New-York tribune., 1901-09-08
TOLSTOY.
Az ATTEMPT AT INTERPRETATION BY A
DISCIPLE.

1oLsII0Y sI, An, AND HIS PROBLEMS. Essays by
Company.
This book in itself constitutes kind of prob
lem. The reader who takes it up under the i'm
preston that il is going TO make Tolstoy's later
works palmer 10 him viii be disappointed. Mr.
kaude is devoted student Of his master: it is
obvious on every page that he has done his best
20 get al the truth, and is anxious TO share il
with the world But the trouble is that the
truth, il il could be got at, would almost
tainly turn out TO be less significant and, above
al, less profoundly philosophical than the thick
and thin admirers OF the Russian author appar-
emily imagine il 10 be. The most important
pages in this book those aiming the in
terpretatiOn Of the work entitled What Is Art -
Mr. Maude does not like 10 have il said Of this
production, one irreverent critic saii Of il,
that it is composed of so much 'clOtted non
sense" His own opinion is that il is d boon,
witness these words:
OF the effect the book has had on me person
ally, / can only say that whereas l was blind
now / see" Though sensitive 10 some forms Of
art, was, when took il up much in the dark
on questions Of aesthetic philosophy. when | had
done with H. had grasped the main solution Of
the problem clearly that-thOush l waded
through nearly all that the critics and reviewers
had 10 say about the book never again became
perplexed upon the central issues
Now what makes US doubt as have indi-
Gated above that the secrets Of some Of Tolstoy's
books win amount 10 much when they are al last
discovered. is that here is Mr.. Maude. firm fixed
On the central issues" and for the life Of him
n cannot help Us in turn. 10 get any fOrrader'
He might chivalrously blame himself, protest
ing that We must not charge Tolstoy with his
faults as an interpreter But although il is per-
haps a little too fippant to describe What is
Arro" as book Of clotteG nonsense, il is not
unfair 10 insist that il is obscure book
fossy book. a book that leads nowhere, and 10
slrmise that if Mr. Maude is no longer per
picked upon the central issues" il is because he
is very easily satisfied In its construction, in
coordination in concise form Of many converg-
lng thoughts. this Is probably. the most mas
te-,ly e an Tolstoy's works" This is nigh praise
Bur il Is not criticism. What is Art?" con-
ta.us-as coming from a man OF genius, il could
not help containing-yar interesting remarks
on art But the book j. amorphous and bewil-
cerlug: The author seems TO he wandering about
among unfamiliar Jhrgs. touching them. med
irating upon them. but mixing them up in his
thoughts with theoretical notions which like
VIII o the Nisps. lead his judgment astray. We
feel. more or less vaguely, that he believes in
the spiritual and moral rectitude Of the best art
and naturally sympathize with him. But the
outlook is troubled when Tolstoy asserts that
the destiny Of art in our time is 10 transmit
from the realm Of reason 10 the realm Of feeling
the truth that We'll being for men consists in
being united together" and We suspect the an
proach Of "clotted nonsense when Mr. Naude
developing TIE masters ideas. blan lily saws
much in Shakespeare that has been highly
esteemed, and that occupies our brains, does