The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-08-26

tion. portland: Loring, Short & Har-
mon.)
There is work of Tolstoi's just pub
lished by Henry Altemus of Philadelphia,
entitled What Is Art? The tr anslation is
made from the Russian by Mr.. Charles
Johnston, and is rather badly done. 1t
serves, after fashion, however, in CIV
ing us an idea of Count Leon Tolstoi's
opinion of the symbolists and decadants.
and he is not flattering to either. Con-
corning his book Tolstoi himself says: II
have finished to the best of my power
work which has occupied me for fifteen
years, on q subject which touches me
closely-art
There is one chapter with the heading
sWhat is Beauty?'' and it is almost en-
tireIy made up of quotations from various
and many writer's beginning with Baum
garten, the founder of aesthetics, inolu.
ding Schultz, Sulzer, Mendelssohn and
Moritz, and ending with Darwin, Spen-
Ger, Morley, Grant Allen, Card, Knight
and others.
Tolstot despises Wagner's music, pro-
nouncing it "false art "ugly nonsense,
prepared without hunor and without
simplicity the effect which it produces
being mere hyphotism.
In regard 20 morality in art Tolstoi'
writes: II have recently been reading
very meritorious work by Volkedt. Dis
cussing the demands of morality in the
production Of art, the author says plain
" that the demand for morality in art Is
unjust, and to prove this he shows that if
we admit this demand, then Shakes
peare's Romeo and Juliet, and Goethe's
Wilhelm Meister would not come under
the condition of good art. This. too, is
probably the excuse of all modern Deca.
dents.
Again, OF the Wagner operas Count
Tolstoi writes: "And SO (being hypno-
tized into ecstasy meaningless, coarse,
artifi cia1 production. which has nothing
in common with art, thanks to the mas.
terly skill with which art is initiated,
goes all over the world, costs millions to
mount, and ever more and more corrupts
the taste of people of the upper classes,
and their idea of what art isl
1 quote the closing paragraph of Toll
stoi's work on art: ut may be- he
writes, "that in the future science will
discover for art new and higher ideals,
and that art will realize them; but in
our time the destiny of art is clear and
definite. The problem of Christian art
is the realization of the brotherly union
of mankind" "Brotherh God and love of
our neighbour" whatever that may mean,
is the pivot upon which the world should
turn, according to 1'olstoi. Like all men
of one idea, he would bend the universe
to the accomplishment of that which he
considers needful Such a person writes,
sees and thinks from one standpoint,
shuts out reason and common sense and
| makes straight for the goal which he has
| set for himself, after leaving devastation
| in his path, and thinking all roads right
eous if they lad to the accomplishment
Of his insane and impossible purpose
| That Tolstoi is man of genius his great
works, War and Peace, and Anna Rare.
nina prove. But he grows less sane as
the years go by, and consequently less
interesting. portland: Loring, Short
g. Harmony
| 1t Is always agreeable to note the tai
ont and industry of our own townspeople,
| and it is a pleasure to be able to mention
| with much commendation little volume
which is for sale by Messrs MCGOWAN &