The San Francisco call., 1910-11-21
TOLSTOY TO REST
INOLDPLAYGROUND
Countess Faints When Told
Requiem Can Not Be Sung
in School Chapel
Continued from paee i

Continued from Page
entrance to the sick room with a view
of inducing him to return to the arms
of the church, but the doctors re-
pulsed them on the ground that their
patient was too i'll to receive them.
The emperor and his ministers are
anxious that ToIstoy shall be buried
with the rites of the church, but the
holy synod is strongly against this, and
probably he will be buried without the
administration of such rites, unless the
emperor commands otherwise.
Popular feeling is universally for a
religious funeral and never before was
there such confusion and bewilderment
over the body Of a great man who
was regarded by the world as one of
the sincerest OF Christians.
Interview With ToIstoy
PITTSBURG, Pa. Nov. ga recent
Iinterview and possibly the last which a
newspaper correspondent had with
Count Tolstoy has been recounted by
NJ Arpad Pasztor, a distinguished
Hungarian author and journalist.
Pasztor is editor of Azest an even
ing paper OF Budapest, and in tour
around the world is now in Pittsburg
for brief study OF conditions among
Hungarian immigrants.
Only two months ago. Pasztor, pro-
ceeding by train from Moscow, stopped
at Yasnaya Poliana. a little village
about two miles from the last railway
station in the province of Tula, whore
he visited the Tolstoy house
"I noticed that a lady sat on the
veranda reading" said Pasztor, "and 1
presumed that she was the Countess
Tolstoy. If so, I knew she was born
German-the daughter of a German
professional ! addressed her in Ger
man. asking her if 1 might see the
great novelist.
" Have you introductions?' she
asked"
" No. madame. but are not his works
introductions enoughg"
But she demurred, if that were
the case, our garden would be crowded
all the while. ] am sorry; my husband
is asleep now. From what country do
you come?
Hungary I replied.
=" Indeed? Our secretary. Markoviet-
sky. is Hungarian too. You may speak
with him. Ny husband is very old and
weak and does not like to speak with
visitors
The secretary took Pasztor through
the gardens and the forest of oaks
which is the scene of the great storm
in Anna Karenina" and conducted him
TO his own room when the dinner bell
rang. Here is PASTORS account of his
interview with Tolstoy:
while 1 was regarding these things,
the door opened and tall man entered.
From the white beard and hair and
the peasant dress OF blue trousers, Rus
sian shirt and great boots, I knew at
once 1T was Tolstoy.
He shook my hand and sat down
opposite me. His eyes were such as
one out Of ten thousand men have. deep
green eyes, which penetrate one like
the X-ray.
HE said: You are Hungarian. I
like Hungarians. My secretary is one,
too. Where are you going?
Ito Japan to study art and to
America to study immigration I re-
piled.
art! Who knows what true art is?
What is your profession?'
"A writer 1 answered.
And you write whatT
Plays for the theater.'
'"'Ohl That's terribler he exclaimed.
No one should write play. Many of
them poison the soul of the public
What other things do you writer
Poems
And at this the aged novelist
clasped his hands and wrung them in
despair. Poems? Oh. you unhappy man.
Why is a man writing poems If he can
write prose? why does he make a
poison of his sentences by rhyme and
rhythm
But what 1 interposed, of such
men as write the truth for the people
as you do?'
"'What is the TRUTH he asked. No
body knows 1t and everybody knows.
Everybody is seeking for himself
the truth and from this standpoint
everybody may be a writer What
then2 I do not like literature. the mod
ern literature, because all the authors
are writing for the sake of money and
not for ideas. They write cheap stories,
catering to the public's likes and avoid
ing their dislikes. For me. Gorky and
Andregrov are not writer's; they are
businessmen. You remember that in
1898. after writing The Resurrection.
I ordered that the right to publish my
books be set free
But he continued. let me learn
OF your mission. think it an interest
ing one. Why are the Hungarians emf
gratingT
Because all the land is occupied
and the poor can not have land to live
on, I replied.
"'This is the case of Russia too but
I think in a hundred years from now
it will be q crime to own land here
All the lands and fields will be COM
mon for the people An American, DIR.
Eliot, president emeritus of Harvard
university has the best ideas on this
subject Have you read him? No: am
sorry, then. for you
Rites of Church Refused
ST. PETERSBURG, Nov 2o-The
church, in the persons of Hetropolitans
Antonius of st. Petersburg, Vladimir
and Flavian of Kiev. and Liuanoff, chief
procurator of the holy synod. decided
tonight to leave things as they are with
respect to Tolstoy-
A plenary synod has not been called
and telegraphic instructions have been
he hiehone infory,ip1~