Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-11-02

81 took with me Bazac and read him with
pleasure"
Have a letter from Turgenieff. He is very
much impressed by my letter Writes that
things are going better, but he will hardly
come to Russia"
When Tolstoy was working on "My Relg-
Ion,' at his country estate, Yasnaya Poliana
his wife was with their children in Moscow.
He was summoned to act on a jury in the
court, and he writes:
Il was subpoenaed to Krapinsk juror.
But refused and was fined 100 roubies $500.
When | was called in the courtroom said
that | could not be a juror l was asked
'Why% l replied: Because of my religious
convictions The following day | called
again and the question was repeated.
But | said / could not be juror in any case.
They will probably fine me another 100 rou-
I'VE are living too extravagantly. We do
not need so many carriages and horses"
Il met on my way to-day two interesting
old men, brothers from Siberia, who have pill
grimaged on foot to Jerusalem and Athens.
Together they are $50 years old. Vegetarians.
They had a big house and property when they
left for their pilgrimage but when they re-
turned everything gone Their care
takers thought they had died, and squan-
dered all their property. Now they walk
ing back to Jerusalem"
How much Tolstoy was inclined toward
mystic subjects is shown in the following par
agraphs from letter:
while l was engaged in a conversation,
Mihail Fomitch rushed in and exclaimed:
There is an Interpreter here and wants to
the prince Who? What? Interpreter
who knows everything and can tell every
thing. Well, he invited in. A strange
Jew. He lived in Tula and had announced
that he could predict the future either per-
sonaly or by mail. He charges rouble for
admission"
81 am reading a book by Theodore Parker,
an interesting American writer who already,
twenty years age, had expressed wonderfully
his religious thoughts
In 1886 Tolstoy had already so far changed
his conviction Of life that he wrote to his wife
in Moscow:
81 went cut to pillow yesterday. Returned at
7 O'Clock in the evening and very tired.
Il want to sit as little as possible. Now
rose at 8, settled my affairs, and went to
Agaf8 Mihailovne, and after dinner l intend
to go and pillow again"
In 1891 and 1892 Tolstoy took personally an
active part in establishing free diGinghals in
the faminestricken provinces. In his many
letters Of this time he writes merely of the
most practical domestic matters and his work
among the suffering masses. very striking
passage is from a letter dated February %:
81 am sorry, my dear friend, that you are
so excited about the stupid talk about my
articles in 'Moskovskia Viedemosti, and that
you went to Grand Duke Sergius. There was
nothing of Importance. What ! wrote about
the famine nau already DeeD written IN many
times more powerful expressions. There is
nothing new about it. 1t is all an affair of
the masses l have not written any denial.
And, please. my friend do not change a word
Gin my manuscript and do not add anything.
! do not permit anything to be changed
81 can from the letter from Alexandra
(his sister, that there is tone as if | were
guilty of something and should ask some one
for forgiveness. This ! do not admit / have
been writing for twelve years what ! think.
and what naturally does not please either the
governments nor the rich classes ! do not
write spitefuly, but conscientiously and shall