The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-07-09

money as Don oulsote did. He
left his own skilled work TO build
houses that could hardly he induced
to stand. and to make boots that any
army contractor would have been
ashamed Of He let his property drift
to the verge of insolvency and ruin
Ike the LATEST Irish squire, because
he dlsapproved of property as an !nsti-
tuition And he was neither honest
nor respectable In his foIlies
He connived at all sorts OF invasions.
lia would. not take money on a Journey:
nut he would take companion who
would buy railroad tickets and pay
MOTEL bills behind his back. He would
not own property or copyrights bat
he would make them over 10 his wife
and children, and live in their country
mouse in fasnnya and their town house
IN moscow very comfortably, only oc.
casionally easing his conscience. bv
making things as difficult and UNI
peasant Tor them as possible He in :
sisted on celihacy as the FIRST condi-
lion OF worthy life: and his VIII.
became sixteen times a mother and
found him an uxorious husband al sew
enty.
In the ordinary affairs of life. he
shlrhet every uncongenial responsibiii-
~ whist availins himself of every
luxury he really cared for. And he
rallied al his wife and family for en-
apIlnG MN 10 do It, treating his wife a 8
e'hically inferior because she Insisted
on saving the family from ruin, until
at last she gave him up as impossible
and managed for him without saying
anything harsher than her Russian
Formula Nothing matters So long as
the baby is not crying"
Prohahly many OF Tolstny's admirers
dismissed these facts during his life
m
PIE who did not understand him But
II seems clesr now that they were
quite true. Not. of course that Tolls
toy was fact proof. lie soon found out
by experience that his foilies were
tiresome and he never did anything
when he was once tired of II, though
he did not always cease to recon
mend others TO do it, But one is none
the less left asking why he did not
1ofesee the inevitable breakdown of his
attempts to behave like a disciple OF
Jerusalem 900 years ago ] am TEMPT
ed To answer that lie never foresaw
anything. and learned what he did
learn through the simple process of
knocking his head against 1t.
The reader may here lose patience
and say that il have nothing more
sensible TO say than that Tolstoy was
q fool, I had better drop the subtsot
ent hands, Others may say that we
all learn things hY knocking our heads
against them. others. again, NAV say
mat Tolstoy had heen through all erdi-
nary reasoning and come out Oh the
other side OF IT with the knowledge
that we can only extend the range ar
possibility In human conduct. as in
hther things, by continually attempt
ing the Impossible. have said all
'hese things 10 myself, But take A
single Incident from his life. Toistey
writes the "Kreutzer Conata" tits sue
gested that IL should be read to the
family and their guests at Yasnsya.
Teistoy assenting. hands the manu-
SCRIPT to gentleman Ia read The
gentleman begins confidently; present.
~ grows doubtful; finally tells the
! countess that he really cannot go on
reading in the presence of the young
er girls Tolstoy an being asked
whether The hook Is nj for their ears.
replies calmly that they had better 60
to he'd, which they dc before reading
| is resumed.
Now, 10 say that Tolstoy could not
have foreseen this. is to say that he ha d