Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1907-09-13
TOLSTOr'S PREDICTION.

BOnsaI SPOKE OF America rs e'o"i"S
great aud strong, %~hereupon Ioistol
exclaimed: Great and strong! Great
and strong. Who besides your silly
futile politicians cay that you are great
and strong? grant you were great
and strong in the days OF Emerson and
Thoreau, but today you place your
trust in armies and III the treasure
that Is in your vaults. Great and
strong! Oh, 1 think not. A nation,
like an individual, is only strong bJ
the faith that is in it, and today ] fear
the faith Of America Is in the almighty
dollar. A mans work Is the reflection
Of a mans soul. 4 mans sonl Is his
conception OF his Maker, h Supreme
Being. OF course l do not know, but
I think that the rude images of the
Indians are more grateful to deity than
your rushing railways and your never
resting factories, which have enslayed
the freest people. At least the Indians
I. had come vague idea Of eternity and OF
a God, and with rude, trembling fingers
tried to incorporate it, but you hin
only OF time and OF big men,.
In his earnestuess the Count now
rose, and forgetting his welnigh four
score years walked up and down IN ms
study with the pride OF a young man.
Prosperity, prosperity" he repeated.
-What shameful plea that IL which
your American platform makers ad
rlress to the voters. TheJ do not say,
We viii give YOU an no nest, righteous
government but they say, well make
you all fat and sleek. II o vote for
ne You will have a double chin! And
no one a arises TO say, 'Wha! viii your
III dinuer pals profit You II while
.Jrging your bellies you lose your i'm
mortal sou!s?''
Then the count stopped and gazed at
the photographs which adorn his study,
s,reskng hkenesses that were OF
+ nerson, Ttoresu, Charming, Bryan,
IIsDry George and the late Ernest How
arl Crosby.
-Ob! | thank you for what yonr
n.Intry has given the world in the
Ii es OF these men. | thank you for
W at you lave given US i'll the past.
BIT in the future | have my Tears.
soc no one to follow in their footsteps"
TlIore we're tears III the counts eyes rs
he spoke OF HE love and affection Tor
these great Americans. or MIR. BTyan's
visit to the farm he spoke with graft
tude. But for the rest OF our statesmen
be made 1t quite clear that they were
ouiside the Tolstian pale.
The fall OF America" no continued.
Nv len | zee tho deserted shrines Of
yon. foretathers, | think it will come
mo swiftly than came the fall OF
Rome. We, Of Russia, have Of late
becu punished for covetous designs
upon the lands and the wealth OF our
neil hbore, tut with what mercy and
tenderness we we're punished! | cannot
but think that the great Judge knew
that at heart the Russian people were
not guilty Of c~ovetousness; TINT they
~biuIfolded and bound, were led on 10y
the score OF misguided or wicked men,
AMI % IL seemed right that our punish
ment should be tempered with mercy.
But you stole the Philippines, IT at the
best paid another robber to give up his
claim, and your people at the polls have
time and again sanctioned the theft. |
hope there are e~StenuatiuR circum-
stan 'es TINT will speak Tor YOU, but |
confess ! see none.
"EI W can you take mn interest III lie
dumnH Ana you say he people IN
Ame ica take intercs, IN Il, too? The
little good d Legislative body like the
duma might do under conceivable cir
cumstances In M nothing to the evil II
10 sure TO do at present One can say,
and surely will cay, but little that is
gOoi Of n present government in
Russi /; but certainly it in more favor.
able 10 the development Of the perfect
man than was that Of fIerod aud Plate.
"Anl yet under this rule llc lived and
in spite OF all obstacles He taught Ills
Lesson. Couotlees generations and
millions OF iudiyiJutos have tried 10
follow in Ills footsteps, but no n hhe
ever attained lie perfect manhood. So
We seek 10 alter conditions rather than
ourselyee. suppose because wo find il
easier
Thun for ono m his iron mood
reIaxe', and relentinR, he said: "NO,
no, 10: get that | had the tcmerity TO
sBy TINT. They arc not I'LL bad men;
| pray not, ba. hopelcssIy misg uided.
or course, "a You must Know, the vital