3i6 



The National Geographic Magazine 



natural that the Czar of all the Russias 

 should object to the surrender of his 

 power and prerogatives, inherited from 

 a long line of autocrats. But sooner or 

 later he will be divested of them. Al- 

 ready, as you have seen, many of them 

 have been stripped ofif. His weakness, 

 however, is the safety of the Empire. 

 Every thoughtftil man among the Lib- 

 eral party prays, if he prays at all, that 

 the life of Nicholas II may be pre- 

 served, for his vacillation and indecision 

 furnish an elasticity that is like a spring 

 in the bumpers of a railway car to soften 

 the shock of frequent collisions between 

 the people and the autocracy. In other 

 words, the Liberal leaders believe that 

 it is much better for the present peace 

 and the future welfare of Russia to 

 have a weak man rather than a strong 

 man to deal with, and that his frequent 

 changes of policy and his infirmity of 

 purpose will serve them better than the 

 stubborn resistance of a stern and deter- 

 mined sovereign, as his father was. 



Although the Czar is a voluntary pris- 

 oner, his life is not in danger, except 

 from some insane assassin. Neverthe- 

 less there is an always-present apprehen- 

 sion of danger. 



His Majesty's proclamation dissolving 

 the douma was pasted upon the door of 

 the Tauride Palace, in which the parlia- 

 ment met, and was signed in large let- 

 ters with His Majesty's name. Some 

 irreverent person, with the spirit of 

 prophecy, erased the signature "Nich- 

 olas 11" and inserted "Nicholas the 

 Last." 



THF, SECOND DOUMA 



The second douma was elected in Feb- 

 ruary, 1907, and organized in the month 

 following. By the arbitrary restriction 



of the right of suffrage to certain classes, 

 the government reduced the Radical ma- 

 jority considerably, and secured the elec- 

 tion of about thirty reactionaries or abso- 

 lute monarchists. During the first month 

 of the session the proceedings were much 

 more moderate and businesslike than 

 those of the first douma, and, on the 

 other hand, Mr Stolypin and his asso- 

 ciates showed a conciliatory disposition 

 toward that body in striking contrast 

 with the attitude of the previous ministry. 

 The Constitutional Democrats, however, 

 who, with the assistance of the Radicals, 

 have an overwhelming majority, are in- 

 clined to insist upon the same sweeping 

 reforms that were demanded by the first 

 douma, and at this writing do not prom- 

 ise any practical or useful legislation. 



It is useless to predict what will hap- 

 pen in Russia : but the autocracy is 

 ended. A constitution and a parliament 

 have been given to the people and cannot 

 be recalled. It is one of the great mys- 

 teries of Providence, which our feeble 

 minds have never been able to solve, 

 that human liberty must be bought with 

 suffering and blood; but it would seem 

 as if we were entering upon a new 

 period. There has been comparatively 

 little bloodshed in Russia, and in China 

 and Persia a peaceful regeneration of 

 their governments is going on. The 

 year 1906 will ever be memorable in the 

 history of civilization because it has seen 

 the dissolution of three despotisms and 

 the establishment of representative gov- 

 ernments upon their ruins. Only two 

 despotisms still remain among the na- 

 tions of the earth — Siam and Turkey ; 

 but the King of Siam has an Amer- 

 ican adviser, and the Great Turk dare 

 not go outside the walls that inclose his 

 palace. 



