Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1915-08-26
TOlstOy's Prophetic Vision

- interview with his grsat-nisoe, Coun---
tess Nastasia Tolstoy, in the autumn
Of 1910. This startling interview
first printed in The nee in lsIs ana
again in August OF last year, ana
once more after year OF the great
CIT HIS is revelation OF events Of a universe!
i character which must shortly come 10 pass.
Their spiritual outlines before my eyes.
see floating upon the surface OF the OF human
fate the huge silhouette Of nude woman. She is
with her beauty her poise her smile. her jewels-a
super-Venus. Nations rush madly after her each OF
them to attract her especially But she. like
an eternal courtesan. firts with ALL In her hair
ornament of diamonds rubies Is engraved her
name. 'Commercissm.' As aluring and bewitching
as she seems. much destruction and agony follows In
her wake Her breath. reeng OF sordid transactions.
her voice OF metallic character like gold and her look
OF greed are much poison to the nations who fall
victims 10 her charms
And behold. she has three gigantic arms with three
torches OF universal corruption In her hand The first
torch represents the flame of that the beautiful
couTtesan carries from city to city and country to
country Patriotism answers with flashes of honest
flame. but the end Is the OF guns and musketry
The second loren bears the flames OF bieotry and
hypocrisy. II lights the lamps only in temples and
the affairs OF sacred institutions II carries the
OF tasity and fanatcism. II kndles the minds that
are stu In cradles and follows them to their graves
'Ihe third torch Il that OF the law that dangerous
foundation OF unauthentc traditions which first
tie fatal work in the family. then sweeps through the
larger worlds OF literature, art and craftsmanship.
The great CONFEDERATION will start about 1872 set
by the torch 81 the first in the countries
eastern Europe. 1t will develop into a destructive
calamity In 1918 In that year I see all Europe In
flames and bleeding hear the lamentations OF huge
hattlefelds But about the year 1915 strange figure
from the north-a new Napoleon-enters the stage OF
the bloody drama. He s of little miltsristic
training writer journalist, but in his grip most
OF Europe will remain until 1926 The OF the great
calamity will mark a political era for the Old
World. There will be left empires and Kingdoms
hut Tho
States Nations There will remain only four great
giants-the Anglo-saxons the Latins, the slavs and
the Mongoans.
sentiments The second torch OF the courtesan has
brought about the fall of the church. The ethical
idea has almost vanished. Humanity Is without tho
moral feeling. But then a great reformer arises He
will clear the world OF the relics OF monotheism and
lay the cornerstone of pantheism. God, SOUL sprit
and Immortality will be molten In a new furnace and
see the peaceful beginning Of ethical era. The
man determined TO this mission Is a Mongoan-Slav.
lie ls already walking the esrth-a OF active
affairs. He himself does not realize the mission
assigned to him by superior power
And behold the flame of the third TORCH which he
already begun TO destroy our family relations, our
standards Of art and morals The relations between
woman and man is accepted as prosaic partnership
OF the Art has become realistic degeneracy.
Political and religious disturbances have shaken the
spiritual foundations OF all natons.s Only small spots
hero and there have remained untouched by those
three destructive flames The anti-national in
Europe. the class OF America and the race
OF Asia have stranEied progress for half
fury But then. in the midde of history, a hero
OF literature and art rising from the ranks of tho
Intins and purgng the world OF the tedious stuff OF
the obvious. II Is the light OF symbolism. In place
of the polyEamy and monogamy of today there VIII
poetrogamya re"tion OF the sexes based funda-
mentally upon poetic conceptions OF life.
"And see the nations growing wiser and reaizing
that the auring woman of their destnies f. after ALL
nothing but illusion There will be time when
the world Will have use for armies hypocritlcal
religions and degenerate art Life is evolution. and
evolution is development from the simple to the
complicated forms of the mind and body. I the
passing show Of the worddrama I'm its present form.
how It fades like the glow OF evening upon the
mountains One motion of the hand OF Commercialism
and q history begins"