The times., 1901-04-23
T0LSpOY TO THE GAR.
The Full Text of the Russian Novel
lists Recent Letter.

!
| Ministers, primarily in order to acquaint
! the young Empress, the granddaughter
of Queen Victoria, with the institutions
of the country which had just become her
| Majestys new home and also to afford
information on the subject for Englishmen
| in general In that book, among other
! extraordinary things. there is a chapter
! on the liberation of the Russian Govern
| ment in religious matters entitled Free
| dom of religion which will astonish any
! reader who happens to know the real
| position of Russia in this respect, and is
/ certainly calculated to mislead the Eng
lishman who takes his information from
this and other official publications lately
distributed by the Russian Government
with an unprecedented expenditure of
| labor. money, and zeal
AS contrast to this official freedom
OF religion, which like many other
Asiatic or medieval things in Russia hid
den under European nomenclature, means
exactly the reverse Of what it means
! everywhere else in Europe. | send a trans
lation of one of the many copies of Count
| Iolstoys last letter to the Car. now be-
ing privately circulated. The style in
Russian seems to be very careless for SO
distinguished writer but this, l am
that it was written when the author was
very i'll and bedridden at the end of last
| year. It's contents have become so gen
orally known here among all well-in-
formed people that there can hardly be
any doubt as to its authenticity. The re-
quest made on behalf of certain Russian
women who ask to be allowed to leave
their present place of abode evidently re-
fers TO their wish to join their husbands
in exile somewhere in the remoter parts
of Siberia.
Your Imperial Majesty Gospodar ,Nicho-
las Alexandrivich:
Kindly read through the enclosed let
ter yourself and alone; II was not at first
intended for you, and it is short. Listen
to the promptngS of your own heart and
act accordingly.
with sufficient for their needs and two
old matrons. beg as a special favor. after
selling all they have accumulated by hard
work, 10 be allowed TO give up free and
comfortable existence, and to go TO the
most horrible place of exile surrounded
by the most painful conditions. What
must have been the sufferings Of these
people during six years of separation, hv-
ing alone. in the most difficult Circum-
stances? And how moral and strong must
they be If, in the midst of their suffer
lngs, they think not of themselves but Of
one another, and of how to be true to
their marriage vows. But these are not
the only people who are suffering here
Hundreds OF such Russians. the best of
the people, are undergoing still worse suf-
fering from religious persecution, which,
through some astonishing misunderstand-
ing, continues 10 be practiced in Russia
and fs even on the increase al a time when
all enlightened persons and Governments
have long ago recognized the futility, abb
surdity, and cruel injustice of such per-
secution.
Il have long had it in my mind as a
sacred duty before die to try to open
your eyes to the senseless and terrible
cruelties which are peTpetrated In your
name. The accompanying letter from the
Dukhobors has determined me to put it
of no longer Thousands of the best
Russians, sincerely religious people, and
therefore such as constitute the chief
strength of every nation have been al
ready ruined, or are being ruined in pris-
on and in banishment, or have been sent
out, or are being sent out OF Russia The
flower of the population, not only in the
Caucasus. but also in Russia proper, 900
DukhObors, notwithstanding all hardshipS
and privations. have quilted their father
land forever. not only with regret, but in
terror from the remembrance of all they
have had to undergo there. Several thou
sand Molokani in the district Of Kars, as
many IN ErfVan. whose petition to be al
lowed to emigrate | have already sub
mitted to you. the Molokani of Tashkent
and some 10000 persons in the provinces
of Kharkof and KiefT. who are perse-
cuted for their faith-alI these wish and
pray for one thing only, and that is the
permission TO leave Russia and TO go
where they may safely worship God as
they understand him and not ordered
by the authorities, most of whom recog-
nize no God whatever
IF you DO not know of all the absurd
CTuelties which are committed in your
name. then allow me TO tell you here that
my words will be confirmed by any just
person whom you may commission to in
vestigate the matter. But once knowing
that your name is used to justify the in
Fiction OF suffering upon the innocent and
The best among the people, and that you
are able TO prevent 1t, you cannot have
peace of mind until you have done this
Do not take counsel with the men who
have arranged this ill-treatment, to be
guided by them, neither with PobedonOst-
Zon, who is man behlnd MS time, cum
ming, obstinate, and cruel, nor with Sfpia-
gin. who Is a man of mediocre abilities.
frivolous. and unenlightened. Such people |
will tell you that I am a visionary, an
Anarchist, and a Goddess person, and that
all / say and advise IS unjust, but what | |
say is not from my own point OF view. | |
speak from the point of view of your |
Majesty who is able to put an end 10 |
the crimes committed under the guise of |
legality and to destroy the bases on which |
such crimes are founded. Therefore l |
take the liberty or advising you as fol- |
lows. ID To revise and abolish the con- |
Trajectory and shameful laws low exist |
ing in regard to prosecutions in the name |
of religion. which have long ceased to |
exist in every other country except Rus |
sia; % TO put an end to all persecution |
and punishment for departure from the |
creed Of the State. and to liber- |
ate all persons imprisoned and cXied on /
account of their faith; and (3) 10 recon- !
slider the question of how TO reconcile the |
requirements of conscience in religious !
matters with the demands Of the State |
as for example. the refusal TO take an |
oath and to perform military service; not |
to punish such dissent as a tTime, but |
try TO reconcile the inconsistency, as was |
done in the ease Of the MennOnites, by |
labor in exchange for mill
tary service, and solemn declaration to
speak the truth in courts of law instead |
of the usual oath.
Forgive me if I have not explained my
self clearly; my only motive was the
good of the people in general and Of
in particular. | know and feel
all the weight and responsibility of your
position. | believe that the cruel reli-
gious oppression praCticed in your name,
besides doing harm to yourself in the
opinion of people and the opinion of !
Europe and the Judgment of his
tory, lays upon you a tormenting re-
sponsibility. BY abolishing this religious /
persecution and by making it's repeti-
lion impossible you will not only relieve
yourself Of this responsibility, but will
experience the pleaSurable consciousness !
IF having done d good work
God help you to do that which pleaseth !
lim And in doing this you will do the
greatest good for the Russian people and
'or yourself. Your loving
LEO TOLsTOY"
December -. 1900
Moscow April y Correspondence Lon
don Times.