The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-12-25
TOLSIOY and FATHER JOHN
4 STORY WRITTEN ABOIT THE
NIRACLE WORkER.
"Father seraius'' Originally Meant to he
Study % the Creastadt Priest. but
<frer~ard Altered The STORY OF
Father johns Enn,ity for TelStsy.

Afterwaru Altered The story al
Father .Behn's Enn,ity for Teisisy
ST. PsTERssra3. Dec l, was known
that Leo Tolstoy aroused long ago the
implscable hatred Of two powers so far
apart in the religious life Of Russia as
NJ. Pobedonostzsf, Procurator Of the
Holv Synod. and Father John 81 Cron.
stadt The former was able tn secure
his accommodation in face o' the express
disapproval OF Gar Alexander III but
the story il told now for the first time Of
the enmity OF Father John. II il sum
married. in the Tsdirdinoys Obos-enys
from an unpublishedf tale eni tied -iFa,her
Sergius'- left among Tolstoy's papers
There Is prelude to the tale Describing
how as Father John acquired an ever
growing renown Tolstoy began 10 in
tareat himself in his personality and his
works. As the legends grew around
the Cronsfadt. miracle worker Tolstoy
was provoked 20 remark:
The hisirer the people raise him the
worse II will he for him
TolstOy would Ret more and more
excited each time he heard news OF tho
marvels and hea ling power OF he prayers
OF The Cronstadt priest Gradually he
felt himself impelled TO write story
whose central interest would b- per
sonalitv like Father Johns Thus Father
Sergius' was conceived.
The story opens in 81 Petersburg.
where a young "fYicer OF the Imperial
Guard has fallen IN love with a young
lady in good SOC ETY. and become engaged
to her He learns that he has a success
ful rival in a high personag. in the
Government The young officer IN his
disillusion decides to withdraw from
the world He quits military service and
he comes s monk
Father Ser iu-. a. he IL known from
now onward. fails 30 find in the clustered
life the inner publication h. longed for
and he withdraws stir further from the
world to solitude. where ne leads ar asce, 10
life. His fame for piety spreads in the
neighborhood and peasant men and - omen
from tn" villages begin To make pill
grimageS to him Here ends the frs,
part OF the story. in which. thos. who
have seen the original .ay. the descrip-
lions 81 folk scenes are Of mast erly skill
and feeling
In the second part a pleasure party
Of young ladies and gentlemen. come
near to his hermitage The merrymakers
the abode Of Father Sergi,is.
One of them. a CAV and pretty young
will not believe in his un~hak-
able piety and decides to try the arts OF
her coquetry on the ascetic. There are
wa@ers on her chances OF s,icce~@ She
leaves the merry party and goes into the
forest. where she knocks at the hermit
ioor on the pretsncs that she has lost
ner way and that her clothes are wet.
md asks entrance
She begins now to try her wilee and the !
.olitary recl,i.e feels that he will no, re- /
sist temptation. In a burst OF ascetic /
corn at his own weakness Father Sergii- |
'eizes an axe and before the eyes OF the !
empires hacks on one Of his fingers /
She is shocked and runs away with tear. /
81 shame in her even
After this the hermit's fame for pie.v
'preads wide and more and larger pill
yrim partie- come streaming toward him.
1 merchant brings his weak minded
laughter and begs him by the power Of
,is prayers 10 heal her She remains be-
lind in the hermit : cell and he il TEMPTED
new by the Handsome form OF the girl
This time the hermit suocumbs and is
lind rage he turns on hia victim and kills
Ter with an axe After this Father Serxi,I-
his cell and wanders a. q nil.
rim aimls~saly out into the world The
tory closes with this picture:
-Sergius strides forward. stan in hand.
,areheaded his hair hutterins in IN.
Wind. 30 he goes along the great hi ghwav
gainsf the sun
A. with Father John Cron-t asit. ToIs,oy
Intended to show Father Sersi,s IN TN.
middle Of his career. reaching popularity
which amounted almost to idolatro,ls
rorrhip and then terrified by his burden
4 responsibility. The cloister cannot
acify him and solitude tortur~~ hi.
Conscience. and h. ends by killing himself.
Tolstoy had shaped the tale in this
ense when he was drawn from il by hi.
reat work Resurrection. just at this
me John Of Cronstadt began TO com.
ITO the open M very rough anita sonist
( Tostoy. A. this situation develou..d
pe latter began 10 fear that the world
Vi ght take his tale Of Father Sersi,,s-
= an outburrt Of hatred against personal
nsmy. and he changed the subject
n this altered form Father SerRi,,s-
,mains among Toistoy's unpublished
apsrs.
Tbs story OF Resurrection itself wa.
bundled on an actual human drama
his has been made known sine. Toll
toys death by his friend N. Koni. former
cad OF the ~ Petersburg Law faculty..
,ember Of the Council OF Empire and the
lost widely respected jurist in RUSSIA.
.ons ago when VI. Koni was Dist rict
.ttorney in ~. Petersburg he had 10
rosec,ite. a. he told Tolstoy. in q cas-.
gainst two women accused Of stealing ,
hundred rubles from man. All
risoners in such cases pass before the :
rand Jury. the charge against them is
.ad and then they are sent back 10 their ,
lila =
The morning after true bill had been .
,und against the two women VI. Koni I
a. surprised To receive q visit from n
,ung man Of good family who asked 20 r
> allowed TO send a letter 20 the younger {
-isonsr N. Koni said this was no, +
lowed. bur the visitor persisted and th. 9
istrict Attorney was not indispored TO