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

not intelligence enough to know. that
IL ne went out into the rain without
an umbrella. he would get wet YET
II rs clear from the narrative that hs
did not foresee II, and this must mean
that he was SO continually pre-occI,-
| pied with his ideas and his imaeina-
ton that he seldom gave his mind To
more Immediate practical considera-
tions--inciuding the consideration OF
other peoples feelings and convent
| ence--until his neglect produced IL,
inevitable consequences.
No wonder the countess was often
near the END OF her patience, Indeed
there is one occasion recorded when
rolstoy's pre-occupation with his own
conscience carried him init inhuman
caliousness. His trick Of suddeniy
| leaving tho house and declaring he
| could no longer endure to live in such
a fashion has been brought into pro-
n'inencs by his death on one of these
occasions He was man who was
nonna!essiy sympa ,hetic on paper with
Imaginary beings, hut outrageously in
eonsiderate to rea! people In his own
home
When We go to ask why people
stood all this from him. the reply must
be partly that the countess did not
stand it, but took in her own hands
tho affairs he neglected. besides Civ
ing him pieces Of her mind on occas-
sion. She must he woman OF remark
abs strength OF character to have
borne her burden without breaking
down completely n II be true that
the effects OF the strain on her had
their share in tina circumstances of
that final hight from Yasnaya which
ended In Tolstoy's death, no one can
!, blame her.
SO much for that Part OF the social
nd
10 shoulder. After all. we cannot
quarrel very deeply with him for his
refusal; If man does more than his
share of extraordinary work for the
world we can hardly complain because
he refused to do the ordinary tasks
which society offers him. and which are
oaifulated Tor quite another sort OF a
man But u must be said that his own
peculiar work would have been much
better done In some respects II he had
managed his estates and administered
and exploited his Copyrights instead
OF leaving all this drudgery to his
wife.
II ennea in his wife knowing a
great deal more. in some respects,
man he did Of men and affairs, and in
MS using his powers and influence TO
set men on impracticahle and mischiev-
GUS enterprises. No doubt these had
their value. but one does not know
whether Tolstoy remained In a CEN
alton of invincible ignorance (for he
went on giving the bad advice just
as If II had worked perfectly or
whether he simply would not take the
trouble to change his mind. He was
most unfortunately incapable Of laugh
ing at himself, though ne had a keen
sense OF the irony Of wasted phllan-
threpy--for example whilst he was
organizing famine relief he rldiculed
inc whole business steadily ali
through, as a CHASTITY futillty Yet.
when 1nlstoyan colony was making
tselt spectacle for gods and men,
not by organizing relief for starving
people, but by reducing well-fed ones
to restitution. his irony was never
aroused-he persuaded himself. and
sometimes even persuaded the colon
lists, that all that was wrong was
tha' they had not been quite foolish
enough.
on the whole, we must conclude that
! Wss grave and incurahle defect In
felstey's training that he had nevep
heen obliged to dc n real jon of +sal
WORK, and do II for his living His
spell of soldering was of no use la him
IN that way+=Ha man learns nothing OF
anairs from helms aeeped un In hat
tory and fed like an artillery herse
whilst he fires eannens at the French
and English and Is fred at by them,