The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-08-28
COUNTESS TOLSTO|
INTERVIEWS Gar
Emperor Gives Some Unique
Views of Roosevelt
AMERICA rs CRITICISED
Gar Says Americans Understand How
to Make Money and Their Art
and Literature Are Very
Inferior Indeed
AMERICA rs CRITICISED

| st. Petersburg, August T.-(Special)-
Countess Tolstoi, who recently returned
from a journey to the Orient and re-
turned by way of the United States, saw
| the Car a few days ago and mentioned
Colonel Roosevelt to him. The Countess
told the Car that she was in New York
when Colonel Roosevelt returned from
Africa. She writes of the conversation
as follows
| did the crowd cheer Mr.. Roosevelt en-
thusiastically?" asked the Gar. IT heard
he was received with royal honors-I
mean as the Americans are democratic I
have heard from Kaiser Wilhelm and the
King of England that Roosevelt is a very
Interesting man-aristocratic and imperi-
alistic in one way, but very strange and
democratic in his manners. have heard
from the people who met him intimately
that Mr.. Roosevelt's ambition is to be
elected a president for life. He has a
wonderful power to dominate the AmerfS
can people,
Indeed he has," / admitted
| why is that?' asked the Czarina-
well, I will tell you," said the Gar.
| Roosevelt has won the crowd because of
| his democratic air and he has the Ameri-
can upper class because of his conserva-
| tive tendencies. I know that in his inten-
tons Roosevelt is imperialistic ane his
| theory is to centralze the American gov
| eminent in the manner OF Germany. [
have heard that he has said to Kaiser
Wilhelm that, to prevent a social revo-
| luton between the capital and labor in
| America, the central government is tho
| only hope. His idea is that the staten
should be abolished little by little by the
national government and the United
States should become an imperialistic re-
public.
Now, tell me, are the people in Ameri-
| ca for Roosevelts reelection? What do
the people have against Taft? 1 have
met Mr.. Taft, you know-he is very
charming man. I suppose he is too gentle
and conventional for people like those
bully Americans. The King of England
| has told me that an average American
man Is the most superficial and most in
| flated man he ever met. I don't wonder
| that a nation being mixed of negroes,
Jews, Indians and European outlaws can
| be better"
Your majesty, the Americans I have
| met were highly educated and men with
great characters. 1 don't know that they
are so particularly inflated Common peo-
| pie are superficial everywhere" / OBJ
jected.
That's true" replied the Car. "But
| never so much as the Americans. Take
Tor instance their art, literature or stage,
| or look at their public and political lead
| ers. Since Lincoln and Emerson there
| is nothing in that hurry burly world. The
| only thing an American understands well
| is to make money. To make money-that
| is everything for American so far
| as have heard. But we know the Orient
| how different is the measuring scale
of personality and it's success there"
| "Your majesty, that may be partly
true" said. ''But there is freshness
and energy In all the American life which
sooner or later may dominate the whole
| world. The American superficiallty and
sensationalism, avarice and other such
| factors are due to the youth of the coun-
| try. few generations more and the
new world will lead the old"
80 you are an enthusiastic admfrer OF
| the American spirit" said the Gar. but
| | hate it. 1t is rebellious and demagogic
| that tends to do away with every his
| toric tradition. You know that a few
| of our rebels-criminals I mean-escaped
| to America and there they have a great
career"
Nicholas, my dear, you should not mix
| politics with art and literature" inter-
rupted the Czarina. You know that nany
| OF our best writers and artists have been
| criminals, politically"
| IT can't look at works of criminals,
even If it is a masterpiece. Anyhow, dis
like the American spirit, even if it be-
comes more imperialistic," was the reply.
did You meet Mark Twain? He was a
wonderful writer. I have just finished one
| of his StOI ies-"ROugh But Good"