Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1896-12-20
NAY EXILE TOLSI0I.
The Young Gar Angry at the Great
RefOrm8r.
Strange Life of the Man Who Urges
the Doctrine of Non-Violent Re
sistance Against Governmental
Evil.

Recent advices from Russia say that
the imperial government proposes to
Danish Count Leo Tolstoi shortly, prob
ably as a Christmas present to the IA
nous Russian. For months past the
Minister Of the Interior has been col
lecting evidence against the great nov
elist. and it is believed that enough
material is at hand to condemn him
according to the Russian idea Of JUS
tice.
Within the past year Tolstoi has been
particularly aggressive in his task OF
educating the Russian peasantry 10 his
unconventional ways Of thinking. The
Holy Synod, a body of immense I'M
portance in Russia, has been stirred to
deep wrath against the reiormer be-
cause Of his biting criticisms. The Rus
sian army is against him because of'hls
intolerance Of militarism, as it exists
in Russia, and royalty is more than dis
pleased because of his recent condem-
nation of the despotism of the Russian
system.
Tolstoi's resources in Russia are vast,
the generation of the common people
for him is deep, but these can make but
feeble resistance when arrayed against
that trinity of powers-the Church,
royalty and the military. 1t IS OIL
cially claimed that he has become a
menace to the state by arraying class
against class. II only needs substdn-
tiation of this claim to make him an
exile for life 1t is not believed that
the government would have the temer-
ity to Danish him to Siberia aud kill
him by inches with hundreds of other
political prisoners. That would raise
a hue and cry all over the world. More
likely ne would be baHished from the
country and would spend the remain
ing years of his life in Paris or Lon
don, both of which cities have great
colonies Of exi'ed Russians.
THE YOUNG CZAR'S DETERMINE
TON.
a fresh example Of the determination
Of the young Car TO manage the at-
fairs Of the Russian empire as he
pleases. He is his own Prime Minis
ter 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 ii is to-day.
In fact, both of these sOyereigns would
have regarded it as a loss If TOlstoi had
ceased his activity for the reform Of
the nation.
Although an enemy to the govern
ment. TolstOi was and is one Of the
strongest bulwarks against Nihilism,
as his doctrine OF non-resistanCe by
violence to evil has deferred hundreds
and thousands from joining the ranks
of the dynamiters and governmental
refOrmers Of that Tx.
Pamphlets explaining his views on
this subject have been sent into near
" every home in Russia, and their in
fueDce upon the minds of the readers
has been great. In these he claimed
that the doctrine OF nOn-reSistauce TO
evil was in accordance with the teach
ings Of Christ. He declared that vio-
lence as a means Of redressing wrongs
is not only futile, but an asgravation
of the original evil, since it is the ma
ture Of violence to multiply and repro
duce itself in all directions.
THE FUTILITY or VIOLENCE
In one of these pamphlets he said:
"The reyolutionists whom you see in
Siberia undertook to resist evil by vio-
lence, and what has been the result?
Bitterness and misery and hatred and
bloodshed. The evils against which
they took up arms still exists, and TO
them has been tdded a mass Of pre-
viously non-evistent human suffering.
1t is not in that way that the kingdom
of God is to be realized on earth"
Tolstois life has been equally di-
vided between condemning the gov
eminent and preaching the futility OF