Central High School - EN EM Yearbook (North Manchester, IN)

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10 MAPLE LEAVES. all loss and no gain?” Russia has long been dormant, but the surrounding European nations have been progressing. They have met with perplexing national problems and solved them, but at the price of a hard experience. And so it is very clear that Russia, which is now coming up in the hardihood of a young, growing and expanding nation, having the great advantage of profiting by the experience of her rivals, will equal and surpass them. It is certain that Russia is profiting by these examples. For instance, the clever Tsar was the originator of the Hague Peace Tribunal. Thus he at the same time, held the balance of power and won praise as the founder of a grand institution. And as a second instance, we may analyze the Tsar’s late decree, which is a solution for the turbulent uprisings of the peasants that have long disturbed the empire. The shrewd Tsar, in his proclamation, grants religious freedom to all his subjects; and promises to release the peasants from forced labor and to revise the laws concerning the rural communes or “mirs.” What does all this mean? It means that the Tsar proposes to have neither a repetition of the bloody English struggles for religious freedom nor the French Revolution; it means that the sovereign recognizes the demands of the common people, or, in other words, that a step has been taken towards constitutional government. May it not even mean that autocracy is losing ground and that autonomy is as rapidly taking its place? The political organization of Russia is a very heterogenous structure and it has, at the bottom a very great deal of self-government, based on democratic principles. The Tsar has gathered about him an advisory body not greatly dissimilar to the Cabinet of the United States. Though his choice is arbitrary, the Tsar seldom refuses the plans and advice of this body. The political unit of the Empire is the “mir” or commune, and several communes make up a canton. The administrative body of the communes and cantons, the “zemstros,” choose their own executive and administer all the public improvements. The Tsar seldom meddles with these. Such legislation clearly indicates an inevitable change in government. Slowly the Slavonians are learning what liberty is and when once they have learned it, it will be “liberty or death.” With a fair understanding of the political affairs of Russia, one may review her army and hastily glance at her resources, her commerce and geographical position, and then draw some conclusion. The good humor of the Russian soldier is undoubtedly his chief and most visible characteristic. Noth- ing seems to discourage him. Though drenched to the skin, though chilled to the bone, and though his lips are blue with cold, still he maintains his good humor and never utters a complaint. He will endure the greatest hardships and he will fight and die—all because he regards it as his simple duty. He is a zealous Christian. He reverences his military superior and renders him filial obedience. He receives only several dollars a year for his services and he is animated therefore by the truest patriotism. The average Russian soldiers are by far the finest specimens of physical manhood seen in any country. They are big men, with thick necks, powerful shoulders, deep chests, great stomach capacities, heavy skulls and ruddy faces. Their physical vigor is at once attractive—they are soldiers of iron. Their food is the simplest and their powers of endurance remarkable. Moreover, nine hundred thousand of such men reach the military age every year and the government puts over two hundred thousand into active service. What a human magazine to draw from! Besides all this, Russia has a navy that ranks among the best in Europe. As to Russia’s resources, they are vast, but as yet unorganized. Russia has coal, iron, timber, fisheries, the richest gold fields and a bread-producing area, second only to that of the United States. The manufacturing industries, though in their infancy, are making great strides. Russia has never been a commercial nation because of the lack of sea coast, but she is ambitious to become one and makes this ambition a national policy. This policy has backed most of her foreign wars. She commands the Baltic Sea and wistfully casts her eyes on Constantinople. She has gained one free port for the terminus of the Trans-Siberian railroad and is greedy for more. All of her advances are cautious. A few years ago by a shrewd coup d’ etat she temporarily seized the control of Korea, only to see how the pulse of the powers was beating. When she had satisfied her curiosity, she quickly relinquished the seized territory. If any country has the upper hand of China, it is Russia. Suppose, if you can, that this empire, which is already a world in itself, which, in one contiguous unit embraces one-half of Europe and one-third of Asia, plays a successful hand in the dissolution of the Far East and obtains a goodly number of open ports on the Pacific coast and a fair slice of the Chinese Empire, then, by the aijl of cheap Chinese labor and her vast dormant resources in Asia, the Muscovites will establish such a commercial nation as to outrival all competitors. The English may become chagrined, the Germans may look longingly, and the American Eagle may boisterosly flap its wings, but in vain—the growling Bear will not budge.

