New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-04-06
TnLSI0TS "hEEETZEE SONAT4'

A recent dispatch from Moscow stated that
the University and College of llusbandry at
that city had been closed by the Government
on account of disorders among the students
and that these disorders were due TO " the
arbitrary action of the director. who prohibited
the circulation among the students Oh inc
.krcutzer sonata n work of Count T0stoi.
tho social rcformer." This is Count TolStoi ;
latest book. and it has not been published YET
the approval of the censor beng withheIu'
Russian methods of directing educational mat
tcrs are seldom such as cOnduce 70 any Otner
ends than the carrying out Of autocra'lc police
policies but in this case there Is subNtahual
ground for believing that the director OF the
Moscow University was really acting Jusuh-
ably. and for the best interests OF the students
TO Judge intclligcntly such matter, some
knowledge of the character OF the pfohiDiteu
hook * necessary and this knowledge Is sea-
sonably furnished by Tho Universal Review
for March. which publishes a paiaphraSc, with
literal extracts OF Tolstois " krcutzer Sonata ~
Nv Mr.. T.. ]. Dillon. who claims the permission
Of the author for the article. Now. while such
a palaphIase cannot convey the details oil inc
work and NAV through condensation tend IN
some respects to misrepresentation 1t no DOUBT
presents a sufficiently faithful outline shetch
10 afford a basis for criticism. Mr.. Dlllon,
moreover, has at the most important points
given the exact language OF Count Tolstoi, 50
that il is not possible to 90 very far aStray III
forming an opinion OF the work and its ten
denotes.
Judging it then from Mr. billions para
rhrosc and the accompanying criticisms from
the authors revised edition. it appears to be a
truly remarkable pcCr of literature, but most
a,surcdy not Of character to commend to the
attention and study Of callOw, impreSSlonahlc
youth. II seems TO b. an incOngruOus mixture
Of lola. Schopcnhauer. and the authors own
widest Socialist yagarics. Its purpose is said
TO be the exposure Of the evils which attend
marrocc as at present arranged Its effect,
however, is something quite different, OWING
TO the nagrantly inariStlc and infclIcltouS man
agcmcnt of the subject matter, the lllogicahty
of the plot, and tlr undue prcdomlnancc OF
that morbid and uMholcsomc parody of real
ism which constitutes the chief motive i'll Dos
toicfr>ky's "Crimc and Punishmcnt' 1t is a
nightmare story o. Il man-prcSlInably maj
rs "A March hare-yho, having ceased to love
| his wife. became fuiou,ly jealous of her with
out the least substantial Justification, and who
finally murders h1 in the most wantOn and
horrible manner and is acquitted by Il Russian
iry after pleading guilty to the Indictment.
| The murder itself is described with fulncsS
Of detail which mikes it very unpleasant and
certainly not editing reading. But the real
mischief of the bopk lies in It's palpablc J'Istii-
cation of the crmt the murderer being pictured
as quite satisfied With his action, and IS being
supported in this view by the jury which tried
him. Count Tohtoi's own peculiar doctrine
is. not neatly ioyctailcd into, but put in
nXtapoSition wih this new view OF wife
murder. Apparently Though the whole com
postion is full o obscurtics-hc means to con
lend that such crimes. or such methods of dis
solving the nupfal bonds, will be employed 50
long as people hut their eyes to the supreme
wisdom and spiritual attitude of the Tostoian
hypothesis
This hypothesis is partly schopcnhauer and
partly pure nonsense. IL is, broadly to the
effect that wha Tostoi calls low animalism >
(Which is his praSc for human nature as it Isl
must be 50 broght under subsection that mar
rage will be solely and simply a union of
minds Of course. the logical conclusion OF
this reform is hc extinction Of the human race
but that Tolsoi like Schopcnhauer, regards rs
eminently desirable. Now it will be perceived
at once that while the so-called rcformatory
element of the "kreuzer Sonata is entirely
in the air. inpracticablc, wild, unattanablc-
thc element most calculated to impress young
and unformc! minds is that which cXtcnuatcs
murder and hints, if it does not assert, the
,irht az the nartally unhappy to release them
selves by assassination. MIR. Dillon, indeed
plainly saws that the book could not be pre-
scnted Ia lie English or the American public
rs it stands tha! it will require much softcnina
TO render il acceptable. Yet the Russian uni
yersity students, the most eNcitablc. visionary
and plasticyouth in tho world, probably think
that they are outraged when so dangerous ano
insidious book is withheld from them. and