Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Grand Duke Boris on America

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 September 26, 1902

Grand Duke Boris of Russia, who arrived at Le Havre earlier today, gave "several amusing interviews," according to the Los Angeles Times.   The Grand duke recently some time in America.  He considers American newspapers as "irrepressibly entertaining," and brings a great curiosity to the United States.  He declares American society to be "delightful," and American progress is "so stupendous that it should be considered the ever-present problem  for every European nation."

When asked about American reporters, the Grand Duke said: "If you talk to him one minute about the weather, the next day he prints a whole column about your love affairs.  If you simply shake hands, remaining perfectly dumb, meanwhile, he will print two columns.  If you refuse to see him at all, you must expect a fill page of mixed dialogue and life sketches. Since ordinary champagne drinking was not picturesque enough for them, they represented me gulping it from dainty chorus girl's slippers."

The Grand Duke thinks all this was "amusing."

After Grand Duke Boris arrived in Paris, he went to the Hotel Ritz to visit Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich, who is at the hotel with Mme Pistoikors, "the companion of his fourth elopement.  

Apparently a "lively scene" ensued, but the conversation between the two Grand Dukes "is not known.

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