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 MAPLE sons in Great Britain who hold the title at the present time. A few of these are Scotch and Irish earls. The Earl Marshal is an hereditary officer of state who directs important ceremonies, takes cognizance of matters of honor and pedigree, and proclaims the declaration of war or peace. The office was established by Richard II, and is now held by the Howard family, the head of which is the Duke of Norfolk. The viscount is a title brought originally from France, though the dignity was known in England before the title was applied. In early times a viscount was the deputy of an earl and executed the duties of sheriff. As a title of nobility the viscount dates from 1440. The first to hold the title was John Beaumont, made Viscount Beaumont by Henry VI. The title was accompanied by no office and has never been extensively bestowed. The coronet of the viscount has sixteen silver balls set on the rim of a gold circlet. The cap, like those of all other nobles, is of crimson velvet with a gold tassel. The term baron was originally applied to any man with tenants. In many old documents it is used to signify all the titular nobility. But the barons in the true sense of the term were the tenants-in-chief of the King, who held seats in the council of peers. Richard II restricted the inheritance of the title to male heirs. He first conferred the dignity by letters patent. There have been a few instances in which the title has descended to the heirs of a brother and as in the case of Lord Nelson, the heirs of a sister were given the barony. The Scotch barony of Fairfax has descended to the Virginia family of Fairfax, who, by consent of the English crown, hold the title, though they remain American citizens. The tenth baron of this family was at one time speaker of the House of Representatives in the State of California. Charles II gave the barons a coronet like the viscounts, except that there are but eight pearls on that of the baron. The state robe is of scarlet velvet with two doublings of white fur with rows of gold lace. A baron takes precedence after the viscounts. When James I came to the throne of England, the exchequer was nearly empty. In order to supply himself with funds, the King executed the title of baronet, though he claimed that the money thus obtained should be used on Ireland. The cost of a baronetcy was £1,095. The recipient of the dignity must be of noble descent and must have a yearly income of no less than £1,000. The number of baronets was not to exceed two hundred, but the restriction has been disregarded. Baronetcies are conferred by patents. The baronet is a commoner, hence he is not a member of the peerage and holds no seat in the House of Lords. He wears no coronet, but has the arms of Ulster as a badge of honor. Baronets rank after the younger sons of barons, and among themselves they take precedence according to the date of their pat- LEAVES. 9 ent. The first to receive the dignity was Sir Nicholas Bacon, the date of whose patent was May 22, 1611. His decendant is still the premier baronet of England. Though the British peerage is of little importance, and though the House of Lords is little more than a figurehead, it is probable that both the peerage and the House of Lords will be maintained as long as the British Empire exists. Some of the English commoners have refused titles when offered them; but the reverence the British people have for these customs which have been handed down to them from early times will preserve the nobility from extinction as it has preserved the crown itself. THE RISING POWER OF RUSSIA. CORYN B. WRIGIIT. The average student of general history looks upon the Russians as one of the less important peoples of the world’s history. In the light of their past history such an idea is well grounded, but it is high time that we get a more vivid conception of this great country, that we inquire into existing conditions, in order to correct this old notion, and that we deduce a few certain conclusions as to the coming power of the Slav. In the early dawn of civilization three great members of the human family began to struggle for European supremacy. These were the Celts, Teutons and Slavs. The Teutons drove the Celts to the very verge of the continent and there the latter are still clinging, humbled by the rule of their oppressors. But in this early contest, the Slav was the most progressive. He came at the heels of the Teuton, he obtained and still holds the eastern half of Europe and had not a woeful calamity befallen him, who knows but what he would hold today the most assuming position in the affairs of the Old World. In the year 1224, by the victory of Kalka, Tartar dominion began in Russia. That dominion lasted about three hundred years and when it closed Russia had become Asiatic. This sad misfortune delayed for centuries the civilization and nationalization of the Slavonian people. Russia has never recovered from this terrible devastation of her Mongul conquerors. Genghis Khan, with his Tartar hordes, traversed a great part of the country with sword and torch. Millions of lives were taken; many populous districts were swept of their populations and to this day, remain uninhabited. This was a terrible backset to the Slav, for while he checked the advance of the Tartars, the Teuton, his rival neighbor, was left unobstructed in the advancement of civilization. We have seen the direful effects of the cruel Tartar invasion, and now the question comes, “Has it been

