Bismarck daily tribune., 1908-10-01

'.Boyhood, y sYouth, q .sThe Cossacks, 4
'1Sevastopol Sketches, !" Family Hap
ipiness,' ''War and Peace, Z Anna Ka-
renina" and many other short stories.
His tales published during the Crimean
war caused Emperor Alexander III. to
order the general under whom Tolstoy
served to take care Of the author and
not to expose his life to any danger.
The stories named above belong to Toll
stoy's first literary period. To the sec
ond belong my Confession" ssWhat l
Believe" 'The Kreutzer Sonata" and
other religious, philosophical and socio-
logical productions. 4
The Tolstoy cult, developed since
that day when the Tartar was trans
formed into the philosopher, astonish-
ed the world. That part Of It which
deals with the relations Of state and
individual Is not very different from
widely held Socialist views In many
parts Of the world, that which deals
with the church is repugnant to the
orthodox-it led to. his excommunica-
tion by the Greek church several years
ago-and that which deals with the
tender passion IS at variance with tie
conventional view 1T was the treat
fnent Of this last phase $of the cult IL
"The Kreutzer Sonath" that made. the
mover the sensatio ionSof tive continents.
In hts efforts I'd follow the example Of
Christ, Tolstoy refused ito accept pay
for his literary work and on his copy
rights and endeayored to giyeS away
his personal properly and his estate,
covering $500 acres, but III these NOV es
he was frustrated Nv his wife. who
declared that she and the, thirteen
children she had borne linn should not
be Impoverished. u This and other
phases of the sTolstagS cult are so un-
conventional and ifAnfaericaf that for
years past. many Russians have be-
lieved he was crazy. In an article en-
titled '"rhe Tragedy OF Tolstoy" So
+phie Witte. sister of Count Witte.
made this significant statement: ''The
number Of tragic, unnatural deaths and
suicides. and especially the number of
people who have become insane, in this
aristocratic family. has been astonish-
ingly great" s3s H. ~
Though prevented from giving away
his property, Tolstoy adopted a very
simply and frugal method OF living
and wore the rough clothing OF the
Russian peasant Once he appealed to
peasant audience by reading 1.-THE
Power of Darkness before his ten
ants. To his intense chagrin the peas.
ants roared with laughter at the most
pathetic points in his story. But this
incident did not dim his interest in
the lowly moujiks. Early and late he
championed their rights and denounced
their wrongs under the cars despotic
rule. .Sas :,
Cupid as the Devil.
"a writer who visited Toistoy not long
ago thus described him: 81 olstoy
reads, writes and receives his friends
In his bedroom. His couch is quite de.
void Of mattress, sheets or pillows
Near the couch there always Is an as
sortment of sshoemaker's materials
with which he works when not teiling
lin the field or.devoting himself stuswrit
I ing. He arises at 5 o'clock Id the
| morning and goes to bed early at night
His meals are OF the simplest food and
no meat He defends the opinion that
man has no right to kill and consume
living organism. /.
Temperance finds In the great nov
elist an enthusiastic supporter. He mel
ther drinks nor smokes, and he In
cludes In the term many other Indul
gences that the ordinary advocates o1
temperance consider apart from theil
creed. To him romantic love also il
intemperance. The tender passion thai
from all time has been the theme Of
the poet and novelist Tolstoy deems I
species Of moral deprayity. Cupid Il
the devil In his most awful guise. Mat
rimony brought about by romantic lovt
he holds to be an unholy alliance. MeI
and women should love each other ai
friends or brothers and sisters.
/ 'In the matter OF land ownership
Tolstoy admires the theories Of the lat,
Henry George He considered Georg
| the greatest American citizen of BIZ
1 time. Tolstoy. however, believes In ,
system of communal rather than ma
! tional ownership. The ideal state o
society, according to his theory, Is tn
simple rural communes. In which ever,
family would have the right to till sol
enough for its own support. Govern
i ments he regards asfthe root Of all evil
Tax collectors he considers highway
men. He. looks forward to a da
| when men will no longer consent +
4 be robbed OF money nor be instructe
In the art Of numbering one another 4
4 war.
1 "Ths accumulation Of vast posses
| sions by indiyid iduals the count regard
l1lS- SO Sr-vs. "a