The Washington herald., 1907-09-24
DISCIPLE OF TOLSTOI
Chandler Says This Is Why
He Left Commission.
WOULD TRANSFER" THOUGHTS
Wants Mental Rest After NenrIy Half
= Century 0f strenuous Political
Life-IntendS 80 Dodge "Stern Re-
aIities" that Russian Seer Says
Lead Inevitably Into Endless Rut.

Waterloo. y. H.. Sept. z3.-Former
United States senator William Z. Ch4nd-
+ Ter C.1lared to-day that be had resigned
as chairman OF the Spanish Treaty
I Claims Commission because Of a deter
miHation TO live the remainder Of his life
along lines advocated 10y the great Rus
sian philosopher Count Leo Tolst0i
I This does not mean that DE intends 70
retire 10 his country estate here and live
( the simple life ia ToIstoi IN its en-
trety. but thar he intends 10 forget care
and trouble and make play Of his work.
/ Not political jealousy. not the earnest
/ OF a higher and more distinguished place
/ I'm the service Of the country, is given as
I his reason for retiring into private life
/ after forty-five years OF strenuous and ef-
fective political and public endelvor. In a
talk to-day he explained that he meant
10 follow the TolsJoi idea Of thought
trausference,' or "a sidetracking OF trou-
I BILE
/ RE IS TO follow other and different
work and do it by means OF what Tolstoi
! calls the exercise Of a controlling power
of transferring the thoughts and the emo
! tions from the realm OF exclusive mental
/ Ipreoccupation to the realms of fresh.
original and recuperative interest" Mr..
Chandler refused To give OF TO admit the
/ existence OF any other reason for his &C
/ tioin in resigning his public Office.
Theory He EspouseS.
/ The danger in the lives Of men. argues
ToIstoi. is that in the stern reality of
effort and problem-facing. the thoughts
revolve in one dreamy, monotonous
circle. everf threatening 10 such men
down through its vortex into the maeI-
strom below The more they brave. the
more pitiable they become. The
remedy lies in the power of thought
trarsference. We must become
/ interested. and vitaHy interested. in
something outside ourselves. something
that viii make US laugh love. admire,
work for it, pray for it, and give thanks
for it."
/ According TO this theory. Mr.. Chandler
/ has become weary of the endless tread
mill Of public effort and is seeking the
remedy in thought transference."
/ What form thought -transference" is
( to take with Mr.. Chandler does not ap-
pear. but in the doctrine Of TOlstOi al
most any object that will mean a change
/ Of interests. a renewal of ideals viii
/ till the need. Should Mr.. Chandler de
/ eide 10 retire 10 his estate at Waterloo
/ and engage in the pursuit Of philosophic
/ Ideals, that would certainly be "a trans
/ ference" from the grind Of the commits
4 sion work. To use the figure OF the
Russian genius he can "sidetrack" his
weighty thoughts on the siding Of poetry.
Bookkeeping, stock farming. or poultry
/ raising.
Might Exchange with shaw.
/ Seeing that Mr.. Chambers domain Of
activity has been political. he has the
/ option of transferring his thoughts To
any branch as long as that branch is
/ different He may 90 into the making
/ OF dramas. while George Bernard Shaw,
/ for example. who has been circulating
/ in the whirlpool of play-making would
4 find "thOught-tTansferenc IN taking up
such work, say, as chairman Of the
/ Spanish Treaty Claims Commission