The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1910-11-23
ToLsrol

y
iie times Is removed tn the death OK
Tplstoi. His artistic nature, however,
ID the last twenty years Of his life.
was obscured BY another phase Of his
character by which he attained much
larger Importance, expressed in bis
intense ana radical religious aud
social opinions Then novels which
then critical and artistic circles re-
gard as Ills chief title or distinction
lolstoi himself in these latter years
nor only repudiated, but sought TO
suppress, In them he appeared
simply as an artist. He had been a
soldier and an aristocrat, typical
member of ST. Petersburg society
and With all his advantages OF wealth
rank and peranal graces and accomp-
lishments he was amply qualified to
tlll such a position and attain to such
satisfaction as world Affords
The keynote Of 'rostoi's life was his
dissatisfaction with the world about
aim. II was not the bitterness OF
an unsuccessful man, nor OF the rev
lutlonist in the ordinary sense Of The
revolutionary movements in Russia,
but an intensely personal and spirit
nal feeling OF the failure and essen
ilal emptiness and folly Of human
life
Being a radical nature. ToIstoi car
fied his opinions TO logical conclu-
sion. Along with society he con-
demnea an scc.al institutions. inclild-
ing government, and 80 small part
Of his writings WAS devoted to the
doctrine that nen would be happier
and Justice would be more prevalent
in the world II al governments we're
abolished. Here he brought the re-
ligious argumqN 70 bear, and he
hade fundamental in his creed the
command OF Jesus, "Swear not at all1
This injunction he urged upon an
persons claiming 10 be Christians,
and by simple obedience to il he
showed that governments, armies
W.d courts must cease to exist. He
was opposed to cities, advising all
his followers TO live the only life that
he held TO be natural. which is the
life OF toll on a plot of ground. He
'Nspmaged inventions and regarded
machinery as bane OF existence.
one Of tile most balefal conceptions
10 the world, M his opinion. Is pat
rloiism, He held It to be contrary to
the Christian ideal OF universal
brotherhood anl to .be responsible
for armies. nayies and war
For a time Tolsiois writing plainly
showed that he had no belief in inn
mortality in the ordinary sense. hold
Ing that the caly human Immortality
was that Of having descendants, one
individuals life continuing I'm the
next generation as With vegetable
life But Of late he seems 10 have
charged his opinion, for he has fre.
quently been quoted as asking for
messages to the spirit world" from
his friends, aging thar he was about
TO depart TO another existence.
In bis religious writings Tolsioi in-
terpreied in the strlctest and most
literal sense the sayings OF Christ.
He made no compromises with the
world and while he did not agree
with the Christian Scientists that the
material world has no existence, hc
was interested only III the life OF the
spirit. lie had many admirers all
over the globe bur few followers,
and can not be said TO have weild6d
much actual influence. Rather his
tsfuence through what there Is OF
truth and much OF beauty IN his writ
ings. If different from what he aimed
10 effect. ia spite of the occasional
criticisms that have been heard OF
compromise with his Wiie and child
ren, over the giving away OF their
property, there is no reason to be-
lisYe that he was not entirely sim
eere no man who ever lived per-
haps was further out ol gear with
his fimps