Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1905-08-11
Where Count ToIstoy Erred.

expressed the following opinion:
"rhe American nation is prematurely
old, is ENTHUSIASTICALLY minded and
has no idealism. But the Germans
have sunk to a still lower level in
this respectively have idealism on.
ly in their poetry, in their lives they
are devoid of it; they have lost Cod"
Whether this harsh Judgment was
pronounced by the great philosopher
or not. it shows how foolish and harm.
full it is to express sweeping opinions
condemning whole nations. No man
is entirely bad nor entirely good,
neither quite incapable nor able to
do everything-how much less is this
the case with a whole nation. In or
der to rightly appreciate the value of
nations and the possibilities which
they contain, one has to discern the
good and evil elements peculiar to
each Of them. And only charitable,
not a hostile. spirit is able duly to
appreciate either nation or an indi-
vidual.
The circumstances of my life have
brought me into close touch with tine
four great nations of Europe-Ger-
mans, Russians, English and French.
owe to every one of them some
part of my intellectual and moral
growth and possess among all dear
and highly esteemed friends. 1t has
panied me to see them so often mis-
Judge each other, for instance, to
hear Russian say that Anglo-Saxons
and Germans are devoid of idealism
and vice versa.
&tSA% at{o
ism takes with the German chiefly the
form of devotion to duty. In the Rus
sian it is readiness to sacrifice every
thing to his inward feeling. In the
Anglo.Saxon it is the stalking of the
whole person for a concrete, palpa-
BILE and distinctly fixed purpose. In
the Frenchman it is the general idea
which carries him away to great
deeds.
The danger of the German form
of practical idealism lies in his ten
dency to become narrow minded and
Enthusiastically self sufficient. The great
est German thinker, Kant, has plac-
ed at the basis of all ethics the cat
egorical imperative of duty: Thou
shalt
No impartial observer who has been
in personal intercourse with other ma
tions will deny that the German often
has something narrow minded about
him which is mostly but the reverse
of his great quality of conscientious
ness. One of the consequences of this
trait in the German character is their
inclination and ability to form unions
(vereine) and to organize their COM
bined action, which presupposes
strict observance of the duties under.
taken by each individual.
The inclination of the Russian to
sacrifice everything to his feeling,
his mood, finds expression in the case
of choice natures, whose feelings have
noble tendency in a truly heroic
and unsophisticated devotion to God
their country, their fellow creatures.
The great sensitiveness of their race,
it's power of sympathy and adaptation,
coupled with great clearness of un-
derstanding and versatility of mind,
makes the high minded Russian one
of the most lOvable of beings, and ev-
en- in the average Russian the at
Effectiveness of these qualities is so
great that they explain the moral
tolerant nature is not warped by the
influence of religious or political doc
trine.
The reverse of this beautiful ten
dency, however, consists In an alb
sence of self-restraint, even where ig-
noble feelings are concerned, and in
a certain instability and unreliable
ness in the details of life. The super
fetal or even uncharitable observer
who is first struck by this weakness
in temptation will Judge wrongly II
had not had occasion to notice OF
what heroism almost every Russian is
capable, as soon as his feeling has a
voice in the matter. For this reason
it is possible to do wonders with
Russians whose love has been gained,
but one can not count on the Rus
slams sense of duty to the same de-
gree as on the Germans.
With the Anglo Saxon race the
training of the will Of the personal
ego is stronger than with any other
nation. According to this disposition
and the corresponding great freedom
of the individual in relation to the
state, there has developed in the ma
tons of this race habit or mastering
newly arising tasks OF public ma
ture, not by fixed or government or
CARNATIONS (as in Germany but by
free associations formed ad hoe, whose
strength depends more on the en-
deavors of the individual than on the
excellence of the organization. Men,
not measures" is the motto
This training to self-help has shap
ed the AnglO-Saxon form of idealism,
which consists in the devotion of the
whole person to such concrete OBJ
ject as seems to him the most import
ant at the time.
In order to kindle a Frenchman in
to noble deeds, the ideal must be put
into a clear and beautiful foru,.
Whether it be the ideal of liberte
egalite, fraternite or of patrie. 2loir-,
honneur he is capable OF sacrificing
life house and home for it. Thanks
to the clearness of mind of the French,
their taste for elegance OF form. or
their perspicacity. the general form
ulae coined by them have the greatest
influence over other nations, especial
ly over the masses, but the very ao-
vantage of these formulate, their com
prehensibility and generality, are also
defects. for they are not able to DO
| Justice to the endless variety and
completely of real lie.
No nation is devoid of idealism.
| II NAV appear in various forms. but
, look for ir and you will always find
II No NOT condemn too hastily.