Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1896-12-20

violence to reformers Of a more active
kind. He believes in confirming resis-
tence to the evils under which the peo-
pie of Russia live, to persuasion. pro-
test and argument. In the end, he
hopes, these will win.
TOlstoi will be siXty-nine years old
on August % next, and to-day he is IS
hale and strong as a man of fifty. He
has home in Moscow, but the greater
part of his time is spent on his estate,
Yasnaga POlyana, fifteen miles from
the city of Tula. Il was on this estate
that he was born. and it was here that
the picturesque side OF this f0rceful
personality is most clearly brought out.
Here he labOrs with the peasants in the
fields in the day, and then does shoe
making at night.
HIS PLAIN BRICK HOUSE.
The estate Of Yasnaya Polyana is
worth 100000 Tubles, but he lives like
a man who does not own six rubles.
No fine palace adorns his estate. In
stead. hidden among the woods is a
terribly plain tWO-stOry brick house,
with not a sign of Ornamentation on
the facade The main entrance is con-
siderably to one side of the centre, Civ
ing the house a one-sided look. This
main entrance docs not deserve such a
dignifed title. Strangers in making
their first visit to Tolstoi invariably
take il for the kitchen door and go
around to the back of the house, only
to find Il still less pretentiOus entrance
place.
The interior Of the house is cOnsis-
tent with the exterior. Plainness al
most to the point of discomfort marks
every room. Chairs are few, and they
are of the simplest. There are pictures
but these are simply portraits Of men
whom the great rclormer admires.
Many of the floors are guiltless of rugs
or carpets. and the tables are Of plain
white wood.
Tolstoi's dress in the country is al
ways the same. lt consists of heavy
calfskin shoes loose, shapeless trous-
ers or coarse hOmespun linen. q white
cotton undershirt without collar or
necktie, an old SLOUGH hat, a coarse
gray blouse, or tunic. bolted around the
waist with q thicl. leather strap.
HIS BEDROOM AND STUDY.
His own room contains an iron bed
n washstand and o table Here he
wrote anna KareniEa." THE Death
of Ivan Hitch. "Katia. " THE Kreut-
ger Sonata" The Cossacks. 30 Peace
and War childhood" MY Relig-
ion" and the other works which Will
make his fame as enduring as the
world.
In this house his wife and five child
rem and several devoted followers
live. eight or nine months in the year.
All Of these follow i'm the footsteps OF
the father and leader The children,
even the young ladies', work iu tho
fields alongside the rough and kindly
peasant women. Wherever help is
needed, they 60 and give it, no matter
how arduous the labor may be-
The peasant folk regard Count Toll
stoi as one Of themselves, not rs
great and powerful landowner. They
shake hands with him and talk over
their little domestic cares with tho GER
tainty OF receiving kindly interest and
advice. II their shoes need mending
they leave them at his house. knowing
that he will sit mp half the Ii ght 20 put
new soles and new heels on them. IF
the widow living in the nearby cottage,
is unable 10 attend TO her fields, she
sends word TO the Count and he goes
there and labor until the work is done.
If three or four send at the same time,
the children and the followers divide
the work between them.
Time after time the unfortunates in
the Siberian mines have sent most har-
rowing proofs of their awful sufferings
and misery 10 him. in the hope that
they would cause him to drop his doc
trine of nOn-resistance and lead re-
volt with his powerful influence and
strong personality. Their sufferings
bring tears TO his eyes, but he has
never abandoned his doctrine.
He says The whole history Of the
world is a history of violence, and You
can, of course cite violence in support
of violence: but do you not see that
there is in human society an endless
variety of opinions as to what consti-
tutes wrong and oppression and that
if YOU once C0ncede the right OF any
man to resort to violence 10 resist what
he regards as wrong, he being the
Judge, you authorize every other man
to enforce his opinions in the same
way. and you have a universal reign
of violence?
If Tolstoi be banished and his re-
straining hand torn from the lever or
revolt. the wisdom of the two previous
Cars in their liberation of him may be
proven.