Show GRAND DUKE NICHOLAS n ii RAND HAND DUKE NICHOLAS' NICHOLAS demotion dex de- de G VT x motion at the tile hands of the thc czar suggests that either cither the have been misleading us or that the tile grand dukes duke's fondness for retreat has weakened his hold upon the tue Russian Hussian people It is but a few weeks ago that we heard how Nicholas had tol told the tile czar to do ho thus and so or there would be a n new ruler in Russia and that the tile Autocrat of the tho humbly hum hum- bJ bly complied If this be true it is possible Czar Nicholas does hoes not re regard re- re gard gaid the recent Russian Hussian re er reverses as ns an unmixed evil It is better to b be le the unchallenged ruler of a beaten country than to be ruler of no country at all Russia ia has endured the grand dukes duke's failures a n great deal longer than that benighted nation permits anybody to lo fail without punishment Whether that bo be due to the czars czar's Unwillingness unwillingness unwillingness un un- willingness to demote his uncle which might hint at the tho fallibility of a royal blood continued grasp upon the tue throne depends upon Russian belief belief belief be be- lief in its infallibility or whether the supposed popular affection for the grand rand duke warned warnel the czar to be cautious cautious cau eau certain it is that that- few Russian nn militar military commanders have so long survived sur stir i cd a succession of defeats so un un- broken Descending from the tile sublime to lo the tile ridiculous one reflects tl that at the grand dukes duke's demotion to an nn unimportant post may be due to ph physical disability it ity perhaps sore feet cau caused ed by tile the operation of running backwards to winch which Duke Nicholas ha has lias been devoting devoting devot devot- ing BIg himself for some somo months That thought is inspired by t the tho e knowledge that a certain eminent British officer now flOW sojourning in in our midst i is travelling travelling travel travel- ling ling- safely in America instead of hi hibernating hibernating hi- hi in ill the dangerous dang trenches because his feet are s sore re Naturally the layman i is unable to understand why a British officer should be he incapacitated by sore feet although it is comprehensible why poor ability as a sprinter might bar jar a Russian Hussian The British army armr is fittin sitting comfortably idle iliC in in the Flanders Flan Finn lers ders trenches frenches exercising a part of the boa body some distance from frol the feet while the Russians according to the press pret s dispatches have hn shifted th their ir thought ht processes ses to t their heir feet and anti andare are Ire daily using them to great tage |