The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-08-02
FROM THE JOURNAL
OF COUNT LEO TOLSTOY

: their ideas on the uselessness and he
danger of the violent action Of govers-
ments are equitable, and one thing needs
honIy to be changed: They must reply to
violence and murder by refusal to par
ticipate in violence and murder.
have received an Italian work on the
teaching OF Christianity in the school
This idea that the teaching OF religion
is an injustice is a very good idea; 1; Is
that perversion OF children of 7,hich
Christ speaks What right have we 10
teach that which is disputed by the
great majority-the Trinity. the mira
cles of Buddha, OF Mohammed. of Christ?
The only thing We should teach is
moral doctrine
An excellent phrase was uttered lately
by person with whom I was discuss
ing the Impression produced on peasants
by books; II is hard TO please them,
| because for them life is very serious.
That is an important phrase Wou.d
that the majority OF the men OF our
| caste might comprehend it,
Cleans of light broke through the ac-
cumulated clouds. and yonder--thc sun
like red, flaming coal OF Irregular
form, and all above the forest. Ny
heart was filed with joy, and I thought
TO myself: No, this world is not a
mirage. ii is not merely a place OF trial.
thoroughfare 70 an eternal, better
world. II IS itself an eternal world. a
world that Is Joyous and beautiful. and
which we not only can but should make
more joyous and more beautiful for
those who live with us and for ali those
who shall live in it after u.s.
There are two ways of knowing the
external world. The one-the rudest
and easiest-is the knowledge acquired
by the five senses. The world which
we know is not formed by this way OF
knowing; If IL were. il would be chaos
which would simply give Us different
sensations. The other way consists OF
the recognition OF ourselves by self
love. and OF the recognition OF other
beings by our love for them We must,
by the power of thought, transport
ourselves into another man. into an ami
NAL, into plant. even into stone. By
this method we gain an internal knowl-
edge of things-we conceive the whole
world as we know IL.
This method is what is called the
poetic faculty; it is love. 1t is the re-
constitution of the union between
beings. a union that had apparently
been destroyed One issues cut OF ones
self and enters into another being. And
one can enter into every hing-be COM
mingled with God. with everything
IN every prescription OF practical
morality there IS the possibility of con-
tradicting it By acts which take their
rise from the same prescription.
Abstinence-does that mean not 20 eat
at all and so become incapable of serv-
ing men? Not TO kill animals-does that
mean TO allow them TO devour US? Not
to drink wine-does that mean not &c
partake OF the sacrament. not TO use
wine when our health requires it? Not
10 resist evil by violence-who then viii
allow that one man may kill other menf
The Importance attached TO such con-
Predictions only shows that the man who
troubles himself about these things does
not wish to work for the moral eleva-
ton Of the people.
II is always the same story: because
a man needs wine for his health. he
must not fight against alcoholism; be-
cause of imaginary acts of violence, he
must kill. arrest, imprison.
The death o. children from the ordi-
nary point of view is bad Nature en-
deavors 10 give the creatures that are
best. and she takes them back when the
world is not yet ready for them But
she must make an effort in order 70
advance. It is the same with the swai-
lows. who arrive too soon and die OF
cold IN spite of this, it was right that
they should come.
This usual style Of reasoning is bad
The right reason is that the child VINO
dies has accomplished the work OF Cod
the establishment OF Gods kingdam y
the augmentation of love-far better
than certain persons who have lived
half century or more.
Love. love him who has done thee
evil. him whom thou hast blamed: whom
thou hast not loved. and all that cor
ceaIed his soul from thee viii vanish,
and when thou behoIdcst down in the
depths, as if through pure water the d.
vine essence OF his love thou wilt have
no need and thou wilt have no power
20 pardon him. Thou wilt need only
pardon for myself; for thou hast rot
loved in him in whom he was. because
thou hast banished my love from thee
and hast not seen il.