Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-12-22
Group on Tolstoi
Estate Oppose
Soviet Regime

,
" Yasnaya Poiyana, Russia, Nov. 20
-(By il.)-Pifteen young men,
two young women and an elderly ma
tron have recently established, on the
Tolstoi estate what they term IAN
improved Bolshevik community"
Described as an attempt to rectify
failure of Communism, the members
of the colony are the declared enc
mics of the destruction of property.
human or animal life and thus are
arrayed against the Soviet govern
ment.
The members of the colony make
religion Of manual labor and de-
clare it's chief tenet to be embodied
in the phrase Love thy neighbor as
myself" They declare themselves,
like Count Tolstoi. "searchers for the
truth in all things" They arrived
mere in early September with a per-
NIT from Moscow to occupy a portion
of the estate now classed as a nation
al institution. A teacher whose
brother is director of the colony, Or
ganized the movement. The Is menu
bers, all of whom profess the practi-
cal idcaliSm of the Doukhobors sect
with mingled belief in Buddhism,
were allotted quarters in a once hand
some but now tumbled- down one
story building of the estate built in
1850 for the serfs Of Prince Volkon-
ski, father Of Tolstoi's mother.
The new arrivals have made the
building habitable and have started
to prepare for the cultivation of the
leo acres included in their grant.
Food so far has been supplied free
by the Soviet government, the same
as to all visitors to the Tolstoi home.
Three women do the cooking.
The correspondent came first in
contact with member of the colony
in rather strange manner. After a
long journey, he had been enrolled as
pilgrim at the Tolstoi home, ac-
cording to the rules of the institution.
He was given bed in the ground
floor room, char cteriZed by a big
brick arch, room occupied by Toll
stoi for some Is years. Just as he
was dropping off to sleep. he was
reused by pleasing chords on the
grand piano located in the room.
rhe playing was done by a young
man who wore high boots. a belted
jacket, and a sheepskin cap. See
ing the correspondent, he stopped
playing and apologized, saying he
iidn't know the room was occupied.
Then he went on to explain who he
was and began to ask information
about the possibility of walking to
India, by way of Turkestan. He
fa1 70 Cd, nh ITcs
said.
The 100-acre farm includes a big
orchard planted by the famous Rus
sian author and one of the first acts
OF the new Corners was to whitcwash
all the trees. This operation was
preceded by an animated discussion
IS to whether it should be done.
The young men carefully debated
his problem: If the trees are not
.,hitewashed. the orchard will be ru-
ned by insects. but if the white
wash is applied the insects will die
Of starvation and it is wrong to des-
troy life. AS the members OF the
colony are vegetarians and fruit is
therefore the prime article of food to
them, necessity prevailed over ideals
and the whit ewashing was done.
A second problem was solved much
after the same reasoning. For many
years the manager of the Tolstoi es-
tate has been Prince Oholinski, who
occupied building once used by the
author as a peasants school. The
newcomers, declaring that the pres
cnce of an ovcrseer might restrict
their ''liberty Of action" have de-
Z creed that the Prince must go and
the Obolinsii family soon must seek
food and shelter elsewhere.