Omaha daily bee., 1905-05-21
COUNTESS ToLsToY ON WAR
wife of Russian Author writes Let
ter Telling of Condition
of People.

WARSAW, May Especial Cablegram
to The Bee.J-The full text of the letter
on the war, written by Countess Sophie
Tolstoy wife of Count Leo Tolstoy, has
just been given out here. It is as follows
1t is said that there is in Russia no
unity of opinion or feeling, but there exists
on lhe contrary complete disparity OF
views am extremely pained by artl-
cles IN various unsympathetc papers, such
as 'NOVUye Nremya, MOskOVskal, NledO-
mosu ana others, wnicn call Tor the con-
tnuatiOn OF war and are opposed 70 peace,
without entering into any political cOnsid-
erations, although personally am per
sudded that the continuation of the war
is not only useless, but Will lead To IN
creasingly greater losses ana disorders, by
those dIsatlected masses ia whom the war
has awakened contempt for human ilte,
and an aimless, brutal thirst Tor blood. l
simply cannot understand those VINO dare
to continue to advocate war.
Is 1t possible that these people are bereft
OF the most elementary loNe toward hG-
manity and of the understanding OF good
ness-nay, of mere imagination, that they
are able to live with the innocent victims
of war and their forsaken families through
these desperate suuerlngs, under which the
whole of Russia is now groaning
Some imagine that the people are regard
ing war and death with wisdom and
equanimity. This Is not correct. l am
of my own of to the war. l have eX-
perienced and seen these partings with
neartrending. grief and never have Wit, Wit
condemnation of the cause for which the
men were being sent away. | know OF
only a very few exceptions, and those not
among the people, but the educated
younger generation.
Peace cannot he disgrace, as so many
wrongly imagine. A lost war is not d
disgrace but a misfortune. a spiritually
undeveloped unchristianlike nation such as
among them is rife the principle OF pa
| triotism, which Is opposed to the Christian
! principle of love to ones neighDOr, ana
| therefore of opposition to war. They have
| not yet grown up to this stage, but the
| Russians are on the way to it,.
Besides what disgrace can be greater
| than that of tOrturing men, and competing
| them to commit the greatest crime imagln-
| able, that of depriving others of their
| lives by cruel, complicated, improved meth
| DDS invented by shameful, wrongly ol'
| reCted civilization.
| of leaving hundreds of thousands of chill.
| dren and aged people without fathers and
| sons foodless, dying from want, un-
| clothed; than that OF compelling TO sunel
| hundreds of thousands of weeping moth
ers, wives, fathers and children many many
dying or becoming Ill through grief; thar
! that of leaving the fields uncultiVated II
order to impose upon future generation:
/ Better let go all these lands which are
| acquired by insanely cruel meth9ds II
order that the renanns aHd rnioTs shioIio pros
| Yesterday, on returning home, the mrs
thing l saw at the entrance of my hous'
| who was leaning in exhaustion against &
post l asked her what she wanted. go
I'VE are dying of hunger! help US
| Five children; l am the sixth.
And where is your husband?"
I'm the hospital. Manned at the war
| unable to work"
After a short silence the woman slghe'
and asked me: And what is the news
Will they soon stop the WARP
Nothing is heard about that.
Then what is He doing?' she said, Il
a tone of unspeakable suffering
Whom do you mean by her -.
why, the czar! How many people ar
diving OF hunger! How many orphans ha
he sent begging! Good God"
This is what the people say, this is VIVA
a common mother feels, but mother Wit
the same feelings toward her hungry, sur
fering child, emaciated from its eXtrem
privations-a mother in this respect simlla
10 us, ladies' empresses, in this feelin
, common to all mortals
But IL the czars and the generals ar
| us mothers, of all masses, revolt agalns
, those slaughters which have so rent ou
; | hearts.