The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1891-04-08
ECcENIsIc IoLsIoi.
His Toilet, His Diet, and His Daily Round
of Life.

of Life.
Count Leo Tolstoi reads, writes, and re-
ceives his friends in his bedroom. 1t is
an apartment some fifteen feet square
without a carpet and always underheated.
In one corner stands an old green leather
sofa, on which he sleeps with single rug.
His couch is quite unincumbered with a
mattress, sheets, or pillows. Near the
sofa there is a pile OF boot-lasts, avis,
knives, leather strips. and all sorts Of shoe
makers materials. Weaving machinery.
half-tinished cloths, pitchforks, picks, and
shovels lie in the widest confusion all
over the rest OF the room, so that a stran-
ger, suddenly set down in it, would think
himself in the quarters of peasant, a
weaver, and shoemaker. The only
thing to disturb his belief in the occu-
pancy OF the humble trinity would be q
great case full OF books, many in the most
expensive bindings IMAGINABLE, for, with
all his simple notions, Count Tolstoi is a
bibliophie.
The philosophers daily life is occupied
with all sorts of duties which a man of
letters is usually supposed not TO discharge.
He rises at o'clock, and for half an hour
dashes ice-cold water on his head, neck
and breast. Then he draws on his clothes,
which include only a blue checked jun
per of linen, pair of trousers, and heavy,
ill-fitting peasants boots. He never
brushes his hair, and his apology for comb
ing IL is the thrusting through it twice of
the five fingers of his left hand.
A 6 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 a burdensome number at
the Jesnada Poljana castle, are already as
sembled for tea. Their host never Joins
them in taking the great Russian bever-
age, however. He prefers coffee. The
rest of the breakfast consists of white
bread, fresh butter, cream and peculiar
cheese which Tostoi prepares with his
own hands. Most of the breakfast party
come and go from month to month. Three
persons ony are regular members OF it
year in and year out. They are the
Countess Anna Mlchallowna and the
counts two young daughters, Nadeshda
and LUDLOW Love- The conversation at
breakfast Is light, even to the point OF
frivolity. The daily news, the domestic
affairs of the castle and family matters at
large are usually the subjects. Tolstoi
chooses this sty OF topics, for he prefers
to discuss his doctrine and his works only
In his work-room.
He devotes his time between breakfast
and noon to cleaning stovepipes, polish
ing stoves, mending boots, shoveling snow
in winter, and other like manual labor.
From - to he dimes. His dinner, as well
as his O'Clock supper, consists of milk
and butter, and the same sort of cheese
and bread as his breakfast Count 1olstoi
chooses this curious diet because he Is
vegetarian. He defends the opinion that
man has no right to kill and consume a
living organism. The Russian painter,
He, once asked Tolstoi: ''Is not the
vegetable a living oreanism?" The count
thought profoundly for several minutes
and then replied: "Well, in time science
may help us to such an extent that We
will not find it necessary to kill even a
vegetable organism"
From to o'clock p. m. Tolstoi re-
ceives the calls of scholars and guests. He
talks freely and deeply with all. he rarely
plunges into conversation OF any length.
however, without setting out for himself
and his visitor two glasses OF peasant kvas
of his own brew. Count Tolstoi's hours
for writing are from or o'clock to q.
After supper he works at shoemaking for
little while or sees his family, then gets
out of bis jumper. trousers and boots, and
crswlsin between his rug and green leathe.
sofa for the night