28 NOVEMBER 1914, Page 3

In the Times of Wednesday Mr. Stephen Graham gave a

pleasant picture of the popularity of the Russian Emperor. The change is extraordinary from the times when he travelled about through avenues of guarding soldiers. The Emperor is an idealist, but one misfortune after another, such as the Revolution and the Russo-Japanese War, stood between him and the people with whom he longed to be at one. All that is ended. He can travel unaccompanied yet safe, and men shout " God save the Tsar I" in the streets. We believe that the war is a turning-point not only in the life of the Tsar, but in that of all Russians. Temperance is rooted in a new habit, the Duma will grow in power, and despotism will not be able to live alongside a more constitutional Parliament and an autonomous Poland.