The Washington times., 1909-05-13
ROOSEVELT SCORES
BRYAN AND TOLSTOY
NoveliSts Championship of
Nebraskan Subject of At
tack in Outlook.
COUNTS INFLUENCE
HAS BEEN FOR EVIL"
"Has Certain Qualities of the
Moral Pervert," Says
Editorial.

NEW YORK. May 13-Count Leo
Toistoy's championship of the candi-
dacy of William Jennings Bryan in the
last Presidential campaign is made the
subject Of an attack by former Presi-
dent Roosevelt on both Bryan and
Tolstoy. the influence of the latter Of
whom is declared to be for evil. The
attack is I'm the form of an editorial
in the current issue of the Outlook.
In combating Tolstoy's statement that
Mr.. Bryan represented the party Of
&peace. Mr.. Roosevelt says:
Now there was but one point in the
platform of either political party in
1868 which contained any element Of
menace to the peace Of the world.
This was the plank in the Bryanite
platform which demanded immediate
exclusion by law of all Asiatic labor
ers, and therefore of the Japanese.
Coupled with this was the utterly
meaningless plank about the navy
which was. however, intended to con-
vey the impression that we ought TO
have navy only for the defense Of
our coasts, that is a merely 'defen-
slve' navy. or. in other words. a quite
worthless navy.
Danger in Bryan.
ANY man of common sense. there
fore, ought to perceive the self-evident
fact that the only menace to peace
which was contained in any possible
action OF the american Republic was
that contained in the election OF Mr..
Bryan and the attempt to put into ef-
feet his platform.
Count Tolstoy is man Of genius, a
great novelist, but 1 have no question
that whatever little influence Tolstoy
has exerted among men of action has
told. on the whole, for evil. do not
think his influence over men OF action
has been great, for 1 think he has
swayed or dominated only the feeble
and the fantastic folk. Strong men may
gain something from Tolstoy's moral
teachings. but only on condition that
they are strong enough and sane enough
TO be repelled by those parts Of his
teachings which are foolish or immoral.
Weak persons are hurt by the teachings.
Fear From Writings.
1--WE are not liable to certain kinds of
wickedness which there is real danger
of his writings intoxicating. for IT is a
Iamentable fact that, as is so often the
case with a certain type of mystical
zealot, there is in him a dark streak
which tells of moral perversion. That
side Of his teachings which is partially
manifested in the revolving 'Kreutzer
Soahta' can do exceedingly little dam
age Ia America. for 1t would appeal
opIy to decadents. exactly as It could
have come only from a man who, how
ever high he may stand in certain re-
spectE. has in him certain dreadful
qualities of the moral pervert.
''The usual effect of prologed and ex-
cessive Indulgence in Tolstoyism on
American disciples Is comic rather than
serious. One OF these disciples wrote a
book on American municipal problems.
which aScribed our ethical and social
shortcomings in municipal matters in
part to the sin OF 'militaFism.'
All in Imagination.
''AfiIitarism as an evil in our social
life is as purely a hgment Of the
imagination as the skylark in our liter
ature. Moreover the fact 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 mill
tarism would bring about the millennium
now completely they lack the sense of
perspective.
so much for Tolstoyism in America,
the only place where / have studied il
In action As to the effect in Russia
itself L am not competent to speak. But
the history Of the 'douma proved ia the
most emphatic way that the greatest
danger to liberalism in Russia sDranR
from the fact that the liberals were sat-
urated with just such folly as that
taught By TolstOy.