New-York tribune., 1903-07-08
HERE FROM KlSHINEFF.
JEW, RUSSIA'S PROBLEM
Dissertations of Professor Steiner
-ToLst0y'S Influence.


from The Outlook" Company to gather new ma
terial regarding Count Tolstoy, returned 10 this
city on Monday the Noordam. He devoted the
winter to the purpose of his mission. and on MS
way hack spent time al Kishnen. arriving
there a few days after the massacre
l have been in Russia" said Professor Steiner
yesterday, since last December. went TO see
Count ToIstoy, to mingIe with the Tolstoy circle
and to get anything possible concerning Tolstoy's
hfe This did under the special commission OF
The Outlook Company. I went direct to Tolstoy's
estate. Yasnaya Polyana, which is near the city
OF Tula, about twelve hours by rail from Moscow
Tolstoy was exceedingly III when arrived and had
been removed from the quarters which he had long
occupied. a sort of hovel-like room on the lowest
door Of the house. He had been taken upstairs
where physician lived with him He recovered
scon, but he remains and will doubtless always
remain, q brokendOwn man. who Will be con-
fined much to his house and will never again be
able to work in the fields, as has long been his
custom
COUNTESS TOLSTOY PUT THEM OUT.
soon after my arrival three sprituaEstic students
came from England who were desirous of convert
ing Tolstoy to spiritualism. They were not at all
welcome but they lived in the house and were well
treated, just every is who goes to
1olstoy. Mrs. Tostoy at the time in Moscow,
and these three fastened themselves upon
Tolstoy and gave him rest for two days and two
nights. They worked very hard their ideas OF
conversion, and Tolstoy talked as hard his
health would permit him 10 convert them TO his
IDEAS The struggle was still Mrs Tolstoy.
woman OF strong personality, returned and put
them out OF the house
AT different times while lived on the Tolstoy
estate I took trips TO Moscow, and particu
larly interested in studying the cab drivers and
prisoners, and what might be called the lower
der Of people in the city. with the idea of finding
out from them what influence the efforts of Toll
stoy in their behalf had upon them. One incident is
enough to mark the point Moscow is one of the
most pious cities in the world. At every corner
there are holy pictures and statues at which the
citizens reverently stop and bow. The driver Of
my cab. l noticed on my first day Of investga-
ton, passed these pictures unnoticed
Why don't you cross yourselfT I asked
'Tolstoy said We must not he answered
so I knew that the influence Of ToIstoy had
reached the cab drivers of Moscow at least.
From my residence on the Tolstoy estate, I am
convinced that he knows everything that goes on
in Russia There IS not revolutionary scheme, I
sure. that any is Matching that Tostoy does
not hear about All manner Of men are eager TO
submit ideas Of violence to him. and they go to
see him in droves and tell him their most secret
thoughts without hesitation. But he sends them
all away after ne has reasoned with them, and
has told them that they must not resort 10 vio-
lence-that the Kingdom Of God is within them
There is telling how many revolutionary out
breaks he has averted.
so much has been said about the Tolstoy circle
in Moscow, and 50 much that is not a all true.
The Tolstoy circle IS not a society at all There
are merely a lot OF men drawn together who are
trying 70 live up to Tolstoys ideas in some way.
They are musicians, bankers. artists and business
men Of all kinds. who have formed a sort of
brotherhood that has neither organization nor name
Some have followed Tostoy so far as to give up
everything they have in life TO the poor. Others
have accepted his views in modified form. but all
Of them strong Tolstoyans.
'I was in Moscow when the news was received
Of the Kishinen massacre; there was very little
about II in the newspapers because of the censor
ship There was no exctement-no more than If
a pig had been kilIed-because the news was so
scanty. There were two or three lines in the paper
q few days after it happened. from little letter
that had got through-the telegraph and telephone
Offices were closed
HORRORS OF THE MASSACRE
When reached KishineT there was no excite
r1ent; everything had died down The Jews were
huddled together in their quarters. especially
around the synagogue I went among them and
STAYED a few days. such horrible things happened
during the massacre that could not repeat them.
Women were cut open and abused in every possible
way; you could not print IT. But while this Is all
/ true. the same time the Jews told me there
were also instances Of extreme kindness the part
/ of priest who tried TO save them from the mob
/ even at the peril Of his own life.
''I Of course understand the whole Jewish prob
! lem which cannot be told in interview, and has
! never vet been written In a small portion of Rus
sIa in the cities, there are crowded together five
| million Jews who cannot be farmers, who cannot
own soil who are excluded from certain profes-
/ sions ana certain businesses and who are really
held prisoners There are at least one hundred and
/ twenty thousand Jews in one Russian city. . ano
two-thrds Of them never knqw where totInorTovy
rived the drivers almost 10 pieces 50 eager
/ We're they for work of some kind. A big, SLTons
man will work all day for amount equal TO i
cents and lie VIII carry heaVy puIdeh from
! end OF the city The other for . cents 4hls
Jewish problem is big fostering sore W e 44WayS @
think Of the Jews as rch out l1S mass % u AZ -
| in Russia are exceedingly poor They often dle or or
| Jews in Russia than anywhere else in the world.
When arrived In E1ishineff it was al quiet The
uolice had everything IN check. A Russian crowd IS
good deal like bull and then Ike an OK, ] II e& *
cud When the affair was over II was al over. JLst
as II nothing had happened me condltlCL OF ltle
/ Tev-s was if anything, worse than before IN the
little villages l visited the peasants were IS
Considered the raassa kind of general signal
BETTER SIDE ALSO
..7ut there Is also a better side. and that wish
70 BRING out. This hatred OF the Jews is not the
ss,,I+ otbe Russian people; they are not TO blame;
| II is the Russian Government The government is
1 anxious now to keep the Jew as scapegoat IN
derstaudE The Russian peasanIry Is co1AIIls 70 LS
I -{r,as now and Russia IS becoming industrial
rho getting
so.ia.i-ric ideas. they getting TeaCy LeFJ-
So----- -la[a- vyas there such q critical time in
Russia as row, and the government knows H. SO Il
/ IS much as possible, and Is slcklus MN on Lt5
Z problem there. and ne IS getting 10 be great
. ToIir!caI problem, and because, naturally, II tLe
/ government. You VIII md that some o. the mos
Violent anarchists and socialists in Russia are jews
the government knows that FOR instance i 80 :, =
an order not long ago mat Jle atiny - DS 80
watched because Of socalistic literature WhIcI7 N
being circulated and that the Jewish so1oeF Ti
intelligent in the ranks, and they become asI-
! tators."
COUNT CASSINI SAILS.