Mexico Missouri message., 1917-06-14
GREAT EUROPEAN FIGHT
FORETOLD BY LEO TOLSTOI

Is such thing-appears to be
proved, to degree at least, by the IT,
tanic struggle in which Europe is
now engaged. In the autumn of 1910
shortly before his death, the literary
giant had vision of the future. In
it he foretold the present European
upheaval nor did he fail in pointing !
out the cause at the bottom of it all. |
Strangely enough the prophesy
was put on paper at the request of !
the kaiser and the king of England.
These two monarchs, through the
czar, asked for a message from the J
Russian author, specifying that it !
was to be something that had not
been published and would not be pub
lished by himself The czar having
no love for the democratic count,
yet not wishing to offend his fellow
rulers, compromised by transmitting
the message through a relative of the
author, Countess Nastacia Tolstoi
Tilstoi at first was at loss how
to respond, saying that all his life
he had written messages to the
mob" AT the suggestion of the Count
ess, however, he decided to use the
vision which, he said had been haunt
ing him for some time.
Accordingly with closed eyes he
dictated to the countess as follows:
This is a revelation of events of
a universal character, which must
shortly come to pass. Their spiritual
outlines are now before my eyesI
see floating upon the surface of the
sea of human fate the huge silhou-
ette of a nude woman. She is, with
her beauty, her poise, her smile, her
jewels--a super Venus. Nations rush
madly after her. each of them eager
to attract her especially. But, she
like an eternal courtesan, nirts with
all. In her hair ornaments of dia-
monds and rubies is engraved her
name: "Commercialsm. AS allur-
ing and bewitching as she seems,
much destruction and agony follow in
her wake. Her breath, reeking of
sordid transactions, her voice of met
alic character like gold, and her look
of greed are SO much poison to the
charms.
And behold, she has three gigan-
tic arms with three torches of uni
versal corruption in her hand. The
first torch represents the fame of
war, that the beautiful courtesan car
ries 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 flame
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 fanatic
ism. 1t kindles the minds that are
still in cradles and follows them to
their graves.
THE third torch is that of the
law, that dangerous foundation of
all unauthentic traditions, which first
does it's fatal work in the family,
then sweeps through the large works
of literature. art and statesmanship.
"The great confagration will start
about 1912, set by the torch of the
first arm in the countries of South
ern Europe. 1t will develop into a
destructive calamity in 1913. In that
year | see all Europe in flames and
bleeding. l hear the lamentations OF
huge battlefelds. But about the
year 1915 a strange figure from the
North-a new Napoleon-enters the
stage If the bloody drama. He is a
man of little militaristic training, a
writer or journalist, but in his
grip most of Europe will remain until
1915. The end of the great calamity
will mark new political era for tn,
Old World. There will be left nC
empires or Kingdoms, but the worlt
will form a federation of the United
States of Nations. There will re.
main only four great giants-tht
AngloSaxon, the Latins, the Slavt
and the Mongolians.
After the year 1925 / see change
in the religious sentiments. TIL,
second torch of the courtesan ha
brought about the fall of the church
The ethical idea has almost vanish
ed, Humanity is without the mora
feeling. But then, great reforme
arises, He will clear the world of tn
relics of monotheism and lay the cor
ner stone of the temple of pantheism
God. soul, spirit and immortality will
be molten in a new furnace and Sc
the peaceful beginning of an ethica
.