The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1892-02-19
Tolstoi as a PHILOSOPHER.

1t may be that after all Count Lee
Tolstoi will go down to fame as a philos
opher rather than as a novelist. The
later tendencies of his writing have been
toward the formulating of a system for
helping mankind to get on more happily
In the world, or at least to lessen in some
way the misery of existence
Since the Russian famine Tolstoi and
his wife and daughters have worked IN
ceasingly to help the starving poor
They have given their time and means
and distributed all that others have sent
them. Tolstoi himself flies from place
to place in the famine stricken districts
without stopping an hour las if en-
dowed with youthful vigor and an iron
constitution. Hail, rain, snow in.
tense cold and abominable roads are
nothing to him." writes DR.. E. j. Dillon
in The Review of Reviews.
He explains in one of his tracts on life
and society that he does not consider
manual labor as obligatory on every hui
man being. He only took it up with
his own hands as protest against the
laziness of that etfete society whose ten
dency is to ''shirk all such exertion and
profit by the drudgery of the poor, ig-
norant masses without making any re-
turn Therefore he works with his
hands. His sole principle of the philos-
ophy OF existence, that which he has
wrought out through years of suffering
toll and anxious thought, is this, Il
never feel happy or even content I'M
less when quite certain that my work is
helpful to Others
We all desire happiness for ourselves
We think we can get it when others
love us better than they love themselves.
But nobody ever does this, consequently
nobody is ever happy. Therefore let us
begin by loving others and working for
them. If Tolstoi would add to this one
thought his philosophy might be i'm.
proved. If we could love ourselves nei-
Their more nor less than Others but work
for the good Of all alike, others exactly
the same as for ourselves, then there
might be real happiness. Tolstoi would
have all mankind come into the plane of
thought indicated in the following. 81
know nothing and wish for nothing
beyond an understanding of the true
meaning of life-of that life which it is
my lot to lead
1t seems hopeless to dream of a time
when mankind will love other peopIe as
well as they do themselves. But perhans
II few Leo Tolstois preach and practice
this sublime doctrine in each generation
for few centuries, men will begin Tn
see that one person can only find real
happiness in the happiness and well
being Of all. For want of this saving
knowledge the world stumbles on in
misery and pain. Tolstoi concludes
with these remarkable words:
Our entire activity, our striving after riches.
family, glory, power are but SO many endeay-
ors TO compel others to love us more than they
love themselves. why
Riches, glory, power give us the simulacrum
OF the condition we desire, and we are almost
satlshed: at times we even forget that we have
grasped an illusion instead of reality.
All creatures love themselves better than
they love us and happiness is therefore impos-
sible. '--po'-
some people-and their number is daily in.
creasihg- finding themselves face to face with
thls problem and unable to discover a salts.
iactory solution put an end to their lives. say
ing that life is a hollow, stupid Joke.
And yet the solution is not only simn,e hr,
self evident.
can only be happy if things be SO ordained
hat all creatures love others better than tbern
serves, and the whole world would be HAMMER
I all beings loved not themselves but their fel
ows. 'e1 'e'
am a being, man, and reason teaching mo |
Inc law OF universal happiness, am bound tn
observe that law and to love othere better, than
myself. 'i
lae .-z9tant we look at the question from this
'oiht OF view, life presents itself TO us in coors
~ different from those in which we wera ,
wont to behold it.
On the one hand human beings annibilate
ach other and on the other hand thew love
ma heip each other. Life, however. is main .
a a. not oy the passion of destroying. but by
ne sentiment OF reciprocity, which, in the
language of our heart, we term love.
as iar as II has been given me to trace the
eteiopIheht OF the life of the world, have
oH . there only the manifestation of this one l
rinciple of mutual help. and universal bis +
Dry is nothing more than the pradnoi 1,ro,,tL
no slow development of this uniaue nrincinIa I
I concord and good fellowship among ali bn.
nan beings. OH "u-