Show EUROPEAN TOPICS under and fa if the reign of alex were etea 1 of russia many people e IPri sed to hear that he had 1 the millions of serfs and enot the russian dominions govern en them a measure of self P claro there are many who fortunet fortu that at the death of this un the jee loi nut 0 monarch was caused by vieh sy of the nobles some of feht Z ia have ye continually advocated a do doni ra to the former system of serf ittu lie Y e et t even in russia liberal are making bg progress though ationo compared pared with the western 0 have ve gradually the nobility abow owana owan a cew 6 tha their opposition till a larg lar clear 1 majority arity are in favor of er to relax freedom om the czar seems I 1 W till 8 growth of liberal ideas h 14 they should prove a barrier to t to 0 pat kirc autocratic rule ru leand and is determined a check upon them the czars azars intimate friend and counsellor count tolstoi who holds a position in the russian cabinet equivalent to minister of the interior gerior has lately proposed two measures ures s by means or of which all the local government and judiciary of the districts and departments will be placed under the control of military mill tau chiefs and which are cu curiously siv enough termed reform beform bills A M who may be described as the czars azars evil genius no inapt term for the moderator of the holy synod is said to be the originator of these schemes the evident intention is to deprive the people of what little liberty they possess bind them hand and foot and then turn them over to the mild mercies of the military and ecclesiastics and thus restore as nearly as possible the state of thinks things which existed prior to emancipation ci in those halcyon days the serfs were under the heels of the nobility and gave the government no trouble on the other hand when the nobility held property in the serfs they had no inclination to become nihilisms nihilists lists or indulge in utopian ideas of liberty these so called reforms have met and are still meeting with tremendous and unusual opposition not merely from the other members of the imperial council but likewise from many of the nobility who are not willing to abandon their dream of freedom and return to the former condition of affairs still the emperor seems determined to push these schemes and undo all that the emperor alexander did neither the emperor the count nor the moderator seem to perceive that they are thus driving into disloyalty the best class clam of russian subjects and probably would be greatly surprised if they saw an effort at revolution as the result of their fine schemes the state of affairs in hungary is beginning to inspire serious concern vast processions professions process ions of the populace march nightly through the streets sometimes headed by more than a thousand students on the M attempted to address the hungarian chamber of duties deputies but his voice was drowned by discordant noises the president of the chamber could not restore order for mote mole than an hour seldom have such disturbances occurred in the hungarian parliament if the popular excitement continues the emperor and empress will cut short their visit the prime minister is greatly disappointed he had anticipated that the influence of the emperor would dissipate as if by enchantment the excitement of the last few weeks the fact that it has not done so proves am amply ay that the government is losing ground hitherto M has been as etu supreme preme in hungary as prince bismarck in germany for twelve years the hungarian cabinet appeared to the outside world to consist of M only but this popularity hm now received a severe shock it is no secret that this proposed army bill was f first rat framed in berlin under the auspices of marshal von moltke and the german general staff it was voted by the austrian chamber because it increased the fighting strength of the nation M wishes it to be rati ratified fled by the hungarian parliament one article of of the bill requires that all you young ing officers whether austrian hungarian bohemian tyrolese or pole must pass a rigid rigid examination in the german language before receiving their degrees the hungarians Hung arians are proud of of theu their national language and in this regard they have the sympathies of the other nationalities that comprise the austrian empire some of the wise ones are already saying that were it not for the personal character of the emperor francis joseph the dual character of the austrian emperor would soon cease and would eventually resolve itself into a sort of uni united ted states of the danube roumania Bou Rou manla servia and other principalities that are or may be built on the ruins of the ottoman empire would naturally favor such a confederation c to any one that will take the pains to study the history of france during the past two weeks there is abundant material for reflection in the midst of her political strife she continues to be the central point of inter estin est in europe this may be to some extent because she contains elements that affect the peace of the continent but it cannot be entirely ascribed to that cause true she seems to be the centre of every revolutionary lutio nary cyclone that affects the barometers of modern civilization but that is not all she is still and always the most fascinating and attractive among the nations and history itself seems tot to cherish herish a certain tenderness for the people who can never be counted upon for a day and yet are so skilled so witty so gifted and we might add so necessary to make up the great variety in inhuman human society fickle as the french has long since become a proverb and yet for a hundred years what perseverance she has shown in attempting to establish a republic who boull not wish that france might at last enjoy tranquility qui lity contentment an and cl a good government what could she not achieve with alft fifty years of peace and order her soil is so fertile her inhabitants so industrious and thrifty and her capacities so exceptional in art and science in manufactures and engineering and in the nameless quality tir bwy pervades all and for which alch her language alone has furnished a name that had she only peace and rest she would certainly soon become one of the most prosperous and powerful of european lands in the political order of things however she resembles those countries that have earthquakes as aa a regular institution A traveler was once asked what kind of a country venezuela was fo for r agriculture and commerce and h he e replied it would be excellent if it would woul donly only keep still so it is with our interesting and captivate ing neighbor restlessness seems seem sto to be her curse ler her national life seems to be a fever with I 1 intermittent ater mitte nt intervals of dubious calm yet france remains france and still wins from the outside world the tribute of goodwill already many of the deputies who voted against the floquet ministry regret its fall it is quite possible that general boulanger will yet be called to form a ministry if so boulanger as a minister may be the very personage who will destroy the influence of boulanger as an agitator england is soon to undergo another invasion recently buffalo bill stormed the cities now two american baseball teams are advancing by way of india they have won laurels in the far off australian lands they propose to play under the shadow or of the pyramids to have games in the coliseum startle vienna and paris with their alertness and nimble way waymand sand then invade england in time to reach the united states in april the young players will be more than welcome and thousands of the sedate islanders will heartily cheer the antics of the youngsters for the average when he really indulges in sport does it with with a zest which few if any other nation can excel these games though they be but trifles awaken an interest and goodwill between the two great branches of the anglo saxon race 1 J X H WARD WAED EUROPE february 23 1889 |