The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-04-23
TOLSTOY 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
| Majesty's 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 mslead 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
Tolstoys 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 | am
told, is to be accounted for by the fact
that it was written when the author was
very i'll and bedridden at the end of last
year. Its contents have become so gen.
orally known here among all well-in-
formed people that there can hardly be
any doubt as to it's 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-
fore m l,efr Itch, 10 fnf, ., a
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 1t is short. Listen
to the promptings of your own heart and
act accordingly.
Mine young women living at liberty.
with sufficient for their needs. and two
old matrOns. beg as special favor, after
selling all they have accumulated by hard
work, TO 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 tine sufferings OF these
people during six years of separation, liv-
ing alone. in the most difficult Circum-
stances? And how moral and strong must
they be If, in the midst of their suffer
ings. they think not of themselves. but of
one another. and of how to be true to
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 to be practiced in Russia,
and 10 even on the increase at a time when
all enlightened persons and Governments
have long ago recognized the futilIty, alb
surdity, and cruel injustice of such per-
secution.
Il have long had it in my mind as a
sacred duty before I die to try to open
your eyes to the senseless and terrible
cruelties which are perpetrated In your
name. The accompanying letter from the
Dukhobors has determined me to put 1t
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 Punishment, 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 Erfvsn. 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 Kieff. who are perse-
cuted for their faith--all 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 as ordered
by the authorities. most of whom recoH-
nize no God whatever.
IF you do not know of all the absurd
cruelties 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
hat van lie Tod IN hp In
Fiction Of suffering upon the innocent and
the best among the people, and that you
are able to prevent ii, 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 Pobiedonost-
zoff. who Is man behind his time, cum
ming. obstinate, and cruel, nor with Sipia-
gin, who is a man of mediocre abilities.
frivolous, and unenlightened. Such people
will tell you that l am visionary, an
Anarchist, and a Goddess person. and that
all / say and advise is unjust, but what l
say is not from my own point of view. l
speak from the point Of view of your
Majesty, who is able to put an end to
the crimes committed under the guise of
legality and to destroy the bases on which
such crimes are founded. Therefore, l
take the liberty OF advising you as fol-
lows: % To revise and abolish the con-
and shameful laws low exist
ing in regard to prosecutions in the name
of religion. which have long ceased to
exist III every blDtI country nus
STA: 90 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 exiled on
account Of their faith: and 49, to recon- |
slider the question of how to reconcile the |
of conscience in religious |
matters with the demands of me State |
as for example. the refusal to take an |
oath and to perform military service; not |
to punish such dissent a rhine, 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 have not explained my |
self clearly; my only motive was the |
good of the people In general and of |
yourself 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 tie judgment of his
tory, lays upon you tormenting re-
sponsbility. BY abolshing this religious
and by making it's repeti-
ton impossible you will not only relieve
of this responsibility. but will
experience the pleasurable consciousness
Of having done a good work.
God help you to do that which pleaseth
greatest good for the Russian people and
5or yourself. Your loving
LEO ToLsToY."
December -. 1890
Moscow tAprii q Correspondence Lon
don Times