Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-05-01


succeed in keeping out OF debt
Bunyan Married ImprovidentIy.
Bunyan, although he did not make so bad
marriage as some other men OF letters, yet
relates, that when he and his wife were
married, ''they had not SO much household
stuff as a dish or q spoon between Them"
Her sole portion was two books entitled
THE Plain Mans Pathway to Heaven,
and "The Practice OF Piety." 1t was most
imProvident marriage as the world would
judge it. In his opposition to the PRAYER
book, ne was willing to give up wife, chill
dren, friends and liberty. He did not ex-
ercise his mind enough to realize that the
worst that could happen to him was exile to
America and that preaching dissent was OF
less Importance than the care OF his family:
CARLYLE confesses in his "Reminiscences"
that he was miserable egotist" in his
home and with his wife. She was wonder
fully gifted woman who, for his sake and
her pride in him, sacrificed her own ambi-
tion and became veritable household mar
tyr. He did full credit to her courage,
her talents, her devotion after she was dead
in the manner of most mccullough too
vain and selfish, By his own confession, to
take thought of her patience. her grace and
nobleness while living. Their marriage
was not happy one. CARLYLE lived in his
books and studies, leaving all Of the disa-
greeables and contrivings of poverty to her,
that could have been made so much less
trying by his sympathy and appreciation,
to save him discomfort Nor did he spare
ber the sight Of his devotion to other wo-
men who fattered his vanity, but who, save
for his fame, would never have noticed him.
What Charles Dickens saw in his wife to
do credit to his brains is not known. It is
very certain that after marriage she saw
very little in him for people to make fuss
over While the world was sounding his
praises she discounted them at home BY de-
probation. She mortified him in public by
saying she did not understand what they
saw in his books to admire so much. To
her they were tiresome. AS they grew
older they grew apart, and finally became so
unhappy they had to separate. Dickens
found more congenial friends, who 1attered
him and ministered to his vanity, while at
home his greatness was not recognized. His
wife had full knowledge of his faults and
the seamy side of the idol of the public.
Behind the scenes it is likely his creative
genius was overtopped by his intolerance as
husband and his neglect of the mother OF
his children, upon whose good name no
cloud had ever rested save that brought
upon it by the repudiation of the man who
had solemnlv promised to love, honor and
cherish her until death did them part.
The Case of Count ToIstoi.
But the man of letters now, it would sp-
pear. who most distinguishes himself for
queernes and fanaticism is Tolstoi. Ar
rayed in the ordinary dress of peasant, he
works in the fields as day laborer, and de-
votes his leisure hours while entertaining
friends in his wife's drawing room to cob
bling and making shoes, and-as a friend
lakes occasion to remark-verv poor shoes
at that. As related BY George Kennan, he
has rather contempt for his earlier novels,
which first brought him into fame, and is
now engaged in the promotion of his re-
ligious ideas, which he bases upon a literal
acceptance of the Sermon on the Mount.
He ardently upholds that much talked-of,
but so little practiced, doctrine of the
brotherhood of man." and finds fault with
the United States for crushing the Mormons
with oppressive laws, and for forbidding
Chinese immigration. He stoutly MAIN
tains that the Chinese have as much right
in this country as Americans themselves,
even if they should come over in such num-
bers as to completely enslave the country.
He also processes complete disbelief in Cal
whistle total depravity. and also Darwinian
development, which he describes as great
deception"
That his peculiar views are not shared BY
known. 1t can we'll be believed that wife
who is the mother of his Is children can
hardly do other than resent his sentiments
as expressed in the "Kreutzer Sonata" on
the subject of love and marriage. He
seems to share the old ascetic idea that
women are "painted evil" and that they
beautify and adorn themselves, not for love
OF men, but to lure and ensnare to theip de-
struction the innocent brethren.
How He Humi iates His Wife.
Like John Bunyan, who was prepared TO
give up wife and children and reduce them
to poverty rather than stop denouncing the
established church and prayer-book clergy,
Tolstoi does not scruple to bring unhappi-
ness into his home by promulgating the ab-
surd idea that women are responsible for all
the evil in the world-tfat moral disintegra-
tion, causing materialism, is entirely their
fault. He announces that '+99 per cent Of
married people have he'll upon earth and
this hell cannot be improyed"-that "m.r-
riage nowadays is deceit-a compulsion"
that by this method of the marriage of to-
day woman is "a slave that Is being mar
keted, and that she is out ever hunting for
q man." What wife would not feel herself
insulted by such sentiments held BY her
husband and publicly expressed. Before
Tolstoi was married ''he declared he had
outlived all illusions and had come to the
dregs of life" Then he tried marriage.
With every year says, friend of the
family, he becomes more extreme in his
views. He maintains supremacy in his
house and has reduced all the living to the
utmost simplicity.
Call re6nements of speech and manner"
says this writer, "have become sinful in bis
eyes. Every morning be arises with new
maggots IN his BRAIN" Not long ago he
announced that as his works were to benefit
humanity, he would no longer take money
for them. With family of Is children
such loss of means would be serious, so
Madame Tolstoi had to consult friends and
LAWYERS who advised her to take all Of
the business affairs into her own hands as
much as possible His writings, after the
fashion of the 'Kreutzer .Sonta" have
grown vulgar, and adapted mainly TO the
lowest minds. Some oi his children have
fallen in with his fanatical views,
but the others repudiate them-and
Ii tie wonder. What is the strangest
about him is that his ''Kreutzer
Sonata written to support the teachings of
Christ, as he saws, was yet ruled out of the
mails by Mr.. Wanamaker, and of the book
counters by, the censor of morals in New
York, while most of his later works are
under the ban in Russia, much to his regret,
as through them he hoped to do much for
the regeneration of that country.
Sincere and honest as he seems to be, Toll
stoi in himself gives strength to the state
ment that genius and insanity are nearly
allied. A woman therefore should be as
careful about marrying a genius as she
should in uniting her life and fortune with
a German Baron, French Count, or Q for
eign nobleman of any description.
BESSIE BRAMBLR