The daily worker., 1928-11-12
The Writings
of Tolstoy and
the Bolsheviks
(Translated from the ''Pravda" by
Valentine V. Konin.)
By EN-. YAROSLAVSKY.
Continual

Of course, Tolstoy knew perfect
ly well that such was not the case;
otherwise he would have never pro-
duced works such as, Don't KILL"
or "Nikolai, the Stick" or the
"False< Coupon" Having taken a
part in public correspondence, he
became acquainted with the life Of
"Chitrovka," of the artisans and the
poor city people. Having aided the
famine relief, he witnessed horrible
scenes of hunger and village pow
erty. How could he have seen and
known all that preach the theory
of non-resistance? How could he
carry out his teachings as far as
to advise not to defend oneself
against mad dog? eff admit"
wrote Tolstoy, 'that one can lock
up very mad person, then you and
l will also have to be locked up for
someone else's sake i. If the mad
man will kill you and me, and my
daughter and your wife,-what's so
terrible about it? Die-we all must
-bdb w dlllt--WS lluSU IlOts
Tolstoy looked for some support
"a giant of his classs let loose. Like
many "repentings nobles," Tolstoy
idealized the peasantry but it was
not Stenka Rain or Pugatchev
whom he idealized. These people
frightened him. He idealized Platon
Karataev-thes peasant who hadn't
entered the way of the revolutionary
struggle. Tolstoy expressed the
weakness, no the strength of the
revolutionary movement.
"Tolstoy's IDEAS" wrote Lenin,
"are mirror of weaknesses and
faults of our peasant rebellion;
reflection of the cowardice of a
little homely peasant"
Remarking upon these weak sides
of Tolstoy's creations and the philo-
sophical political views, we, the
Bolsheviki, have all the less right
to silence Tolstoy's reactionary re-
ligious preachings. In spite of his
pungent attacks upon the Greek
Orthodox Church Tolstoy appears
as a missionary of a refined, reli-
gious confused craze. Tolstoy ap-
pears as an opponent of science
Religion is his true science. Ac-
cording to Tolstoy, all life is sense
less, with the exception of one,
whose goal is to serve God and his
acts. According to him there is
only lone way not to be mistaken
that is not to take the initiative,
but wait for the call of God"
Against such a philosophy, against
such a preaching, we, the Bolshe-
Wiki, have always led and shall al
ways lead tireless fight, for this
philosophy differs in no way from
an ordinary open priesthood.
1--WE do not deny and do not intend
to deny Tolstoy's artistic inherit
ance. We cannot throw overheard
all the valuable parts of Tolstoy,
genuine artist, who has given to
US not only Incompatible pictures
of the Russian life, but the works
of the highest type among world
literature" (Lenin). We shall ac-
quaint the working mass with that
merciless criticism of capitalist ex-
ploitation which is displayed in Toll
stoy's work; we shall acquaint them
with, as Tolstoy expressed, "the
striving to do away with the public
church, the landowners, and their
rule; to annihilate all old forms and
orders of the land rule; to clear the
land and create in the place of the
police-class government, a COM
mune of free and equal peasants"
We shall show how Tolstoy "re-
Elected the painful hatred, which
matured into a striving towards
something better, a desire to get
rid of the past, the immaturity of
his dreams, lack of political discip-
line" Oenin.) But, under no cir
cumstances, may we conceal the
fact that with the death of Tolstoy
"the pre-revolutionary Russia with
its lack of energy and strength, ex-
pressed in the philosophy of a genu-
inc artist, had gone towards the
past" Uenin.)
IN sendlng forth into the world
the full set of Tolstoy's works, we
are obliged to rember that in these
works there is big dose of religi-
Gus opium, poisoning the conscious
ness of the people, separating free
dom from consciousness, hinderirg
the reconstruction of socialist
society, paralyzing the mass strug-
gle against the world of the exploit
ers, deadening the power of class
ire, class hatred.
No falsehood! We do not need to
conceal our respect to a genuine
artist and writer, by silencing the
contradictions in his creation, or
his superannuated social theories.
or his reactionary philosophical
political views. We must accept Toll
stoy as he is. We must show him
to the masses fearlessly and truth
fully, with all his virtues and all
his faults. Tolstoy deserved it.
(The End.)