The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1914-08-13
VERSION OF EUROPE
IN FLAME

In the fall OF lylO Leo loiAtoy Wa'
requested by the car, through Coun'
tess Nastasia Tolstoy, 10 compose q
message intended for himself, tn,
king Of England, and the kaiser Of
Germany, the two last mentioned hav.
Ing suggested IL. They wanted some
thing from the old man that had new
or been published and was not intend
led by him for publication. To the
countess he responded by debating
the following words:
This is q revelation Of events Of q
universal character which must short
lly come to pass, Their spiritual out
lines are now before my eyes. see
floating upon the surface Of the sea
Of human fate the huge silhouette Of
nude woman. She is--with her
beauty, her poise, her smile, her jewels
IA super-Venus. Nations rush mad
1 ~ after her, each of them eager TO at
tract her especially. But she, like an
eternal courtesan, flirts with all. In
her hair-ornament of diamonds and
rubies is engraved her name Com
mercialism." As aluring and be-
witching as she seems, much destruc-
ton and agony follow in her wake.
Her breath, ,reeking sord;d transactions,
her voice of metallic character like
gold, and her look of greed are so
much poison to the nations who fall
victims to her charms.
And behold! she has three gigantic
arms with three torches of universal
corruption in her hand. The first
torch represents the fame Of war that
the beautiful courtesan carries from
city to city and country to country.
Patriotism answers with flashes of
honest fame, but the end is the roar
of guns and musketry.
The second torch bears the fame Of
bigotry and hypocrisy. 1t lights the
lamps only in temples and on the
altars of sacred institutions. 1t car
ries the seed of falsity and fanati-
cism. 1t kindles the minds that are
still in cradles and follows them to
their graves.
The great conflagration will start
about 1912, set by the torch of the
first arm in the countries Of south
eastern Europe. II will develop into
destructive calamity in 1913. In
that year see all Europe in flames
and bleeding. / hear the lamenta-
tions of huge battlefelds. But about
the year 1915 strange figure from
the north--a new Napolcon--enters
the stage of the bloody drama. He
is man of little militaristic training,
a writer or journals, but in his
grip most Of Europe will remain till
1925. The end Of the great calam-
ity will mark new political era for
the old world. There will be left no
empires and kingdoms, but the world
will form a federation of the United
States of Nations. There will remain
only four great giants-the Anglo
Saxons, the Latins, the Slavs, and the
Mongolians.
After the year 1926 / see change
in religious sentiments. The second
torch of the courtesan has brought
about the fall Of the church. The
ethical idea has almost vanished.
Humanity is without the moral feel
ing. But then great reformer
arises. He will clear the world Of the
relics of moaotheism and lay the cor
nerstone Of the temple Of pantheism.
God, soul, spirit, and Immortality will |
be molten in new furnace, and | see
the peaceful beginning of an ethical
era. The man determined to this
mission is Mongolian- Slav. He is
already walking the earth--a man of
active affairs. He himself does not
now realize the mission assigned to
him by superior power.
And behold the fame Of the third
torch, which has already begun to
destroy our family relations, our stan
iards Of art and morals. The rela-
tion between woman and man is ac-
cepted as prosaic partnership of
the sexes. Art has become realistic
Political and religious
have shaken the spirit
lal foundations Of all nations. Only
small spots here and there have re-
nained untouched by those three de-
structive flames. The anti-national
wars in Europe, the class war Of
America, and the race wars in Asia
nave strangled progress for half a
century. But then, in the middle of
his century, ! see a hero Of litera-
.ure and art rising from the ranks Of
he Latins and purging the world Of
he tedious stuff Of the obvious. It is
he light of symbolism that shall out
'hine the light of the torch Of COM
nercialism. In place of the polygamy
md monogamy Of to-day there will