The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1909-05-19
Roosevelt on Tolstoy.

\
The Outlook. May ID: One Of the !,
comic features Of the political cam
paign last fal. was the letter which
Count Tolstoy wrote on behalf OF MI
Bryan In this letter Count Tolstoy
advocated the election OF Mr.. Bryan
on the ground that he was the repre-
sentative Of tho party Of peace, OF anti
militarism- From the point of view
OF American politics, the incident
possessed no importance beyond
furnishing material for the humorous
columns OF the newspapers. But It
had a certain real interest as indicat-
ing Count Toistoy's worth as moral
guide. He advocated Mr.. Bryan on the
theory that Mr.. Bryan represented
peace and anti-militarism. Now there
was but one point in the platform of
either political party in 1908 which
contained any element OF menace to
the peace of the world. This vas the
plank in the Bryanite platform which
demanded the Immediate exclusion by
Law of all Asiatic laborers, and there
fore of the Japanese Coupled with
is was the utterly meaningless plank
about the navy. which was, however.
intended to convey the impression
that we ought to have navy only for
the defense OF our coasts that is, a
merely defensive" navy, or in other
words, quite worthless navy Now |
have shown In preceding editorial
that at this present time there Is
neither justification nor excuse for
such law and this wholly without re-
gard to what the future may show.
The exclusion plank in Mr.. Bryan's
platform represented merely an IDLE
threat. a walton insult, and it was
coupled with what was intended to be
a declaration that the policy of up
building the navy, which has been SO
successfully carried on during the
last dozen years, would be abandoned.
Any man OF common sense. therefore,
ought to perceive the self-evident 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 his
| platform. That Count Tolstoy did not
see this affords a curious Illustration
| OF his complete inability to face facts;
OF his readiness to turn aside from the
truth in the pursuit Of any phantom
however foolish; and of the utter
/ faulty Of those who treat him as Z
philosopher, whose philosophy should
/ be, or could be, translated into action
Count Tolstoy is man of genius, /;
great novelist. WAR and Peace
Anna Karenina, THE Cossacks,
.tSebastopol," are great books. AS
novelist he has added materially t
the sum of production of his genera
tion. AS professional philosophe
and moralist doubt if his infuenc
u has really been very extensive anon
men of action OF course it has Gel
tain weight among men who live onl
in the closet. in the library: an
among the high minded men of hi
type. who, because of their sheltere
lives, naturally reject what is inmol
al, and do not have to deal with wha
81 is fantastic, in Tolstoy's teachings.
{ is probable that the really lofty side {
these teachings gives them a certai
sense of spiritual exaltation. But
: have no question that whatever littl
influence Tolstoy has exerted anon
men of action has told, on the who'll
for evil. / do not think his influene
over men of action has been grea
for / think he has swayea or dom
mated only the feeble folk and til
fantastic folk No man who possesse
both robust common sense and hie
) ideals. and who strives to apply bot
in actual living, is affected by TIC
stoy's teachings, save as he is affecte
: by the teachings of hundreds of 9TH
men in whose writings there are o
casional truths mixed with masses
v what is common place or erroneou
. Strong men may gain something fro
Tolstoy's moral teachings, but on
on condition that they are stroI
!. enough and sane enough to be repe
# ed by those parts of his teaching
which are foolish or immoral. Wes
persons are hurt by the teaching
It Still. think that the mere fact tn
If these weak persons are influenced sui
g GENTLY to be marred means that the
was not in them very great quaint
of potential usefulness to mar. In Il
Is United States we suffer from gra
1t moral dangers; but they are for t
1T most part dangers which Tolst
would neither perceive nor know he
la