New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-11-20
COUNT TOLSTOY DEAD
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Continued from first page
hazan, where he studied Oriental Ian
guages, and afterward law.
At the age of eighteen he found himself
owner of the estate of Yasnaia Poliana.
with seven hundred serfs. and he resolved
to leave the university and undertake the
management of his property. So early in
his career he felt the responsibility of his
position, and purposed to expend- his ener-
gies in improving the condition of the peas
antry. He soon found that they did not
understand his ideas, and that he could
do nothing with them. Becoming dis
heartened. he sought his brother Nikolai
who was an artillery officer stationed in
the Caucasus, and joining the Yunker
/ Corps remained with them until 1858. Dur
ing this period he accumulated the expert
ence afterward thrown into the literary
form Of The Cossa Cks'' He also wrote
at this time two slight novels. Albert
and ''LuCine." Tolst0y lived like his
comrades in the army and gambled until
he got himself into difficulties. Trans
ferred IN 1854 10 the Army of the Danube,
! he took part in the campaign of that year
and in 1853 was sent to the Crimea and
given a command The Crimean War was
approaching an end. but Tolstoy was pres
ent at the battle OF the Red River, on
August /. and at the stornling Of the Nal
akOfT and Redan. on September g. Here
he found the material for his three graphic
and vivid sketches Of army life at Sebas-
topol.
When the war was over Tolstoy left the
army and went TO St Petersburg. where
he found himself already well known in
literary circles He remained there sew
eraI years. trying To work out a new
theory Of life to the effect that il was.
or should be- controlled by the thinkers.
Society, however. gradually Disguised MIN,
and he withdrew to his estate, where he
became Il country magistrate and essayed
the planning Of an entirely new scheme of
education. He had not gone far with this
before he realized that he did not know
what 10 teach, and he abandoned the ex-
pertinent. He next wrote several minor
works. Family Happiness Youth - 1.-The
Two Hussars.'' Three Deaths" etc.
In 1852 he married Sophia Andrinna Bers.
daughter Of a German physician in Mos
cow. and for the next fifteen years he lived
domestic life, during which quiet period
he produced the books upon which his
literary fame largely rests-"War and
first Of these he described the French in
vasi0n OF Russia with marvellous power,
detail and animation At the same time
he developed a semi mystical hypothesis
as TO the incidence upon great events of
an external, supernatural power. supposed
TO give direction TO human action when
il seems TO the agents least purposeful
In the plot Of this somewhat Uniformed
and chaotic novel the author freely aired
all the ethical and religious questionings
which had perplexed his own mind, and
it has been supposed that in the character
Of Peter Bezhukoff he intended TO repro
Guce himself Anna Karenina'' deals
with the sanCtity of the marriage rela-
ton. and may be said 10 present diametri-
caIy opposite views to those expressed
in Tolstoy's later book, The Kreutzer
Sonata In Anna karenina" he sought
to show that neither love nor constancy
nor entire freedom from sordid cares can
compensate q woman for the absence Of
the social and religious sanction in her
domestic relations. In The hreutzer
Sonata he attacked marriage. as prac-
tised. in a wild and mischierous, though
doubtless well meant way.
1t was the publication OF these two novels
that gave Tolstoy European fame. They
A------
rather. paraphrased-and the early English
versions were from the unfaithful and in
ferior French renderings Even so. their
merits could not be concealed. and il be-
came evident that new and great writer
had appeared. But in the heyday Of his
fame Tolstoy passed into a new mental
phase Hitherto he had depended upon in
tellectual perceptions for guidance. Now il
occurred 10 him that men of intellect had
after all wholly failed in their efforts TO
solve the deep problems OF life. and he de-
terrrlined 10 go TO the poor and ignorant for
help. Intuition. he thought. might be bet
ter than ratiocinaJiOn. and there was
Scripture warrant for the theory. It was
thus that he was led TO adopt the belief
that the superstitions and crude inagin~
ings Of the Russian peasantry We're the
only trustworthy avenues 10 the truth, and
that manual labor was the only occupation
Consonant with the primal purpose Of God.
Holding this belief, Count Tolstoy resolved
10 make himself with the peasantry
and he learned the trade of shoemaker
and accustomed himself 10 labor IN the
fields while he practiscd the severest sim
plicitv in regimen. clothing and lodging.
Presently II struck him that the peas
ant1.v were as far from following the pre-
cents of Christ as were the higher classes
and thereupon he undertook what he seems
To have thought an entirely new analysis
and application OF the Gospel He was
,l,Iiced to reject the tenets Of the Ortho-
,iox Creek Church at the outset. and he
e,olved an evangelical mysticism at least
- old as the second century Of the Chris
,;a, era. one which has been revived again
I'D again in every age since by enthusiasts
n, reguired for the regeneration of the
&c only a radical change in human nature.
r. count Tolstoy all that is necessary is
H. sfrr7ple surrender by mankind of what
- Christ dsallows or condemns: and
-, surrender, he seemed to have thought.
- be brought about by persuasion. In
- ,,arious works wherein he set forth
- views the chief characteristic is a
.,,.1d,ike and pathetic pursuit Of pure
-, in resolute scorn OF human expert
The attempt to found religion or a
-, of philosophy i'll this manner natu-
- Lad Count Tolstoy further away from
s+,hle speculation and discussion at
- ~, etsp. and his friends were grteved TO
-, hin, becoming more eccentric and i'm
inn.