The herald., 1896-01-25
THE FRIDAY MORNING CLUB
Russian Literature Was the Interesting
Topic Yesterday
Pehovitch Demencheff, a Russian Exile and
Ex-Governor, Comments on the Adj
dresses Given

Russian Literature was the theme at the
Friday Morning club yesterday, with lee
lures on Gogol, D)stievsk. TurguenieH
and Tolstoi, as its opponents.
The first speaker of the morning was
Miss X. V. Darling, on Gogol. She por-
trayed this writer as reaist, one in whom
truth prevails, and with whom the straight
est line was ever the shortest. His was
not the hand of an impressionist, she said,
but of photographer who delineates with
the mnuteness of the camera, who brings
before us the daily life of his characters in
a drama of men and women whom we see
come and go, on the streets or within the
four walls they call home. Gogol is not
the romanticist who inspires. He amuses,
entertains and instructs.
Dastoreoski was the subject of the
second paper, given by Mrs. l.. A. Croft.
In substance. this author was described as
follows: He belongs 10 the realistic
school, and in its highest sense, an ideal
list. With him the world unfolds itself in
pictorial and literary arts. He is no spec
tator, no critic, no sneerer. His directness
is his strength. His people love and hate,
not from deep causes, but for trifiing
reasons. as in real life. Besides, he ana
lyses the most difficult mental processes
He portrays between the lines the emo
many sided characters.
In his two best known works. said the
speaker, punishment and Crime" and
Poor Folk the versatility of the writer
is shown. In the first we lose sight of the
words and we see the story. In the latter
we hear low, musical language that fills
the ear and touches the heart.
Mrs. j. L. Sartor gave the next lecture,
a. clever and most enjoyable paper on
Turguenieff. She began by sketching
briefly the temperaments of Russian young
men and women, so different from the
American, which tinge the characters of
Turguenietf's novels. While American
girls are eminently charitably inclined, it
is done quietly. and while our young men
are patriotic, il is mild except in imminent
danger.
In Russia, however, young women, in
their sympathy for humanity, combine the
greatest self-sacrfice with enthusiasm,
forsaking riches and rank 10 take part in
revolutionary strifes. A young man may
propose to his sweetheart early in the
evening and spend the balance of the
night discussing political problem.
TurgneDieff's novels, said Mr.. Sartori.
are full of these people who belong to a
real world, with absorbing, fascinating and
bewildering scenes. With him the real
and an incarnation of enthusiasm. His
'Notes of a Sportsman, which has the
honor of having been the instrument of
abolishlng slavery in Russi. is simply a
series of tales. group of little pictures
placed in window that ali might see, but
which spread and spread until they
reached the emperor and freed the people.
The authors personality, said the speak
er, at times assumes melancholy shades,
and he becomes the pessimsr, so deep, so
sad, like life itself. His prose is remark
able for its poetry, and in him nature en-
presses the feeling of nature.
The last paper of the morning was Toll
stoi, by Mrs. j. W. Mitchell The eccentric
career and habits of Count Leo Tolstoi
were well drawn. The speaker gave this
writer place with such novelists as Scott
and Thackeray, but stated that he was not
equal TO Hugo or Dumas. He is the lead
ing disciple of new school, but it remains
for a later period to show what rank he
will hold.
After the conclusion of the papers Peho
witch Demencheff, an ex-governor of a
years an exile, gave some very witty oom-
ments on the addresses, in highly accented
though very good English. He reviewed
briefly the four authors given, adding in.
teresting points to all and describing the
disadvantages under which they worked.
Russian writers gave not what they could
but what they were permitted. There are
no noted Russian writers today. Turgue-
nieff and Tolstoi were the greatest writer's
of the world, but that was thirty years ago.
Tolstoi's noted works, War and Peace
and Anna Karenina, belong to that day.
Some people say Tolstoi is lunat!c, but.
naively concluded the speaker, II don't
think ne IL"