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watch　the　approach　of　cholera；　especially　on　the　Persian



frontier。　Admirable　precautions　had　been　taken　for　securing



telegraphic　information；　and　every　day　I　received　notices　from



the　Foreign　Office　as　a　result；　which　I　communicated　to



Washington。　For　ages　Russia　had　relied　on　fetishes　of　various



kinds　to　preserve　her　from　great　epidemics；　but　at　last　her



leading　officials　had　come　to　realize　the　necessity　of　applying



modern　science　to　the　problem；　and　they　did　this　well。　In　the



city　〃sanitary　columns〃　were　established；　made　up　of　small　squads



of　officials　representing　the　medical　and　engineering　professions



and　the　police；　these　visited　every　nook　and　corner　of　the　town；



and；　having　extraordinary　powers　for　the　emergency；　compelled



even　the　most　dirty　people　to　keep　their　premises　clean。



Excellent　hospitals　and　laboratories　were　established；　and　of



these　I　learned　much　from　a　former　Cornell　student　who　held　an



important　position　in　one　of　them。　Coming　to　town　three　or　four



times　a　week　from　my　summer　cottage　in　Finland；　I　was　struck　by



the　precautions　on　the　Finnish　and　other　railways：　notices　of



what　was　to　be　done　to　prevent　cholera　and　to　meet　it　were



posted；　in　six　different　languages；　disinfectants　were　made



easily　accessible；　the　seats　and　hangings　in　the　railway…cars



were　covered　with　leather　cloth　frequently　washed　with



disinfectants；　and　to　the　main　trains　a　hospital…car　was



attached；　while　a　temporary　hospital；　well　equipped；　was



established　at　each　main　station。　In　spite　of　this；　the　number　of



cholera　patients　at　St。　Petersburg　in　the　middle　of　July　rose　to



a　very　high　figure；　and　the　number　of　deaths　each　day　from



cholera　was　about　one　hundred。







Of　these　victims　the　most　eminent　was　Tschaikovsky；　the　composer；



a　man　of　genius　and　a　most　charming　character；　to　whom　Mr。　Andrew



Carnegie　had　introduced　me　at　New　York。　One　evening　at　a



dinner…party　he　poured　out　a　goblet　of　water　from　a　decanter　on



the　table；　drank　it　down；　and　next　day　was　dead　from　Asiatic



cholera。　But；　with　this　exception；　the　patients　were；　so　far　as　I



learned；　almost　entirely　from　the　peasant　class。　Although　boiled



water　was　supplied　for　drinking　purposes；　and　some



public…spirited　individuals　went　so　far　as　to　set　out　samovars



and　the　means　of　supplying　hot　tea　to　peasant　workmen；　the　answer



of　one　of　the　muzhiks；　when　told　that　he　ought　to　drink　boiled



water；　indicated　the　peasant　view：　〃If　God　had　wished　us　to　drink



hot　water；　he　would　have　heated　the　Neva。〃















CHAPTER　XXXVI







MY　RECOLLECTIONS　OF　POBEDONOSTZEFF1892…1894







On　arriving　at　St。　Petersburg　in　1892　to　take　charge　of　the



American　legation；　there　was　one　Russian　whom　I　more　desired　to



meet　than　any　otherConstantine　Pobedonostzeff。　For　some　years



various　English　and　American　reviews　had　been　charging　him　with



bigotry；　cruelty；　hypocrisy；　and；　indeed；　with　nearly　every



hateful　form　of　political　crime；　but　the　fact　remained　that　under



Alexander　III　he　was　the　most　influential　personage　in　the



empire；　and　that；　though　bearing　the　title　of　〃procurator…general



of　the　Most　Holy　Synod；〃　he　was　evidently　no　less　powerful　in



civil　than　in　ecclesiastical　affairs。







As　to　his　history；　it　was　understood　to　be　as　follows：　When　the



Grand　Duke　Nicholas；　the　eldest　son　of　Alexander　II；a　young　man



of　gentle　characteristics；　greatly　resembling　his　father；died



upon　the　Riviera；　the　next　heir　to　the　throne　was　his　brother



Alexander；　a　stalwart；　taciturn　guardsman；　respected　by　all　who



knew　him　for　honesty　and　directness；　but　who；　having　never　looked



forward　to　the　throne；　had　been　brought　up　simply　as　a　soldier；



with　few　of　the　gifts　and　graces　traditional　among　the　heirs　of



the　Russian　monarchy　since　the　days　of　Catherine。







Therefore　it　was　that　it　became　necessary　to　extemporize　for　this



soldier　a　training　which　should　fit　him　for　the　duties　of　the



position　so　unexpectedly　opened　to　him；　and　the　man　chosen　as　his



tutor　was　a　professor　at　Moscow；　distinguished　as　a　jurist　and



theologian；a　man　of　remarkable　force　of　character；　and　devoted



to　Russian　ideas　as　distinguished　from　those　of　Western　Europe：



Constantine　Pobedonostzeff。







During　the　dark　and　stormy　days　toward　the　end　of　his　career；



Alexander　II　had　called　in　as　his　main　adviser　General



Loris…Melikoff；　a　man　of　Armenian　descent；　in　whom　was　mingled



with　the　shrewd　characteristics　of　his　race　a　sincere　desire　to



give　to　Russia　a　policy　and　development　in　accordance　with　modern



ideas。







The　result　the　world　knows　well。　The　Emperor；　having　taken　the



advice　of　this　and　other　councilors；deeply　patriotic　men　like



