The evening times., 1900-04-13
ToIStoy In Chicago.


ToIstoy In Chicago.
President Harper OF Chicago University,
has plan. which. at first sight. seems
little curious He is going TO Europe be-
fore long. and he intends TO invite Toll
stoy 10 pay visit to Chicago, and give
course Of lectures at Chicago University
There Is a certain incongruty In the
thought of Tolstoy in Chicago. The great
Russian reformer. in his peasant tunic.
peacefully cobbIirg shoes on his planta-
tion. seems as odd contrast 10 the bust
ling. pushing life Of the Windy City as
Pan in Wall Street. He believes in the
New Testament. absolutely, implicitly, and
literally. He breaches the doctrine that
men should not resist evil In Chicago,
II the stranger does not hook out, he will
be knocked down and robbed. or cheated
out OF his bOots-at least. that is what
certain innocent rural citizens who have
been there will state. The business Of a
big city is not done according to the rules
laid down in the New Testament. and il
the Russian novelist wishes to do mis-
sionary work he can find field almost
anywhere outside of his own much-cen-
sored country. He can preach TO New
York. San Francisco. Chicago. Washing
ton OF any town i'm England, France, or
Germany. 10 say nothing Of other conu-
nents and the islands of the sea. and draw
his illustrations and horrible warnings
from real life.
In Russia. when he wants to write ser.
10
times has TO put it in the form OF
story. TO escape the blue pencils Of The
Government The story of Ivan the Fool.
was originally written in the form OF an
essay. and the censors Pounced upon Dc and
eviscerated 10 50 that nobody in the world
could have told what il meant. Then the
author took 10 and made the idea into fc
tion. and the tale is circulated al over
Russia He viii have no such difficulties
in this country Once let 10 be known that
he is here. and he will be assailed by
armies Of reporters. all anxious 10 obtain
his opinions on socialism the single TAX.
the Republican platform. modern litera-
ture. the theory o. evolution. drosa -eform,
and American civilization He will find
pictures Of himself in every paper he hap
pens TO pick up. and he may put In MS
sundays reading all the interviews which
he gave 70 he yellow journals including
numerous ,..ings which he never said He
will fine himself character-sketched by
eminent uoyeIists and done into German
dialect by Nr Dinkespel He will not be
blue -penciled az all
But what about his lectures al Chicago
University There seems 20 be d shadowy
4 dubiousness in the situation there, Il Mil
be remembered that this is the university
founded and 10 some extent stjll support
I'd nv Mr Rockefeller-the pet preserve
OF the Standard oil Trust. Tolstoy be-
Iievee shat labor is honorable. So does
Mr. Rockefeller The thing which the
Russian Socialist viii bee directed TO DO
is to arise and expatiate on the dignity OF
WORK and the necessity for men 10 work
hard pay their debts and buy as much
as possible of the goods which the trusts
have to sell communistically dividing
these necessaries with their poorer neigh
bors 30 that they may not become wicked
capitalists Money is the root of all evIl.
ana work is the great reforming agency
Of the world: these tn,.es 5he Count can
safely teach
But suppose he took 10 into ri- head
Iect ne on another text Slppose he be-
gan to tell about his peculiar theory Of The
duty OF a capitalist There rs a ~,ory
about young man who was advised 10 sci
all his goods and give to the poog Jd. ice
which Tolstoy himself has almost literally
followed. He might read that story 90 the
students and preach about it or aXpopnd
some OF bis ideas OF the proper government
Of a truly Christian and civilized society,"
which would not include trusts Ana g., lie
did. the chances are that MIR Rockefeller
would appear like al avengjng ghost in
that Iecture-rcom. and steruly o-les r. esi-
dent Harper TO have the lecture course
discontinued as injurious 10 the minds 5f
the young and uusGited TO the practical
conditions Of life in a Republ, which Is,
by the arrangement of Prov leuea. gov
erned largely by trusts Then count Toll
stoy would 20 home TO Russia convinced
that we nave censors and czars anI ou-
reaucratic methods OF governnen iu this
nominslly free country. after all; aud one
OF these days he would write a novel about
American life. with some local color a il
drawn from his personal experience.