. A thousand years of Russian history. g a boat capsizein the Neva and some sailors struggling for their lives in thewater, the Tsar jumped in after them, and at the risk ofhis own life saved the drowning men. He had hardly re-covered from a severe illness, and the icy water gave him achill which a few days later proved fatal. There are writerswho criticise this act of rescue, making it a reproach to theTsar that he thus sacrificed his life : they contend that helacked the sense of proportion which ought to have told himthat his life was of greater value to the nation than the livesof a few sa
. A thousand years of Russian history. g a boat capsizein the Neva and some sailors struggling for their lives in thewater, the Tsar jumped in after them, and at the risk ofhis own life saved the drowning men. He had hardly re-covered from a severe illness, and the icy water gave him achill which a few days later proved fatal. There are writerswho criticise this act of rescue, making it a reproach to theTsar that he thus sacrificed his life : they contend that helacked the sense of proportion which ought to have told himthat his life was of greater value to the nation than the livesof a few sailors. But surely it was a noble thing to do, eventhough he was an Emperor! It had become an ingrainedhabit with the Tsar to make sacrifices on behalf of his nation ;and thus to throw away his life in the rescue of otherlives came naturally to him. Peter died as he had lived,faithful to the ideal of duty, a man truly Great, a rulerwith a better right to this title than most kings and emperorsof whom history speaks. PETER THE GREAT 105. The Empire o¥ Russia. CHAPTER VIII THE REFORMS OF PETER THE GREAT In writing about the reforms of Peter the Great it is onlyfair to say that historians differ, according to their politicalconvictions, as to their value, and, while agreed as to thegreatness of his personality and ready to credit him withgenius, they are greatly at variance in judging the results ofhis life-work. Those of the Slavophile school condemn hisreforms wholesale, pre-Petrine Russia appearing to themperfect; while the school of Westerners—the present-daysuccessors of men like Boris Godounov, Alexei Mikhailovitch,and Golitzin—consider Peter the saviour of his people. Yet another point of view is presented by critics whoagree that Muscovite Russia needed reform, but urge thatthe method of reform might have been wiser. Russia, theysay, would have fared better had she been permitted to evolvegradually her own peculiar State organisation in harmonywith her national charact
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