[Footnote: This story was told to the writer by a member of the committee.]
That interested him, but matters of state he left to his time servers,
to his hysterical wife, yes, to Grigory Rasputin, a dirty, ignorant, and
licentious peasant, until the country blushed with shame and it became a
saying, "Now we have Grigory I [Rasputin] as tsar."
The present war was declared by the Tsar but the people approved it because
they hoped that the defeat of Germany would mean the defeat of the German
reactionary influence in Russia, especially about the court, and a closer
union with democratic England and France. I was present at the capital at
the time that the war broke out and heard the cheers when the Emperor made
the declaration. It seemed as if Nicholas by coming out against Germany had
redeemed himself in the eyes of his people who were willing to wipe out the
past, and give him another chance. During the first months of the war he
was as popular as during the first weeks of his reign. It was not like the
Japanese war when the soldiers refused service; in this German war, the
men called to colors went without a murmur, they hoped that something good
would come out of it. Offers of help from individuals as well as commercial
and civic bodies poured in on the Government. The ministers said that
everything was ready, that in a few months the Russians would be in Berlin.
Pages:
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56