The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1907-08-03
ToLsTors PROPHECY.
Great Russian Predicts Downfall of
the United States.

| Great Russian Predicts DoWn1all OF
the United States.
The downfall of the United States
is predicted by Count Leo Tolstot In
an interview recently with stephen
Bonsal the latter spoke of America as
having grown great and strong.
Great and strong; Great and
strong
Tolstoi bounced upon my common
place almost before it was uttered,
says BonsaI who besides your silly,
futile politicians say you are great
and strong? l grant you were great
and strong in the days of Emerson and
Thoreau, but today you place your
trust in armies and in the treasure
that is in your vaults. Great and
strong! Oh. l think not. A nation
like an Individual, is only strong by
the faith that is in it, and today L
fear the faith of America is in the
almighty dollar. A mans work is the
reflection of mans soul. mans
soul is the conception of his Maker,
the Supreme Being. Of course, do
not know but l think that the rude
images of the Indians are more CRATE
full to deity than your rushing rail-
ways and your never-resting factories,
which have enslaVed the freest people.
At least the Indians had some vague
idea of eternity and of a God, and with
rude, trembling fingers tried TO incor-
porate it, but you think only of time,
and of big men,"
In his earnestness the count now
rose, and forgetting his well nigh four
score years, walked up and down in his
study with the stride of a young man.
Prosperity, prosperityr' he repeated.
What a shameful plea that is which
your American platform makers adj
dress to the voters. They do not say,
We will give you an honest. righteous
government but they say, Well make
you all fat and sleek. If you vote for
me you will have a double chin! And
no one arises to say, What will your
full dinner pals profit you if while
gorging your bellies you lose your i'm
mortal souls?
the photographs which adorn his
of Emerson, Thoreau, Charming. Bry-
an, Henry George and the late Ernest
Howard Crosby.
oh! I thank you for what your
country has given the world in the
lives of these men. | thank you for
what you have given us in the past.
But in the future l have my fears. l
see no one TO follow in their footsteps"
There We're tears in the counts eyes
as he spoke of his love and affection
for those great Americans. OF Mr..
Bryan's visit to the farm he spoke with
gratitude. But for the rest of our
statesmen he made it quite clear that
they are outside the TolStian pale.
The fall of America he continued |
When l see the deserted shrnes of |
your forefathers l think it will come |
more swiftly than came the fall of |
Rome. We. of Russia. have of late |
been punished for our covetous designs |
upon the lands and the wealth of our
neighbors. but with what mercy and |
tenderness we were punished l can |
not but think that the great Judge |
knew that at heart the Russian peo- |
pie were not guilty Of covetousness: |
that they, blindfolded and bound. were /
led on by the score of misguided or |
wicked men. and so it seemed right |
that our punishment should be tenn |
pered with mercy But you stole the |
or at the best paid anoth-
er robber to give up his claim, and |
your people at the polls have time and |
again sanctioned the theft. | hope |
there are extenuating circumstances
that will speak for you, but l confess
| see none
How can you take an interest in
the duma? And you say the people
in America take interest in it. too? The
little good a legislative body like the
1uma might do under conceivable cir
is as nothing to the evil it
IS sure to do at present. One can say,
and | surely will say. but little that
IS good of our present government in
Russia: but certainly it is more favor
able to the development of the perfect
nan than was that Of Herod and Pr /
ate.
And vet under their rule he lived.
and in spite of all obstacles he taught
lis lesson. Countless generations and
Millions of individuals have tried to
ollow in his footsteps. but no one has
4ver attained his perfect manhood SO
We seek to alter conditions rather than
ourselves. / suppose because we find it
eaSier."
Then for one moment his iron mood
'elaXed. and relenting, he said: NO.
10, forget that / had the temerity to
say that. They are not all bad men:
pray not: but hopelessly misguided OF
course, as you must know. the vital
phase of our situation in Russia is the
and question, and yet no man. much
ess party. not those that say yea
o confiscation any more than those
hat say nay, dare to approach it in
rakness and sincerity. In this very
luna the agrarians of the liberal
groups stand convicted of bad faith or
If ignorance. There is but one solu-
ion of the land question in Russia as
veil as elsewhere which can be regard
ID as just and equitable and final as
ar as anything can be final in this
ransitory world. and that is. of course.
ne land laws as preached i'm their
modern form by Henry George"
Senator Aale's Inke