The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1910-11-12

Tolstoys have been years of ire
mendous consciousness, which have
given out of his wonderful mind
blessed food of hope and inspiring
truth. Himself Weighted down with
the chains of brutal and tyrannical
government, he breathed a spirit OF
human freedom that influenced all
nations to a clearer conception of the
lofty principle of equality among men.
Loving his brother, high IF low.
black or white, clean or unclean, as
mother loves her babe, he has Civ
en- his days and years in a ceaseless,
untiring and ever courageous contest
against systems of injustice, ignor-
ance, restraint, the enslavement OF
the poor by the arrogant and power
full. He has sacrificed much and suf-
fered extremely of body and mind;
he would gladly a thousand times
have laid down his life to save the
people of his blood from oppression,
and the nation that he loved from the
shame and evil wrought by a wicked
government.
Count Leo Tolstoy has acted in real
life a more tragic and heartburning
story than has ever sprung from his
pen. 1t was while with the army in
the Caucasus that he first began TO
think and write. Born at Yasnaya
Poliana, Sept 10, 1928, TO wealth and
high position, he was then still the
gayest of the gay. Educated at Kaz
an university, he served in the Grim
can war, 1886, and it was while in
this service he was suddenly trans
formed from an exquisite to one who
forgot self and lived to serve.
II is said that his early marriage
saved him, for his devoted wife
steadied him in time of need.
Returning from the war, Tolstoy ex-
banded his philanthropic ideas and
began his teaching among the peas
ants on his own estate. He forgot
the art OF moneymaking and his idea
seemed TO be to reduce his habits TO
those OF the poorest OF his country
men.
His idea of teaching peasants as in
dividuals failed, and he seized his pen.
He always wrote as realist He
called things by their proper names.
He strove TO give his reader the max
ed truth. His stories and essays were
vivid word descriptions that painted,
first the horrors OF war and then the
horrors Of false society and unjust
politics
II was in 1857 that Tolstoy went
abroad and what he saw in the cap
itals Of Europe amazed him. Return
ing, he started a pedagogical publica-
ton to promote his teachings, and his
bitter condemnation Of the systems
Of society called down upon him the
Anrnn Crfffnfgrn Nf oil ~, 90,
tocracy.
In 1875 Anna Karenina" was pub
lished as serial. II was at once pro-
nounced to be from the hands OF a
genius. but the public took It as a
story without particular significance
and this so enraged the author that
he abandoned fiction to write religious
social and philosophical treatises.
The Kreutzer Sonata was publish.
ed in 1888, and raised a storm II crit
icism. Subsequent TO this Tolstoy re-
sumed fiction writing dealing with re-
ligious and political subjects.
His wonderful novel, Resurrection, +"
is believed by many TO have represent
ed the story Of his own early life.
Tolstoy was 3S years OF age when he
married Sophie Andreyevna Behrs or
Moscow, daughter of an influential
Jewish family.
Often threatened with exile for his
bold utterances against the govern
men, he had too strong a hold upon
the populace TO make such move
practical. He was greatly feared by
the present car, whose father also
hal reason to fear Tolstoy Alexander
Ill, however, when pressed by some
OF his counselors 20 call Tolstoy to
account for his defiant conduct, is al
legged 10 have replied, "As long as /
am car. Tolstoy will not be modest
ed"
The great heart of Russia's first cit.
izen was strained TO the point OF
breaking during the disastrous war