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11 I MAPLE LEAVES. PEN PICTURES.—STRIKING SCENES IN VIRGIL. MINNIE V. JOHN. Many very beautiful pictures are portrayed in Virgil’s Aenead; Virgil, who for ages was looked upon as a conjuror, and as possessed of miraculous powers, and whom St. Augustine often referred to as the highest bloom of Pagan art. Let us spend a few leisure moments in rambling through the picture gallery belonging to Aeneas. The walls are decorated in a magnificent manner with thousands of the beautiful pictures portrayed by the grand artist, and luxurious couches invite us to sit down and revel in the beautiful scenery, but we are compelled to press onward. Just as we leave the vestibule our attention is called to the picture which very vividly represents the voyage of the Trojan hero over the vast expanse of the sea. The fleet was scarcely out of sight of the Sicilian shores, when Juno, resolved to prevent them from reaching Italy, and drove them from their course by a fearful storm. She fiercely hurled the thunderbolt of Jupiter from the heavens, scattering the ships and disturbing the sea with the winds. Like a mighty army the wind rushed orth, while the gusty southwest winds lasted the waves into a fury as it dashed the vast billows to the shore. The cries of men and the shrieks of women were heard, as the wind howled through the rigging. The clouds collected and the darkness of midnight settled over the sea. The thunder rumbled and crashed, the air seemed fairly one blaze of light, and death seemed imminent to the heroes. As the wind blew from the north, a blast struck the sail full in the front and the waves rolled to the very top of the mast. The oars were dashed to pieces, the prow swung round, exposing the side to the wave, and the towering billow piled up behind them like a mighty mountain. Some of the ships were balanced on the crest of the waves, the sea yawning beneath, while the ground is laid bare and the swelling flood boils with sand. The south wind caught and whirled the ships on hidden rocks; the southeast wind drove them from the deep into the shallows and dashed them on the shoals. The prow of one of the boats was torn off and the helmsman was pitched headlong into the sea, while the ship whirled three times around in the same spot, as the hungry whirlpool sucked it beneath the surface. Men were seen here and there battling with the waves, their arms clinging to planks for protection. The storm conquered the ships, one by one; all received the destructive deluge either in the joints of the side or in the seams, which were torn wide open. In the meantime Neptune, in his wanderings through the sea, perceived the great confusion; the waters agitated from the very depth of the sea, and the shattered fleet of Aeneas. He became very angry, and as his massive head towered above the waves, the whole uproar of the sea was immediately calmed. The fatigued followers of Aeneas, who remained unharmed, but weary and discouraged, made all haste to reach the nearest shore, which was that of Lybia. The place was a deep inlet, on either side of which vast cliffs and rocks rose threateningly heavenward. A grove, bristling with shadows, overhung the cliffs, and near by was a cave, within which were to be found springs of fresh water, and seats of natural rocks—the home of the nymphs. Seven ships had weathered the storm. The exhausted Trojans disembarked and dripping with the salty water, stretched themselves out on the shore. Leaving the Trojans to recruit their wearied bodies, we pass on and are horrified as we see the picture of Laocoon and his two sons in the coils of the dreadful serpent. Laocoon protested against the deceptive horse which the crafty Greeks had constructed, when, behold! two huge serpents were seen breasting the deep salt sea lashed with foam as they approached the shore. Their bloody crests towered above the waves, while the rest of their bodies extended behind them roods over the sea. Their glistening eyes were suffused with blood and fire as they licked their hissing jaws with their forked tongues. The crowd fled in all directions, but the serpents sought out Laocoon directly. They first entwined about the bodies of his two sons, and Laocoon attempted to aid them but the serpents at once seized upon his body, winding their huge coils around his waist, they throw their scaly bodies three times around his neck, and their lofty heads tower above him. Laocoon struggled to tear apart the knotted coils and cried for assistance. At length the serpents, having satisfied the cruel revenge of Minerva, fled to her citadel and were concealed at her feet. But let us leave this dreaful picture; and as we pass on, notice the wonderful structure of the massive horse, the cunning device by which the Greeks gained entrance to the Trojan city. Dido, grief-stricken at the departure of her lover, Aeneas, and the burning city of Troy, all very interesting pictures, w'hich we are loth to leave, but a little farther on we see one which lures us on. We find this to be a picture suggesting the voyage of Aeneas through Orcus. As we pass with him through the lower world, we see in imagination all the incidents and perils of his wanderings until the dream seems to us a living fact; he commands our thoughts and under his guidance we tread with ghostly footsteps that dim and unknown highway, which extends beyond the grave. First we advance to a picture which leads us to a dark cave where