The San Francisco call., 1904-03-27

great whose glory does not disappear
by contact with them; in fact he is
greatest and nOblest at short range.
His speech has none OF the hardness
which rings so unpIeasantly in his writ
ings. his voice has that tender tOna
which woos and wins one"
The author plans his book not after
rigid adherence to chronological facts
in the life of Tolstoy. but with pur-
pose, rather. of tracing the growth and
development of his subjects intellect
ual and spiritual life. TOlstOy as the
sensitive. dreaming child. dubbed Phil
osopher'' by his fellows, and himself
knowing not what it was in him that
made him the ugly duckling OF the
family and the school, rapidly becomes
the landed proprietor with humanita-
rian aspirations. and then the de-
bauchee. The author then gives US a
glimpse Of TOlstoy. the young soldier,
who had first begun to write and to
whom this philosophy. rudiment OF
what was TO be builded on in later
years, had come: First the purifi-
cation and development Of self through
casting off the prejudices and evil ef-
fects Of our culture. and secondly, that
where such culture has not penetrated
we find the virtues which society must
make its own for the sake Of it's true
growth and salvation" This. then, the
author finds TO be the first fruits OF
Tolstoy's budding genius for philOsoph-
ical creation From these primal ut
terances Of the philOsopher-to-be be Stein
er leads the subject OF his work on
from strength to strength, outlining the
influences which came TO shape the
mind Of the writer and sketchlng by
analysis Of his successive works the
growth Of his scheme for the solution
Of the life problem,
He walked through Italy ike an
iconoclastic Hpritan; so full Of thoughts
Of mans sins and mans sufferings thar
hardly a ray OF its matchless beauty
penetrated those sharp, half closed
eyes, shaded by a knitted brow" In
Switzerland an incident OF n beggRR
musician who received no dole for his
strains OF harmony proved to Tolstoy
that culture has destroyed In man his
simple. natural and original feeling to
ward others" His story. Family Hap
piness." was an attempt to found q
theory OF marriage based upon a spir-
itual exaltation. The death OF broth
er caused him to mourn that life 10
terrible, art is lie and truth Is awful.
Thus was the Pickering pressure OF
passing circumstance registered upon
the delicate barometer OF TolstOy's
mind until Steiner finds him in the
depths Of agnosticism just prior to the
writing Of Anna Karenina."
That powerful tragedy with it's keen
study Of the whole gamut of class, So
cial development and human character,
marks for Steiner the parting OF the
ways for Tolstoy, the iconoclast and
hedonist. Not unlike Solomon" writes
Steiner, having tasted OF all that the
world could give him, TOlstoy cries
out: Vanity OF vanities. all is vanity.
What profit hath a man OF all his
labor which he taketh under the sum- -
To priests and theOlogians Tolstoy
turned for a ray Of light in his dark
ness, but he found that their lives be-
lied their professions. Then at last he
found what his heart desired in the
peasants whom alone he thought to
be really conversant with God through
their simple lives. Then came the Toll
stoy Of the peasants frock and bare
feet, the Tolstoy Of the new sociological
religion of ''the law OF Jesus"
In his review OF the philosophy OF
Tolstoy Steiner takes the view that thsV
Russian novelist has no desire to
proselyte in favor Of the revelation he
thinks to be his nor to be a second
John the Baptist to make straight the
way OF the Lord. On the other hand.
he is certain that Tolstoy's scheme Of
life was developed only to relieve the
travail OF doubt and despair which
pressed upon him and that II u noro
a personal possession than q far-nung
dogma. He was born with q genE-
tive conscience" says Steiner. IT
constantly judged and accused him ana
none the less his surroundings, max
ing plain to him always the contrast
between the ideal and the real; con-
seQuently there was a continual strue-
gle going on within him. To quiet hiB
conscience and bring IL to that peace
which Is its true atmosphere have been
his endeavor. But his way e
preaching the gospel reaches whsrO
our way does not reach: his gosDsl
reaches the lowest and brings the
greatest love. 1t II gospel which can
not be misunderstood: 1t 10 a. clear a.
monday"
CThe Outlook Company. New YrkH