The Wahpeton times., 1891-04-30
= E!ccENTRlc {! roLsTol.
His Toilet. HE Diet, and His DaIlY
eff Round.

+.
Count Leo. Tolstoi reads, writes, and
receives his friendsin his bedroom. It
is an apartment some fifteen feet
square, without carpet, and always
underheated. In one corner stands
an old green leather sofa, on which he
sleeps under a single rug. His couch
isquite unincumbered with mattress,
sheet or pillows. Near the sofa there
is a pile of boot lasts, avis, knives,
leather strips, and all other sorts of
shoemakers' materials. Weaving
machinery, half-fnished cloths, pitch
forks, picks and shovels lie in the Wild
est confusion all over the rest of the
room, so that a stranger, suddenly set
down in it, would think himself in the
quarters of a peasant, a weaver and
shoemaker. The only thing to dis
turb his belief in the occupancy of the
humble trinity would be a great case
full OF books, many in the most expen-
si"c binding imaginable, for, with all
his simple notions, Count Tolstoi is
bibliophile.
The philosophers daily life is occu-
pied with all sorts of duties which a
man OF letters is usually supposed not
to discharge. He rises at 5 O'Clock,
and for half OH hour dashes ice cold
water on his head, neck and breast.
lhen he draws on his cloths, which in-
Slude only blue checked jumper of
linen, pair of trousers and heavy ILL
lifting PEASANTS boots. He never
brushes his hair, and his apology for
combing it is the thrusting through it
twice of thetive fingers ofhis left hand.
At 8 o'clock he leaves his room for
the dining room on the second floor.
There the counts guests and scholars,
OF whom there is always O burden
some number at the Jesnaja Poljana
castle, 1re already assembled for tea.
Their host never joins them in taking
the great Russian beverage, however.
He prefers coffee. The rest of the
breakfast consists ofwhite bread, fresh
butter, cream, and a peculiar cheese
whtch Tolstoi prepares with his own
hands. Most of the breakfast party
come and 60 from month to month.
Three persons only are regular men,
bers of it year in and year out. They
are the Countess Anna Michailowna
and the counts two young daughters,
Nadesha and Ljubow &Loe). The
conversation at breakfast is light,
even to the point OF frivoIity. The
daily news, the domestic AFFAIRS of the
castle, and family msatters at large
are usually the subjects. Tolstoi
chooses this styleot topics, for he pre-.
fers to discuss his doctrine and his
works only in his work room.
He devotes his tanse between break
fast and noon to cleaning stovepipe,
polishing stoves, msending.koots, SHOW
cling snow in winter, and tother like
manual labor. From 12nc l.hedines.
His dinner as we'll rs his 60 o'clock .eup.
per, consists of nlilk and bread as his
breakfast. Count Tolst0iJhooses this
curious diet because heis;a vegetarian.
He defends the opinion bhat man has
no right to kill and consume "a living
organism. The Russian painter, He,
once asked Tolst0i: "Is not the veg
etable a living organism:g'' Dhe count
thought profoundly for several min
NUS' eAAu OASA 1Cplicu: W0il, Ill ClIne
science may help us to such an extent
that we will not tind ut necessary to
kill even q vegetable organism"
From to 3 O'Clock p. m., 'Hdlstoi
receives the calls of scholars and
guests. He talks freely aund deeply
with all. He rarely pfunges into con
versation of any length, however,
without setting out for himself and
his visitor two glasses representatives
OF his own brew Count Tolstoi's
hours for writing are from 3 or 4
O'Clock to 6. After supper he works
at shoemaking a little while or sees
his family, then gets out 0fhis jumper,
trousers and boots alad cramls i'm be-
tween his rugs and green leather sofa
Tor the night.-Ne~ York Sun.