Southwest-sentinel. [volume] (Silver City, N.M.) 1883-189?, 1894-07-17

Count 4cist1i Thinks Tint Things Are uct-
ser IN hntorica Than Elsewhere.
In the London Standard is given an
admirable account Of an interesting in
torview which a Russian Journalist has
had with Count Leo Tolstoi.
The journalist had beforehand -
prisod the count Of his intention and
stated that tho theme Of conversation
be wished 10 start would be- the vicious
tendency Of society, " or briefly, inbred
ain, " and the count consented 70 give
his ideas on tho subject as follows:
Suppose for n moment, said he,
"that six tigers had been brought Ia o
solid iron cage 10 some menagerio In
the government Of Tuln Go on TO sup
pose that the beasts had broken looBo
and spread over tho plains and forests,
attacking the inhabitants Naturally,
II these six tigers were killed or caught
and shut mp again in their cages the
mischief would DO az an end Some peo-
pie seem to think that the case Of Vi
cious men Is similar, in which they are
altogether mistaken. Initiated human
beings are not tigers ia Tulh but wolves
wolves which regularly breed there
and have done 20 for generations, and
which It is absolutely impossible to ex-
terminate.
"You propose, then, COUNT
II declare that If / find that IN my
own house heas are breeding It would
be strange for me to try and catch these
insects one by one. A much simpler
way Is 20 clean out all the dust and
dirt from the house. and the heaa viii
disappear Of thomcelves"
And what have you 70 say, count,
Of the rapid development Of the vicious
tendency which Is to be observed now
even In the most cultivated society2'
''It is due TO the absence Of good sense
and Of love. I consider the cultured so
ciety Of today, as you call It. as some
thing abnormal Common sense has lost
It's footing there, and, as FOR love, It is
conspicuous by its absence. Il is very
sad. Inbred sin (zlaya volia) leads to
grewsome consequence, especially be-
cause It is never possible to define the
form in which It is likely TO manifest
itself OF the victims predestined for It,
II a dying horse in the street lashes out
in spasms, any passerby may fall under
his hoof."
"You say a dying horse2'"
"a dying or raging or boiling, Il
is NIL the same. / mean an abnormal
animal, just In the same condition as
an abnormal man-of vicious tenden.
cy."
"And which nation do you consider
the most abnormal at the present time
-Americans French, English, Ger
mans?''
"At any rate, not Americana X
their credit must be put an immens'
national self love which cannot exist il
an abnormal people. 1 one day wrote al
Article on America and the Americans
In which I did not particularly overloa,
the latter with nattery. Nevertheless
sent the MSS. over the ocean,, thinking
itwould be accepted by any paper as ca
gerly as ray other productions Not
bit Of it. The translator took it TO L
different editors without it getting &C
cepted and finally it had to be sent Il
England"
IF not America, count, then?'
why, Francel Can anybody consid
en- Franco as normal where such thing
as Panama occur, where men occupy
ing high positions in society are read,
to commit any crime for gold? Is tina
a normal state? A thousand times mol