part05+-第2章

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streets　in　the　suburbs；　and　where　the　old　admiralty　wharves　had



stood；for　the　space　of　perhaps　an　eighth　of　a　mile　along　the



Neva；fine　buildings　had　been　erected。　But　these　were　the　only



evident　changes；　the　renowned　Nevskii　Prospekt　remaining　as



formerlya　long　line　of　stuccoed　houses　on　either　side；　almost



all　poor　in　architecture；　and　the　street　itself　the　same　unkempt；



shabby；　commonplace　thoroughfare　as　of　old。　No　new　bridge　had



been　built　across　the　Neva　for　forty　years。　There　was　still　but



one　permanent　structure　spanning　the　river；　and　the　great　stream



of　travel　and　traffic　between　the　two　parts　of　the　city　was



dependent　mainly　on　the　bridges　of　boats；　which；　at　the　breaking



of　the　ice　in　the　spring；　had　sometimes　to　be　withdrawn　during



many　days。







A　change　had　indeed　been　brought　by　the　emancipation　of　the



serfs；　but　there　was　little　outward　sign　of　it。　The　muzhik



remained；　to　all　appearance；　what　he　was　before：　in　fact；　as　our



train　drew　into　St。　Petersburg；　the　peasants；　with　their



sheepskin　caftans；　cropped　hair；　and　stupid　faces；　brought　back



the　old　impressions　so　vividly　that　I　seemed　not　to　have　been



absent　a　week。　The　old　atmosphere　of　repression　was　evident



everywhere。　I　had　begun　my　experience　of　it　under　Nicholas　I；　had



seen　a　more　liberal　policy　under　Alexander　II；　but　now　found　a



recurrence　of　reaction；　and　everywhere　a　pressure　which　deadened



all　efforts　at　initiating　a　better　condition　of　things。







But　I　soon　found　one　change　for　the　better。　During　my　former　stay



under　Nicholas　I　and　Alexander　II；　the　air　was　full　of　charges　of



swindling　and　cheatery　against　the　main　men　at　court。　Now　next　to



nothing　of　that　sort　was　heard；　it　was　evident　that　Alexander



III；　narrow　and　illiberal　though　he　might　be；　was　an　honest　man；



and　determined　to　end　the　sort　of　thing　that　had　disgraced　the



reigns　of　his　father　and　grandfather。







Having　made　the　usual　visit　to　the　Foreign　Office　upon　my



arrival；　I　was　accompanied　three　days　later　by　the　proper



officials；　Prince　Soltykoff　and　M。　de　Koniar；　on　a　special　train



to　Gatchina；　and　there　received　by　the　Emperor。　I　found



himthough　much　more　reserved　than　his　fatheragreeable　and



straightforward。　As　he　was　averse　to　set　speeches；　we　began　at



once　a　discussion　on　various　questions　interesting　the　two



nations；　and　especially　those　arising　out　of　the　Behring　Sea



fisheries。　He　seemed　to　enter　fully　into　the　American　view；



characterizing　the　marauders　in　that　sea　as　〃ces　poachers



la〃using　the　English　word；　although　our　conversation　was　in



French；　and　on　my　saying　that　the　Russian　and　American　interests



in　that　question　were　identical；　he　not　only　acquiesced；　but



spoke　at　considerable　length；　and　earnestly；　in　the　same　sense。







He　alluded　especially　to　the　Chicago　Exposition；　spoke　in　praise



of　its　general　conception　and　plan；　said　that　though　in　certain



classes　of　objects　of　art　it　might　not　equal　some　of　the　European



expositions；　it　would　doubtless　in　very　many　specialties　surpass



all　others；　and　on　my　expressing　the　hope　that　Russia　would　be



fully　represented；　he　responded　heartily；　declaring　that　to　be



his　own　wish。







Among　the　various　subjects　noted　was　one　which　was　rather



curious。　In　the　anteroom　I　had　found　the　Greek　Archbishop　of



Warsaw　arrayed　in　a　purple　robe　and　hatthe　latter　adorned　with



an　exceedingly　lustrous　cross　of　diamonds；　and；　engaging　in



conversation　with　him；　had　learned　that　he　had　a　few　years　before



visited　China　as　a　missionary；　his　talk　was　that　of　a　very



intelligent　man；　and　on　my　saying　that　one　of　our　former　American



bishops；　Dr。　Boone；　in　preparing　a　Chinese　edition　of　the



Scriptures　had　found　great　difficulty　in　deciding　upon　a　proper



