The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1909-05-13
ROOSEVELT RAPs
AUTHOR TQLsTOY
There Is in Him Dark Streak That
Tells- Of Moral Perversion," De
clares Ex-President in Article.

81 NEW YORK. May l3.--Count Leo
Tolstoys championship OF the candi-
6acy OF William Jennings Bryan In the
Z last presidential election Is made the
B subject OF an attack by ex-President
Roosevelt on both Bryan and Tolstoy.
The influence OF the latter is declared
no be for evil. The attack is In the
. form OF an editorial IN the current
issue OF The Outlook.
NJ In combating Tolstoy's statement
that Mr.. Bryan represented the party
% peace, Mr. Roosevelt says:
Now, there was but one point Ia the
platform OF either political party in
f. 1908 which contained any element of
menace TO the peace OF the world.
This was the plank In the Bryanite
platform which demanded the immedi-
ate exclusion by law OF all Asiatic
laborers and therefore of the Japanese.
Coupled with this was the utterly
meaningless plank about the navy
which was, however. intended 10 con-
.vey the impression that we ought 10
have navy only for the defens. OF
our coasts, that is. merely 'defen-
Awe navy, or I'm other words, quite
worthless navy.
N "A man of common sense. therefore,
ought To perceive the selfeyident fact
that the only menace To peace which
was contained in any possible action
BY the American republic was that
contained in the election OF Mr.. Bryan
and the attempt To put into effect bis
platform.
Count Tolstoy is a man OF genius. a
great novelist, but | question that
whatever little influence Tolstoy has
exerted among men OF action has told.
on the whole, for good. do not
think his influence over men OF action
has been great. for | think he has
swayed or dominated only the feeble
folk and the fantastic folk.
Strong men may gain something
from Toistoy's moral teachings. but
only ON condition that they are strong
by those parts OF his teachings which
are foolish or immoral. Weak persons
8sre hurt by the teachings.
I'VE are not liable TO certain kinds
OF wickedness which there is real dan.
ger OF his writings intoxicating; fo-
Il Is a lementable fact, as IS so often
the case with a certain type OF mys-
ticai zealot. there is in Kim a dark
That side of his teachings which Is
PARTIALLY manifested In the revolving
Kreutzer Sonata can do little damage
IN America. for II would appeal only TO
decadents: exactly as il could have
come only from man who. however
high he may stand In certain respects.
has r. him certain dreadful. qualities
Of the moral pervert.
THE usual effect OF prolonged and
excessive indulgence in Tolstoyism CT
American disciples is comic rather
thar serious. One OF these disciples
wrote a book on American municipal
proble ms which ascribed our ethical
and social shortcomings IA municipal
matters In part to the sin OF Militar-
ISM.
.Militarism as an evil in our social
life Is as purely figment OF the i'm
agitation as the skylark IL our litera-
ture. Moreover the fact that in spite
OF this total absence Of militarism
there is so much that is evil In our
life, so much need for reform. ought
to show persons who think that the
destruction of militarism would bring
about the millennium how completely
they lack the sense OF perspective.
$50 much for Tolstoyism in America.
the only place where have studied IL
IN action. AS to the effect In Russia
itself, / am not competent TO speak
Hut the history OF the iuma proved
IN the most emphatic way that the
greatest danger to liberalism in Rus
sia sprang from the fact that the Lib
erals were saturated with just such
folly as that taught by Tolstoy.'