San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-05-17
RUSSIA AND COUNT ToLsToI.

y
of this city, that the "mines of Siberia
are full of people whose curses follow
the inhuman monster CTolstoi) who
was as devoid of pity as he was iesti-
tute of virtue" is not sufficient. 1t is
not wise that the readers of the LIGHT
should be left with so incomplete
statement concerning one of the most
remarkable men Russia has produced.
Count Tolstoi was born a noble in the
year 1923. His mother, who was the
only daughter of Prince Nolkonsky,
died when he was two years old.
When Tolstoi was ten years of age his
father died and his estate was so en-
cumbere that the family was sepa-
rated. Tolstoi received desultory
education and spent one year at the
university of Moscow. In 1851 he en-
tered the army and went into the
Caucasus where he remained three
years, doing active service, and at
this time commenced to write fiction.
He was a prominent character in the
Crimean war. and at its close, with
the'rank or DIVISION commander, was
sent to st. Petersburg where he was
very much cOurted. His war stories
created great stir and he began to be
recognized as one of Russia's greatest
writers. The emancipation OF the
serfs in 1861 stirred his interest in
land and labor questions, and no
went abroad to study the problem. in
other lands. His wife was the daugh-
ter of a university professor ana her
estates lay near his own. He became
very actively engaged in promoting
the popular education, and seeing the
want of proper elementary works for
schools gave up his general literary
labOrS for ten years and confined NM
self exclusively to publishing school
books. His estate of 5000 acres ne
cultivated in person, working side by
side with his men and devoted MINI
self to their education and care as
though they were his own children.
In 1878, during the raging of famine
in a distant province, he went person
ally to the scene, wrote telling letters
in the public prints, and directed at
tentiOn so fOrcibly to the necessities
of the case that relief was sent from
all parts of the empire, as well by
government as by private indiVld-
uals.
AS to his mental attitude, his works
bear abundant evidence, and his
name is hOnOred all over Russia as
the one man who, above all others,
made his domestic life as near as
al, lo al 70
Christ. Hewas pure socialist of the
Apostolic type. His works show nm
pitiless in portrayal OF the vices OF
the wealthy and the tOllies OF the
aristOcratic class, while he Is uni
versally warm in his praise Of virtue
and simplicity. He teaches that the
future safety of Russia is to be OBJ
tanned only by bringing life ID the
standard of the rude simplicity adopt
ed by the common people; by recog-
nizing in act as we'll as thought the
brotherhood of man. The very con-
ditions of Russian civilization seem
to compel the social philosopher of
rank to accept an existence of pure
worldliness and empty show, or to
adopt the primitive life and
humble toll OF the tilers OF
the soil. AS between these
two Count TOlstOi for over
twenty years sided with and adopted
the latter. He made his rule of life
a literal following Of the precepts of
the sermon on the mount. His
work What to Do is a complete
answer to himself of how he is to
meet the great social questions of the
! age. He shows on the one side the
increase OF wealth, and side by side
| with it the increase of restitution and
crime; on the one side pride and idle
ness, on the other beggary and
| anarchy. He says modern civiliza-
ton is sowing the whirlwind, whM
shall we and our children reaks He
had lived the idle pampered life OF
the upper classes, and having inter
ested himself in the life of the com
mon people he travelled to acquaint
himself with the poverty of men and
| their descent into crime. What must
we do? is his question, forced upon
him by this condition and he finds
the solution in labOr-bodily labor,
mental labor, moral labOr-labQr for
existence in which every man must
lend hand to help his neighbor. 1t
is democracy pure and simple. Social
ism in its New Testament features
every man liveing in accordance with
the golden rule and eating his bread
in the sweat of his brow.
1t may be utOpian; it may be i'm.
practicable, it is not inhuman, it is not
pitiless. 1t is not the life or the
work or the teaching of man who Is
regarded as a monster and who PEG.
Piles Siberia with cursing exiies. The
| ocnNarnmnnt of PnrCin tnn r., h M nnI