equivalent　for　the　word　〃God；〃　the　archbishop　answered；　〃That　is



quite　natural；　for　the　reason　that　the　Chinese　have　really　no



conception　of　such　a　Being。〃







Toward　the　close　of　my　interview　with　the　Emperor；　then；　I



referred　to　the　archbishop；　and　congratulated　the　monarch　on



having　so　accomplished　and　devoted　a　prelate　in　his　church。　At



this　he　said；　〃You　speak　Russian；　then？〃　to　which　I　answered　in



the　negative。　〃But；〃　he　said；　〃how　then　could　you　talk　with　the



archbishop？〃　I　answered；　〃He　spoke　in　French。〃　The　Emperor　seemed



greatly　surprised　at　this；　and　well　he　might　be；　for　the



ecclesiastics　in　Russia　seem　the　only　exceptions　to　the　rule　that



Russians　speak　French　and　other　foreign　languages　better　and　more



generally　than　do　any　other　people。







This　interview　concluded；　I　was　taken　through　a　long　series　of



apartments　filled　with　tapestries；　porcelain；　carvings；



portraits；　and　the　like；　to　be　received　by　the　Empress。　She　was



slight　in　figure；　graceful；　with　a　most　kindly　face　and　manner；



and　she　put　me　at　ease　immediately；　addressing　me　in　English；　and



detaining　me　much　longer　than　I　had　expected。　She；　too；　spoke　of



the　Chicago　Exposition；　saying　that　she　had　ordered　some　things



of　her　own　sent　to　it。　She　also　referred　very　pleasantly　to　the



Rev。　Dr。　Talmage　of　Brooklyn；　who　had　come　over　on　one　of　the



ships　which　brought　supplies　to　the　famine…stricken；　and　she



dwelt　upon　sundry　similarities　and　dissimilarities　between　our



own　country　and　Russia；　discussing　various　matters　of　local



interest；　and　was　in　every　way　cordial　and　kindly。







The　impression　made　by　the　Emperor　upon　me　at　that　time　was



deepened　during　my　whole　stay。　He　was　evidently　a　strong



character；　but　within　very　unfortunate　limitsupright；　devoted



to　his　family；　with　a　strong　sense　of　his　duty　to　his　people　and



of　his　accountability　to　the　Almighty。　But　more　and　more　it



became　evident　that　his　political　and　religious　theories　were



narrow；　and　that　the　assassination　of　his　father　had　thrown　him



back　into　the　hands　of　reactionists。　At　court　and　elsewhere　I



often　found　myself　looking　at　him　and　expressing　my　thoughts



inwardly　much　as　follows：　〃You　are　honest；　true…hearted；　with　a



deep　sense　of　duty；　but　what　a　world　of　harm　you　are　destined　to



do！　With　your　immense　physical　frame　and　giant　strength；　you　will



last　fifty　years　longer；　you　will　try　by　main　force　to　hold　back



the　whole　tide　of　Russian　thought；　and　after　you　will　come　the



deluge。〃　There　was　nothing　to　indicate　the　fact　that　he　was　just



at　the　close　of　his　life。







At　a　later　period　I　was　presented　to　the　heir　to　the　throne；　now



the　Emperor　Nicholas　II。　He　seemed　a　kindly　young　man；　but　one　of



his　remarks　amazed　and　disappointed　me。　During　the　previous　year



the　famine；　which　had　become　chronic　in　large　parts　of　Russia；



had　taken　an　acute　form；　and　in　its　train　had　come　typhus　and



cholera。　It　was；　in　fact；　the　same　wide…spread　and　deadly



combination　of　starvation　and　disease　which　similar　causes



produced　so　often　in　Western…Europe　during　the　middle　ages。　From



the　United　States　had　come　large　contributions　of　money　and



grain；　and　as；　during　the　year　after　my　arrival；　there　had　been　a



recurrence　of　the　famine；　about　forty　thousand　rubles　more　had



been　sent　me　from　Philadelphia　for　distribution。　I　therefore



spoke　on　the　general　subject　to　him；　referring　to　the　fact　that



he　was　president　of　the　Imperial　Relief　Commission。　He　answered



that　since　the　crops　of　the　last　year　there　was　no　longer　any



suffering；　that　there　was　no　famine　worthy　of　mention；　and　that



he　was　no　longer　giving　attention　to　the　subject。　This　was　said



in　an　offhand；　easy…going　way　which　appalled　me。　The　simple　fact



was　that　the　famine；　though　not　so