The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1908-08-27

/ OttCily Nio5o5ttu Win INC WI III anu
its ways, the officer throws up his
commission in the army, enters a
monastery, takes the cowl, and as
sumes the name of Serguis.
Here the bruised heart of the novice,
reposed in cloistral peace, and his soul
filled with the noble thoughts and
spiritual influxes, which language is
| powerless to express and music only
family suggests, gradually RECEIVERS
sympathy with all creatures Com
muning thus with the soul Of the uni
verse, the Jealous monk thirsts for
higher spiritual perfection and finally,
quitting the monastic family, retires
to lonely hermitage and sylvan
meditation.
Here he vies with the ancient In
dian anchorites in feats of self-morti-
fication, followed by moods of esctatic
rapture, swellings of spirit and con-
seriousness of the godlike power within
him. The fame of his holy life is
bruited abroad, and peasants begin
to speak of him in awe as wonder
working saint. Nowhere in the book
is Tolstoi's artistic power SO marvel
ously displayed as in these conversa-
tons among peasants.
The second part of the novel opens
! with a dacor;pf;on ~ n x.s~-s~ -.
, ranged by youthful city pleasure
hunters, who, with the ladies' of their
hearts, are whirled along in three-in-
hands to the accompaniment of the
horses silvery bells. past the golden
domed monastery, past. the sylvan re-
cess in which the holy hermit is ever
doing penance. They discuss his ro-
mantle story, his fierce love of self
inflicted suffering, his invulnerability
to the shafts Of temptation.
One blithe and pretty lady is scorn-
fully sceptical as to the monks in
vulnerability, declares that she could
easily entice him from his pedestal of
sanctity and have him at her feet If
she wished.
Her male companion, lawyer,
challenges her to make good her
boast, offering heavy wager that
she will fail.
! The lady then descends alone from
the three-in-hand, wanders Slong the
fringe of the forest, and profiting by
a fall of fine rain knocks at the door
of the hermit's hut, entreating the in
mate to give her temporary refuge.
The ensuing scenes of temptation
!, are most artistic and powerful; for
example, that in which under the pre-
text of wet garments, the lady pro-
ceeds to changs them, while sergius,
with throbbing heart and swimming
head, feels the awakening of passion
that was not dead, but sleeping, and
maddened by the fear lest it should,
like an evil spirit, possess and sway
him, he seizes Ratchet, and chops
off finger.
The fair temptress, horror-stricken
fees. from the austere hermitage
shedding tears of shame as she de
parts.
Meanwhile the fame of the holy
man spreads over a wider area. Ever
the inhabitants of distant cities hear
of the pious anchorite, who is endowed
with holy powers and miraculous fac
ulties. The sick and suffering are
sent to him for physical healing ant
spiritual comfort.
1 Among others, merchant takes hii
weak-minded daughter that the saint
/ ly man may intercede for her witt
God. The young, well-formed, at
tractive maiden is then left in the eel
of the anchorite, who has undertaken
to offer prayer for her day and night
but on the very first evening the pres
ence Of the girl awakens animal pas
sions within him. Sinful thoughts I'll
through his brain like an army of evi
spirits. A terrible struggle ensues be
tween the spirit and the flesh. Gu
minating in the absolute victory of tn
latter. .--vw---~- II
Il Day dawns upon the fallen sain'
upon the brutal criminals His storr
Of sudden passion subsiding the mon
l catches fitful glimpse of the horro
| Of the situation. and a second sol
| temptest follows the first sweepin
away the entire structure of spiritus
| perfection SO Iaboriously built u
Iduring many years. A sentiment
| deliberate blind hatred springs u
within him toward the girl there, VIII