The morning journal-courier., 1908-07-17
COUNT roLsToI THnNnEns.

" itt liANiHlg NUIE 1OHHl lAfu ibl~ stoi mght have accomplished, had he lived his long and busy life in a land of peace and quiet, will ever be q matter for controversy, Living amid the well-cultivated fields of England, perhaps on the banks of Shakespeare 8 own Avon, he might have written that which would have riyalled the works ot the Great Bard himself, or, living on this side of the great waters, here Tn our own New England, perhaps, he might have given American literature that full start forward that 1t has needed these many years. Yet, on the other hand, 1t Is the necessity that makes the man. in great part, "wheth- CT II be to stop d runaway on to save a nation from sedltion," ls the cards now in the New Haven trolleys ex- press 1t. Very likely 1t nns been the turbulent times in the Cars kingdom that have been the very inspiration for the impassionate writings of the great Russian author. Without them, he might never have arisen above the too-common mediocrty of Russian aristroeracy
 In view of the recent friendliness of this country and Russia, so often expressed in the press of both lands of late, the bitter condemnation by Count Tolstol of the inhuman deeds of the Russian officials in tn il. endeavors to restore peace and order, is of par ticular interest here. Whatever else may be said, or thought of Tolstoi he has never been justly suspected of in sincerity. His long life of service 10 his fellows would at once refute any such insinuation. The evident unsel- fish purpose of his every writing dis proves 1t. His has been life work of service, first, to his fellow coun- trymen, and, second, to all humanity. When he says he writes Jf what has been done. either that there may be no more of 1t or else that the we'll soaped moose may tighten around his own old neck for what he has said 50 he may no longer witness ,t, the whole civilized world must believe that he means 1t.
 But Count Tolstoi will not pay the death penalty, as would nearly any Russian. for his bitter denunciation of the Russian officials from the Czar down, all of whom he unqualifiedly calls "accomplices in mur Ter" No one realized more than the CZar of all the Russians what a whrlwnd of protest and complications would fol- low in the wake of the counts order ed execution, not only from his coun- trymen.. but from all the civilized world. Probably the colnt realizes this, too, for he is no blind thinker. Regretting from his very heart this terrible embitterment of man against his fellow man. the count addresses himself to the officials Consider, 2 he says, who you are and cease to do what you are doing. Cease, not for your own sake, not for the sake of your own personality not for the sake of men, not that you may cease to be blamed, but for your souls sake and for the God who lives within you!"
 These are strong words, but not too strong. He is necessarily a l rophet oi disaster, but warning seer. He real izes that there have been crimes of violence and mb-throwln9s, but he realizes, too, that the government method of summarily dealing with of- fences great and small hls been such as tends only to spread general de- pravity among all classes.