The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-06-20
A SAD STATE OF SOCIETY,".
Count Tolstoi Thinks That Things Arc Hot
ter In Amcrlca Than Elsewhere.


Count Tolstoi Thinks That Things Arc Hot
ter In America Than Elsewhere.
In the London Standard is given ON
admirable account of an interesting In
tervlew which n Russian Journalist has
had with Count Leo Tolstoi.
The journalist had beforehand ap-
pr1sed tho count of his intention and
stated that the theme of conversation
he wished to start would be 1.-The vicious
tendency OF society" or briefly, Inbred
sin, and the count consented to give
his ideas ON the subject us follows:
suppose for u moment" said he,
that six tigers had been brought in q
solid iron cage to some menagerie in
the government of lula Go ON to sup
pose that tho beasts had broken loose
and spread over the plains and forests,
attacking the inhabitants Naturally,
If these six tigers were killed or caught
and shut up again in their cages, the
mischief would be at ON end. Some peo-
ple seem to think that the case of vi
cious men is similar, in which they aro
altogether mistaken Initiated human
beings are not tigers in Tuln, but wolves
wolves which regularly breed there
and have done so for generations, and
which 1T Is absolutely impossible to ex-
terminate
You propose, then, counts-
II declare that If I find that I'm nv
own house feas ore breeding it would
BIO strange for me to try and catch these
insects ono by one A much simpler
way Is to clean out all the dust and
dirt from the house. and the f1cas will
disappear of themselves.
"And what have you TO say, count,
Of the rapid Development of tho vicious
tendency which Is to bo Observed how
even In tho most cultivated society?"
1T Is duo to the absence of good sense
and of love. consider tho cultured So
clety OF today, as you call it, as some
thing abnormal. Common sense has lost
its footing there and, as for love, it is
conspicuous by its nbscnca It is very
sad Inbred sin (zlaya volia) leads to
grewsome consequences, especially bo-
cause 1T is never possible to define the
form In which it is likely to manifest
itself or the victims prcdcstincd for it.
Ii dying horse III the street lashes out
In spasIls any passerby mny fall under
his hoof."
"You say dying horse?'"
"a dying or rigging OF boiling, it
is oil the same. mean an abnormal
animal, just in the same condition rs
nn abnormal man-of vicious tenden.
cy."
"And which nation do you consider
tho most abnormal at the present time
-Americans French, English Ger.
manS?'
"At any rate, not Amcrtcans To
their credit must be put IN Immense
national self love which cannot exist in
an abnormal people l one day wrote an
article ON America and the Americans,
In which did not particularly overload
the latter with flattery. Nevertheless l
sent the MSS over the ocean. thinking
1t would BIO accepted by any paper us en-
gerly us my other productions. Not a
bit of it. The translator took it to ii
different editors without it getting ao-
ccpted and finally it had to DO sent to
England y
eff not America. count, them"
why, Francel Can anybody cnnsid-
er France as normal where such things
os Panama occur, where men occupy
ing high positions i'll society nre ready
to commit any crime for gold? Is that
n normal state? a thousand times nor