ALEXANDER III. 



ANGLICAN CHURCHES. 



aside the plans for liberalizing the Government 

 that had been originated by Melikoff and adopted 

 by Alexander II, and resolved upon a stern policy 

 of repression. The result was what might have 

 been expected. The Nihilists became more des- 

 perate than before, more determined than ever 

 to keep up the conflict by what they considered 

 the only means in their power. They issued two 

 proclamations one addressed to the new Em- 

 peror, the other to the people of Europe. In the 

 first they told the Emperor that they would 

 cease from terrorism only on two conditions : 

 that he pardon all political offenders, and that 

 he call a national assembly, to be elected by 

 popular vote of all classes, for revision and re- 

 form of the laws. In the proclamation to the 

 people they said : '' As the Russian revolutionary 

 party chose for its aim the elevation of the Rus- 

 sian workman and peasant to a higher plane of 

 intelligence and the improvement of their mate- 

 rial condition, it did not concern itself with the 

 political oppression and arbitrary injustice that 

 prevailed in our country, and took no part 

 in political questions. For this its recompense 

 was cruel persecution by the Russian Govern- 

 ment. Not isolated individuals, but hundreds 

 and thousands were martyred in prisons, in ex- 

 ile, in the mines; thousands of families were 

 broken up and plunged in immeasurable sorrow. 

 At the same time the Russian Government en- 

 larged the number and powers of the bureau- 

 cracy to an incredible degree, and gave the full- 

 est scope to the rule of rogues. In all countries 

 individuals are overtaken by ruin, but nowhere 

 from such slight causes as in Russia. Scorning 

 the pitiful existence of slaves, the Russian social- 

 revolutionary party determined either to perish 

 or to crush the despotism, centuries old, that 

 stifled the life of the Russian people. The ca- 

 tastrophe that fell upon Alexander II is only a 

 single episode in the conflict." 



The secret police was reorganized, the guards 

 of the palaces, were strengthened, the Emperor 

 became practically a prisoner in his own home ; 

 even high officers could not reach him except 

 through a line of Cossacks, and constant search 

 was made, in both public and private houses, on 

 the assumption that somebody was plotting his 

 immediate assassination. And this assumption 

 was not far from the truth. Two dynamite 

 mines were discovered under a bridge in St. 

 Petersburg; an attempt was made to kill Gen. 

 Tcherevin, who had charge of the arrangements 

 for the protection of the Emperor ; and it was 

 found that all sorts of people were implicated in 

 the revolutionary movement, including at least 

 one naval officer and a second cousin of the Em- 

 peror. More than three thousand arrests were 

 made in a year. 



The ministry resigned when it became certain 

 that Alexander would permit no reform, and 

 Ignatieff succeeded Melikoff. The events of his 

 reign and the policy of his administration may 

 be learned from the articles on RUSSIA in the 

 successive volumes of the "Annual Cyclopaedia." 



Alexander III was nearly six feet high, broad- 

 shouldered, rather stout, and very muscular, 

 with auburn hair and light-gray eyes. He had a 

 well-equipped study in the Antichkov palace, and 

 was fond of reading history and the newspapers. 

 The cause of his death was chronic nephritis. 



ANGLICAN CHURCHES. Statistics of 

 the Church of England. The Church Year- 

 book for 1894 contains returns from all but 687 

 parishes of the Church of England against 1,263 

 parishes which failed to report for the edition 

 of 1893. No returns are given from the diocese 

 of Truro. This represents an approximation to 

 completeness of 5 per cent. In the parishes 

 represented 95 per cent, of the whole number 

 sitting accommodation is provided in churches 

 for 6,250,000 persons, and in mission rooms and 

 other buildings used for religious services for 

 750,000 more. The number of communicants is 

 given at somewhat less than 1,750,000. Existing 

 churches are used so freely and fully as to provide 

 an aggregate of 51,805 communions every month, 

 or 621,660 every year. And although a gross com- 

 municants' roll of less than 1,750,000 may seem 

 to be very inadequate, it is, on the other hand, 

 very encouraging to find that communicants' 

 classes are attended by nearly 200,000 persons, 

 adult Bible classes by more than 400,000, of 

 whom nearly half are men, and Sunday schools 

 by nearly 2,250,000 children ; while the church 

 workers, including district visitors, Sunday- 

 school teachers, lay readers, nurses, choirs, ring- 

 ers, etc., aggregate about 600,000 persons, or 

 more than 1 in every 50 of the whole popula- 

 tion. The summary of the balance sheet of vol- 

 untary contributions and of clerical incomes de- 

 rived from endowments gives : 



Voluntary contributions for the year 1892-'93 5,401,982 



Aggregate of net clerical incomes 3,285,990 



Excess of free donations over endowments, etc. 2,115,992 



Nearly 7,000 students have been trained in the 

 theological colleges that have been established 

 during the past half century. Between 1840 

 and 1892 46,000,000 were spent in the building 

 and restoration of churches. While in 1870, 

 when the first Education act was passed, the 

 Church had already provided 6,382 elementary 

 schools, besides training colleges sufficient for 

 the training of 1,850 teachers, and was teaching 

 844,000 pupils, it is now carrying on 11,935 

 schools, accommodating nearly 2,750,000 chil- 

 dren, with an average attendance of 1,750,000. 

 To support these schools and erect buildings for 

 them 36,000,000 have been spent. 



The following statistical summaries of the 

 Church of England have been compiled from 

 12,875 answers received from forms sent out by 

 the "Guardian" newspaper to every beneficecl 

 clergyman in the United Kingdom. Only 687 

 clergymen failed to respond to the inquiry.' To- 

 tal accommodation provided in parish churches, 

 chapels of ease, mission rooms, and other build- 

 ings, about 6,500,000 sittings ; net income of the 

 beneficed clergy, 3,285,901: total amount of 

 voluntary contributions, 5,401,982 ; number of 

 communicants, estimated at 1.607,930. Of the 

 sittings, those in parish churches are described 

 as being 1,361,800 appropriated and 3,925,944 

 free ; those in chapels of ease as 60,161 appropri- 

 ated and 408,982 free. The membership of the 

 Sunday schools includes 544,389 infants, 775,832 

 boys, and 885,323 girls. 55,467 men, and 132,544 

 women teachers. The various guilds contain 

 85,959 young men and 242,742 young women. 

 The list of other church workers includes 1,586 



