New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-05-26
TOLSTOI'S PESSIMISN.
4 DEPRESSING VIEW OF LIFE.

MASTER AND MAN,-By Count I, co., T on in.
TRANSLATED by A HLlme Bcaman: WIN w a" tx
PRODUCTION by W, H. ho"c"s' '''' '''
u. Appleton ~ o.
Tho Master is selfish. dishonest. brutal sensual
,st whose chief 10Y is in cheating others-scarc'y
en- much perhaps FOR the gain 10 hiihsen 10 '''
the wrong 10 his victim. The Man rs "ru""'i'
sbi,Iess ne'cr-do-w we'll who has rot spirit enough
To resent ul-trcatment. This precious pair SCI o"'
or = lon, sledgc-ride the Masters purpose pc'ns
n dcfraud n ncghbor. Storm and night come Oh
TIL. Master I. stubborn and pig headed inc MAN
shows the subservicnce OF fool. or coc. Na'"'
ally enough they lose their Nay on 'hc P'"'''
drive IN a circle and finally give M inc s""eH''
and decide to walt for morning Ihey "'''"' 10
tho horse and tie him beside the sedse' Inc MI
ter wrapped luxuriously In TWO iuf oo''a -
down in the cosiest part OF the s.edge while 'ne
,,,r Z, his thin wet rags, fares as best ne can.
. little later the Master thinking the Mar asie'p'
o- ncrhaps freezne TO death. plans TO desert MN
and make good his own escape. ne se's n.y.
mounts the horse and rides away. ne '""''o''
however find the road. but rides IN c'''.'' .'"'
~ founders back 10 the slcdge and finds the Man
s,i alive but rapidly freezing Then having oseh
absorbed In coward.y fright lest he should osr MS
ou, ufe and so Sever again have chah'e 10
cheat ANYBODY he becomes maudHn with re"no' ~
and lies down In his two FUR coats on 'oP ~ "
Man 20 warm him and keep him alive AT ''"'s
,,,rv hero OF embarrassing romance "oui' nave
led off coat ana Iuf IT upon
reused him from lcthargy. kndlcd IRE and mace
an,, ror ,fe Not so this entirely natural Mas
for He irst lay down. murmured "kismet. ana
foil asleep Next day the nc.shoors aug ."''h
on; The Master. In his two iur coats "hS 'e"''
frozen s,ir The Man in his rags ana ta'te's. was
alive though wishing he was dead "hcn ne io'"'
hts toes were frozen and ne would have ch"oiains'
And that Is all
This "masterpiece" we ara sravey ini'rmen III '"'
,r,rodrc.,,n il 1.-The drama Of the race II -
.n,arvelous work ",ranscending the iarihesi reaCh
OF art" and marked with "subin" dNih"''on' ~
Is also purely realistic 'NotnlnG - '''N'' '' Wv
action without or within. but all happens hn'"'1''
and because II must" And hraly II Is Ucn''H"o"S
Arrangement - the who.e system Of war"-srr'i'r.
al y, tho relation 81 "hlreng AMI him that h.r"'
20 ,yhre the Man was serving ne Mh'''r 10Y
v.,-os 10Th were miserable: bIi when the Mas ''
served ,,s Man FOR love. both we've happy u NAY
be ah.olr.olv necessary that every man VINO "i'''
other s.ol.d be a selfish rascal ana 'Ine' Vf'"''
and I'm; every man who Is h!rel should he "2iF-
l,less coI void O, ambition Or sel'r'sp'ot thh i''
n hard master 10 rc1rze hts errors AM m"ni ne
,y,vs IN a;ralghtforwarl. manly fashion. woui he
quite Impossible II nay he that be nue. 70 on 'o
the deepest depth o. inhuman!ty. Tbs master '''''
not even realize his duty 10 his comrale. a. ihef
AT FIST lay side BY side IN common perm iie mus
basey dcsert him - die. Ana "hen Al -, ~
docs IN n manner repent and seek to DO his d"'y'
he ms, 20 90 as coward and a hlacksu"rd liter
ally scared INTO Il by his own sensh fears Al tAa'
happens naturally. because Il must
But this Is pcrversc generation ana ther'
are some who persist IN believing fhat NE -
worth living that there - more good than "''I
In the world tha; Il is possible ,or an cmP'oy''
10 be Just and generous and FOR an cmploye I" DC
manly and self-respect!ng and that roSle i'ing ~
better than sncaking in III. hour OF d"aih. Huch'
1, they read It, will turn from this latest book by
Count Tolsioi with feelings OF rcvuls'on ana as
gus; They will in IL none too fe-llk" picture
OF that which is worst in the world most sorild.
mos. degrading which the author and MS al
mirers would hold up a true portrait of All the
race. They will deem the whole tendency ana
purpori ~ the book 10 be unwholcsome' not Win
the abnornality OF the dollhouse but OF the sewer
and they will reckon that. while IL contains moth
Ing 20 make the world brighter. life happier and
men better. II IL Allied with that which would In
crease gloom aggravate discomfort. and drag men
down 10 cynclsm and despair. As study In ex
ceptional degradation II hns its place amid essays
morbid pathology. As anything even remotely
resembling a realistic" portrayal OF lifc and OF
common. ery-day men Just as God made them. II
would better rot have been written.