Miloutine；　Samarine；　and　Tcherkassky；had　freed　the　serfs　within



his　empire　（twenty　millions　in　all）；　had　sanctioned　a　vast　scheme



by　which　they　were　to　arrive　at　the　possession　of　landed



property；　had　established　local　self…government　in　the　various



provinces　of　his　empire；　had　improved　the　courts　of　law；　had



introduced　Western　ideas　into　legal　procedure；　had　greatly



mitigated　the　severities　formerly　exercised　toward　the　Jews；　and



had　made　all　ready　to　promulgate　a　constitution　on　his



approaching　birthday。







But　this　did　not　satisfy　the　nihilistic　sect。　What　more　they



wanted　it　is　hard　to　say。　It　is　more　than　doubtful　whether　Russia



even　then　had　arrived　at　a　stage　of　civilization　when　the



institutions　which　Alexander　II　had　already　conceded　could　be



adopted　with　profit；　but　the　leaders　of　the　anarchic　movement；



with　their　vague　longings　for　fruit　on　the　day　the　tree　was



planted；　decreed　the　Emperor's　deaththe　assassination　of　the



greatest　benefactor　that　Russia　has　ever　known；　one　of　the



greatest　that　humanity　has　known。　It　was；　perhaps；　the　most



fearful　crime　ever　committed　against　liberty　and　freedom；　for　it



blasted　the　hopes　and　aspirations　of　over　a　hundred　millions　of



people；　and　doubtless　for　many　generations。







On　this　the　sturdy　young　guardsman　became　the　Emperor　Alexander



III。　It　is　related　by　men　conversant　with　Russian　affairs　that；



at　the　first　meeting　of　the　imperial　councilors；　Loris…Melikoiff；



believing　that　the　young　sovereign　would　be　led　by　filial



reverence　to　continue　the　liberal　policy　to　which　the　father　had



devoted　his　life；　made　a　speech　taking　this　for　granted；　and　that



the　majority　of　those　present；　including　the　Emperor；　seemed　in



accord　with　him；　when　suddenly　there　arose　a　tall；　gaunt；



scholarly　man；　who　at　first　very　simply；　but　finally　very



eloquently；　presented　a　different　view。　According　to　the



chroniclers　of　the　period；　Pobedonostzeff　told　the　Emperor　that



all　so…called　liberal　measures；　including　the　constitution；　were



a　delusion；　that；　though　such　things　might　be　suited　to　Western



Europe；　they　were　not　suited　to　Russia；　that　the　constitution　of



that　empire　had　been；　from　time　immemorial；　the　will　of　the



autocrat；　directed　by　his　own　sense　of　responsibility　to　the



Almighty；　that　no　other　constitution　was　possible　in　Russia；　that



this　alone　was　fitted　to　the　traditions；　the　laws；　the　ideas　of



the　hundred　and　twenty　millions　of　various　races　under　the



Russian　scepter；　that　in　other　parts　of　the　world　constitutional



liberty；　so　called；　had　already　shown　itself　an　absurdity；　that



socialism；　anarchism；　and　nihilism；　with　their　plots　and　bombs；



were　appearing　in　all　quarters；　that　murder　was　plotted　against



rulers　of　nations　everywhere；　the　best　of　presidents　having　been



assassinated　in　the　very　country　where　free　institutions　were



supposed　to　have　taken　the　most　complete　hold；　that　the　principle



of　authority　in　human　government　was　to　be　saved；　and　that　this



principle　existed　as　an　effective　force　only　in　Russia。







This　speech　is　said　to　have　carried　all　before　it。　As　its



immediate　result　came　the　retirement　of　Loris…Melikoff；　followed



by　his　death　not　long　afterward；　the　entrance　of　Pobedonostzeff



among　the　most　cherished　councilors　of　the　Emperor；　the



suppression　of　the　constitution；　the　discouragement　of　every



liberal　tendency；　and　that　fanatical　reaction　which　has　been　in



full　force　ever　since。







This　was　the　man　whom　I　especially　desired　to　see　and　to



understand；　and　therefore　it　was　that　I　was　very　glad　to　receive



from　the　State　Department　instructions　to　consult　with　him



regarding　some　rather　delicate　matters　needing　adjustment　between



the　Greek　Church　and　our　authorities　in　Alaska；　and　also　in



relation　to　the　representation　of　Russia　at　the　Chicago



Exposition。







I　found　him；　as　one　of　the　great　ministers　of　the　crown；　residing



in　a　ministerial　palace；　but　still　retaining；　in　large　measure；



his　old　quality　of　professor。　About　him　was　a　beautiful　library；



with　every　evidence　of　a　love　for　art　and　literature。　I　had　gone



into　his　presence　with　many　feelings　of　doubt。　Against　no　one　in



Russia　had　charges　so　bitter　been　made　in　my　hearing：　it　was



universally　insisted　that　he　was　responsible　for　the　persecution



of　the　Roman　Catholics　in　Poland；　of　the　Lutherans　in　the　Baltic



provinces　and　in　Finland；　of　the　Stundists　in　Central　Russia；　and



of　the　dissenting　sects　everywhere。　He　had　been　spoken　of　in　the



English　reviews　as　the　〃Torquemada　of　the　nineteenth　century；〃



and　this　epithet　seemed　to　be　generally　accepted　as　fitting。







I　found　him　a　scholarly；　kindly　man；　ready　to　discuss　the