Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-07-30

unhappy. OF late years, however. he has been
mere tolerant. He thinks we are wrong, but he
permits us to lead our hfe, and he leads his,
conforming a. much as he can TO ours. There
are many things would change II I could, but
/ must do what is best for him aud for u.s."
These words were not uttered in q complain
ing tone, but merely M a matter OF fact about
O condition that must be made the best Of. Al
the countess said them, thought that there
were few American wives who were truer and
kinder to their husbands and their families
than she was, and this fact became the moro
apparent she went on to describe some
curious features Of tho counts present life.
Every one has heard of his thousand idiosyn-
cracies. How he believes every man should
work enough with his hands every day to
supply his necessities; how he makes his own
boots, and how he would, II his wife would let
him, make his own clothes! You have read
how he lives on the simplest Of vegetable food;
how he wears the garb OF peasant, and gives
without stint to oil who ask aims! You have
heard how he objects to man using force against
man under any conditions, and how he could
not conscientiously resist II himself or his
family were assaulted. He pays no attention
whatever TO his estates, and the management
Of them and the education and training of his
children are entirely left to his wife. She has
hundreds Of peasants on the estate to look
after, and with her family Of nine children she
has, judge, all she can do to make both ends
meet. That she does make them meet is only
to the literary work Of the count.
4 GREAT AUTHOR WHO WRITES FOR NOTHING.
asked the countess to tell me If it was really
80 that Tolstoi would accept nothing for his
works. She replied that it was true, and that
he had accepted nothing from his publishers
for years. ''He does not think an author has
any right to accept money for the products OF
his BRAIN" said she, "and the only money we
have had for a long time from his writings came
from a comedy entitled The Fruits Of Civ1liza-
ton, which had quite a run in the theaters OF
Russia last season. He had relin9uished his
royalties to this to the government, and these
amounted during that time to 6 900 rubles, or
about $4,000 During the present famine 1t
seemed to me to be a shame that our peasants
we could use so well should be kept BY the gov
eminent. So wrote to the government officers
in charge of IL asking them to let me have it for
the famine. They replied that could have it
If l would promise that every bit Of it should be
used for the famine, and thus got it."
HAS Count Tolstoi ever received any money
from his American sales?'' asked. Hundreds
of thousands of his books have been sold
there"
'Yes," replied the countess, "there was once
sent to us from america q check for 3400. and
this is the only money we have ever received for
any of the counts books sold outside of Russia.
did not think best to send back the $500 and
gave it to the poor among my peasants. / do
not agree with my husband about the receipts
from his books, and if he thought differently
concerning them we would have enough money
and to spare. If we received a single kopeck
about one-haf q cent? from each copy of his
books that have been sold we would be very rich.
As il is we poor. No. poor, of course, like
our peasants, but poor for our condition in life.
My sons have to work on their estates, and in
Moscow we are not rich enough to keep a car
riage. We could do much good with the money
among our poor if We had it, but the count
thinks it is not right. He 1puld not feel happy
if we took it, and anything Is better than dis
content and trouble in ones family"
ToLsToI's NEW CHRISTMAS CodEDY.
"Please tell me something of the comedy you
spoke off, said 1.
at was written" replied the countess. "to
please our eldest daughter 1t was a. Christ
mas time, two years ago. and we had q number
of guests in the house. The children wanted to
have some private theatricals part of their
amusements, but l urged them not to do so.
saying that they knew how their father looked
upon such things as foolish and that it would
make him unhappy. My daughters. however,
said they would persuade him to consent to il,
and they found a comedy that he had begun
some years ago and the eldest daughter, for
whom the count would do anything, persuaded
him to finish it and let them play it. He took
up the comedy and became interested in it. He
finished it and corrected and rewrote much Of
it during our rehearsals here, and we had quite
a number Of friends in when we played it. 1t
has twenty-six parts in it, go you see 1t no
small affair Then it was brought out at Tula
for the benefit OF the prisoners there, and was
such q success that it was taken up by the the
aters in Moscow, st. Petersburg and else where
in Russia. 1t had great run in st. Petersburg,
where the emperor and all of the court and
official society went to see it. and it created a
burst of laughter and applause from beginning
IN end Tho aruD ika1 ~ Ho aoid
waited the peasants above the nobility and that
it showed the differences in the two civiliza-
tom"
THE GEAR AND roLsro,.
"How does the emperor regard Count Toll
stop" asked.
'He considers him honest and earnest in his
beliefs and in his life. He does no. look upon
him as a revolutiorist, and he has told the gov
eminent officials that the count is an honest
man and they must not disturb him. Many
OF the officials do not like nv husband, and
they think he is entirely too liberal in his acr
lions and i'll his books. 1t Is n mistake to sup
pose he discusses political questions with the
peasants. He advises them as to their life. and
the little troubles in their families. but be de-
votes his pen to the setting forth his ideas.
Whether many of them are right or not is q
matter of some difference Of opinion between
us. In one way, however, think he has done
great good. and that ia in the stirring MP the
public mind to thinking Of these Questions"
ToLsroI's FAvoRIrE BOOKS.
The conversation here took bookish turn
and asked the countess as to the favorite read
ing Of the novelist. Said she: HE was reading
Montaigne's Essays when he left home few
days ago. and l saw the book lying open on his
table, where he had laid it down. He will take
it up in all probability when he returns, for he
has no time to read where he is. As to his
general reading the count reads everything He
devours the French, English and German
newspapers and reads the magazines. He
reads much philosophy and he used to read
many novels. He said novel reading rested his
brain, and at the same time 1t was an intel
lectual refreshment for IL. He read Robert
Elsmere' when it appeared and also the His,
tory Of David Grieve, but he did not like the
latter novel 80 well M the other. He considers
lola in many respects q great novelist, and he
likes Thackaray and Dickens. He admires
Victor Hugo's works. and among American
writer's he is especially fond Of Moreau and
Emerson. He also sdnires Henry George as Q
thinker upon land questions along somewhat
the same lines as his own, and he has Of late
years read much Of Ruskin''
"How about poetry" said l. "Count Tolstoi
is fond Of poetry, and he is of course familiar
with all the great poets. He especially likes
our famous Russian poet, Pushkin, and while
he was reading 1t one day heard him exclaim
that Pushkin was o most beautiful writer and
that he considered him his master"