The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-12-25

Recent advices from Russia say that the
Imperial Government proposes to Danish
Count Leo Iolstoi shortly. probably
CnEls1Inss present to the famous Russian.
For months past the Minister OF the In
terror has been collecting evidence against
the great novelist. and it is believed that
enough material Is at hand to condemn him
according to the Russian idea Of justice.
Within the past year Tolstoi has been par
ticuiarly aggressive in his task Of educating
the Russian peasantry to his unconventional
ways Of thinking The Holy Synod a body
OF immense importance in Russia has been
stirred to deep wrath against the reformer
because Of his biting criticisms. The Rus
sian army is against him because Of his in
tolerance OF militarism. as il exists in Rus
STA, and royalty is more than Gispleased
because OF his most recent condemnation OF
the despotism Of the Russian system.
Iolstoi's resources in Russia are vast, the
veneratiOn of the common people for him
IS deep, but these can make but feeble re-
slstance when arrayed against that trinity
OF poWers-the Church. royalty and the
In1ltafy- It is Officially claimed that he has
become menace to the state by arraying
class against class It only needg 81 betan-
tiatlon Of this claim to make him an exile
Tor life It is not believed that the Govern
ment would have the temerity to Danish him
to Siberia and kill him by inches with
hundreds Of other political prisoners. Tint
would raise q hue and cry all over the
world. More likely ne would be banshed
from the country and would spend the re-
naming years Of his lie in Paris or London,
both OF which cities have great colonies Of
exiled Russians.
THE YOUNG CARS DETERMINATION.
Iolstoi's threatened Punishment IS c fresh
example Of TIE determination Of the young
Car to manage the affairs Of the Russian
empire as be pleases. He is his own Prime
Minister and his own Councillor of State
HIS father tolerated Tolstoi and his grand
father not only tolerated but respected him.
and in their reigns the internal condition Of
Russia was much more dangerous to royalty
than 1t is to-day IN fact both Of these
sovereigns would have regarded it as a Ioes
II TolstOi had ceased his activity for the re-
form OF the nation.
Although an enemy to the Government.
Ioistoi was and is one Of the strongest bul-
Warks against Nihilism, as his doctrine OF
non-res1s lance by violence to evil has de-
tered hundreds and thousands from joining
the ranks Of the dynamiters and govern
mental refOr1ners Of that ilk.
Pamphlets explaining his views on this
subject have been sent into ne3rly every
home In Russia, and their influence upon
the minds Of the readers has been great.
In these he claimed that the doctrine OF non
resistance to evil was in accordance with the
teachings Of Christ He declared that VIC
lence as means Of redressing wrongs is
not only fBAle, but an aggravatioa Of the
original evil, since it is the nature of VIC
lence to multiply and reproduce itself in all
directions.
THE FUTILITY OF VIOLENCE.
IN one OF these pamphlets he said: 'fThe
revOlut1Onists whom you see in Siberia un-
dertook to resist evil by violence, and what
has been the result2 Bitterness and mis-
cry, and hatred and bloodshed The evils
against which they took up arms still exist,
and to them has been added a mass of pre-
viously nonresident human suffering. Il is
not in that way that the kingdom Of God
is to be realized on earth
Tolstois life has been equally divided be-
tween condemning the Government and
preaching the futility of violence 10 reform
ers of a more active kind. He believes in
combining resistance to the evils under
whic.- the people Of Russia live, to persua-
sion. protest and argument In the end. he
hopes these viii win.
Tolstoi viii be sixty-nine years old on
Aug. % next. and to-day ne is as hale and
strong as a man Of fifty. He has a home in
Moscow but the greater part Of his time rs
spent on his estate. Yasnaga Polyana fifteen
miles from the city Of Tula- 1t was on this
estate that he was born. and it is here that
the picturesque side of this forceful person
atty is most clearly brought out Here he
labOrs with the peasants in the fields in the
day, and then does shoemaking at night.
HIS PLAIN BRICK HOUSE.
The estate OF Yasnaya PolyaDa is worth
500. 900 rubles but he lives like man who