she very often got tiiem. An 'example of her ability to urge on her representatives to ear;- out" her will 'is shown in a message which she sent 'lt- her generals in coi'eenid ol the 11ns'sian forces in lii" firs! war with Turkey. Owing to her Pui- - - Catherine mid been able to send or,-. eakmed force 'to cope with Turkcv

curt wont) of r. : uagkmext. ' To her geicrah she ~-,((, the signicant message:— 'The Romans del no oneern themselves with th. niiiih.u o! their eiu'mies. They only asked, 'Where are they?' " The Russians in the engagements which followed w.-iv suerrssful 'beyond the hopes of even the most sanguine. Catherine was the daughter of a Trince of Anha't-Z-enKt and the JVin-ic-s Supiia A'l r >tn Krederier. She was born May 2, 172!>. at Stettin. Prussia. When-she was fourteen -he was taken to ltinsia to be all'ianeed to the Archduke Peter, the heir of the Kmpress i'diza'ietli of Kus-ia. Kven at this early age t'athrrine slie.vcd such tact and diplomacy that she soeodiiy wen the hearts of the Russian p onle. She saw at once thai her"war to popularity lay in becoming thoroughly Russian, 'and' she made a>i extremely effective beginning by her faithful study (f the Russian langue'v and her eag.Y adoption of the Russian religion. She was married to 'Archduke Peter August 21, 1715. The young husband and wife were never congenial. The estutencss of Catherine is to he seen in the •ontimied figh'. for poim'.aritv. which she ,va<,'e<] so successfully that although Peter was a g.amlson of Peter the Orea'. and his wife was a Prussbin, she was soon universally beloved, while her husband, was as universally di test td. The Kmpress Klizabctii died in Tan uary, 1702. and Peter immediately suededed to lie tlircme. A- h-had Ihr-at-ened to confine Catherine in a convent and as his iiitenfiins of getting her out of the war ,n -oive fashion ;\cri' evident, a revolt was at once organised which had for its object the deposition of I'cier and' the raising of Oathir'me to the throne, either a* a n ona.ro'; in lor own right or as regent for her ton Paul.

" I'IIONGCXORn EMIMJF.Ss. "The history :>!' this result is still obscure, hut as a vcsiilt of it-; siuvesj''iil (uliiiiiMti.in (ail leTiue was pronounce;! Empress and Peter was imprisoned in a house mar Ro]iba, where lie lied soon after, it was said, of apoplexy.

There is little doubt that he was murdered, and by friends and supporters of Catherine, but history has acquitted her of t shar« in the murder or even

» fore-knowledge of it. She .profited by it. however, and it made her seat upon the throne of Russia as secure as was possible in that age of seething unrest and limitless intrigue.

To the modern woman the private life of Catherine affords anything but a pleasant spectacle. Her lovers followed each other in quick succession, and when as an older woman she continued to select her masculine companions without regard to their worth or ability and solely for their youth and beauty tiie last ioue.li seems to have been adocd to the degrading picture. But Catherine cannot be considered apart from her setting, and according to- her court and society generally her eonduct was not particularly reprehensible. In that time in Russia women were not regarded as superior to men in their attitude toward the moral code, and no more was expected front Catherine by her contemporaries than would have been expected from a masculine ruler in a like position. Catherine seemed to be devoid of the maternal instinct, at least in relation to her o.vn children. She distrusted her sou Paul and nought to deprive hint of the succession. Another son, whose father had been a much favored lover, was kept at a. distance and there ar.- ; no records to show anv display of maternal tenderness in his direction. Tovard her grandchildren, the sons of Paul, however, the Empress showed much kindness. Klip applied herself to writing little books for them. Among these were "Grandmother's A. H. 0. Stories of Russian History" and a whole AJexandro-ronstantine library, -named for the children, who were called Alex'andcr and Constantino.

lIKR FAVORITE DEPOSED. Catherine dud in 17° li. when she was fixtv-i'vcn Years old. Ilor death was unexpected, and the last of her living ldvcis. who liad risen to a great statu through her favors, was thrown in a •(onviilsioii of fear when ho heard that Ins royal iirolcclross was no more. The nuu'h disliked I'anl. Catherine's son ordered the favorite to bring' him the paper written hy his mother in regard io the succession, and the favorite, who had heen haughty enough the day <b«fore. brought it, cringing. 'Paul opened it and read the edit of Catherine forbidding him the succession. Then he ton; the paper into small pieces. . v Then favorites of every sort were 'suddenly swept from out that hospitable palaee. and just a few hours after Catherine the (!rcat had been a forceful," living (figure among them —kind, charming, humanly frail, a great monarch, not so great a woman, perhaps—there eamc the court crier to announce the reign of Paul, "Emperor of all the Russias."