The San Francisco call., 1910-11-14
COUNT TOLSTOY IS
FOUND BY FAMILY
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Continued from Page
His present condition of mind is not
altogether unexpected by those who
have been in touch with his domestic
life. The last time l met the count we
walked through the woods on his es
tates and. while he displayed his usual
mental vigor. his interest in the worlds
events and his own work, he betrayed
marked irritibility. To contemplate
the man from the inner circle of his
own home, he presents now a very
tragic spectacle. While the world has
acclaimed him as literary giant,
! ciology,- his domestic life has been
filled with disappointments-at times
bitterness"
SON CHANGED HIS LIFE
Perhaps the greatest disappointment
to overtake Tolstoys advancing years
is the conduct of his youngest son. Evan
Tolstoy, a prolific contributor to the
proimperialistic publication, Nova
Vremja" of st. Petersburg. Speaking of
this Mandelkern said:
Evan first offended the count by
going to the front with the imperial
forces in the Russian Japanese war.
The father expressed his disapproval of
this, but the son took arms against the
cars foes and permanently estranged
himself from the old mans affections.
After having written War and Peace"
he was on a number of occasions criti-
ciZed for permitting Evan to enlist, and
while he felt it keenly he took occas
sion to explain the situation only to his
closest associates. When the son re-
turned to the castle he was never ad-
dressed by the father again. OF course
! this had its effect upon the domestic
tranquility.
Is VERY ECCENTRIC
Shortly after the war Evan took to
literary work, and joined the staff of
the Nova Vremja, strong champion
of the government. This widened the
gulf and was deep wound to Tolstoy.
while the members of the family
dine with the usual service found at
all ducal estates, Tolstoy has for years
declined to eat with the countess, his
sons and daughters. He insists on be-
ing served by her alone and will have
no linens the table. This eccen-
tricity has become more pronounced
and lately has been made burdensome
on the countess by disposition to find
fault The children are devoted to the
mother, one of the sons, after a short
passage of words between the two, ex-
cwaiming to me, afterward, And to
think she made him what he is
COUNTESS WRITING BIOGRAPHY
'Leovit Andreef. the author. visited
him recently and I met him just before
leaving Russia after he had been to
Yasnaya POLAND. At that time he re-
marked on the evident failing health
of the count. TolstoS, early in his
career. did not regard Andreef as a
writer of much DEPTH but later the
two became very friendly, Tolstoy ac-
cepting many of the views of the man
who wrote The Man Who Laughs
Countess Tolstoy has been writing
biography. On my last visit she said,
I am writing my biography, which
will be published after die. Then the
world will learn something about my
self and my husband heretofore un-
known She has been the business
head of his affairs for years and his
| financial success has been attributed to
| her wise management
- His present conduct is not to be
unlocked for. He has been a severe
| trial on those who had to be con-
! stantly in his society and there has
| been an indication for some time that
| his mental power was falling. So fixed
have become his ideas of society that
| oftimes he is sarcastic, almost vitriolic,
in his remarks. He asked me if / was
| going to visit the czar, and I told him
that before leaving st. Petersburg l
might. Why don't you visit his valet?'
asked he. He knows more of Russia,
her people and her problems than the
! car. Nicholas is not allowed to read
or come in contact with the problems
| of his empire. OF what interest can
| the czar be to any one?"
Interested in America
That Tolstoy was deeply interested
| in American politics is evidenced in his
| comment on Roosevelt.
He could not understand why the
people of the United States followed
Roosevelt after he had left Washing
ton. The man is a menace to the coun-
try said he. Roosevelt has the i'm
] perialistic idea. He constantly draws
attention to his personality and plays
| to the mob. He seems to delight in
/ debating. That is not republican. The
! United States has its constitution and
its house of common assemblage. The
people will work out their own distinies
| there.
He felt, in his later years, that the
Russian people were not ready for a
republic. Speaking of this, he said:
We want benevolent despotism in