Evening star., 1937-04-23
Youngest Daughter of Tolstoy
Sees Order Changing in Japan
Countess Viii Lecture
Here to Aid Children
of Modern Russia.

BY way of the old Russia, Japan and
to town yesterday to look over the
cherry blossom situation through the
eyes Of Countess Alexandra Tolstoy.
youngest daughter of the late Count
Tolstoy, philosopher and poet
Countess Tolstoy, here to lecture to-
night at the Washington Club for the
benefit Of the Russian Children's We'll
fare Society, has just closed the latest
chapter in her romantic life-that of a
gypsy. Before her trip to the Tidal
Basin she parked her station wagon in
the side yard of Mount Rainier home,
the residence Of Nine. Wsevolod l..
Joukowsky, secretary of the welfare
society.
With her travelling companion, Olga
Tarantini, who was a refugee from
Russia with her, Countess Tolstoy had
spread her tent from Connecticut to
Florida.
They had with them three type
writers-one English and two Russian
and a police dog. While the dog
watched they wrote-the countess her
new book on Japan, where she lived
many years, and Miss Tarantini a
novel on the old Russia.
Naturally. having been through the
revolution in Russia, Countess Tolstoy
has been keeping her eyes glued on
America and her ears wide open-to
| haor if Y0Ccih1o nf q r11r
BILE beneath the surface here. If she
detects it, she has yet to say-for the
countess wants, above all things, to
avoid politics.
In Japan she sees an unmistakable
trend toward new order. This runs
in parallel line with the old culture
that comes out of the ages; but there
they are, side by side, take it or leave
it, with the ''made-in-A America" touch
on the Land of the Rising Sun. They
probably never will have skyscrapers
there, on account of the earthquakes,
but the new architecture is distinctly
streamline, the countess says.
For five years Countess Tolstoy has
been familiar with America and all its
activity, and she finds it going along
a philosophical line diametrically op-
posed to the doctrines enunciated by
her father.
America, at heart, is materialistic.
Tolstoy, after his so-called conversion,
based everything on the Joy of living,
on love-and what love creates. Such
doctrine was expressed by the countess
in this way:
when we lost everything, people
asked me how felt. Well, in Russia
women wear great coat-the shuba.
felt, when all our wealth was gone.
as though I had lost my shuba-thrown
it off. At first, that felt little cool,
and had to work to keep warn; but
without the lost shuba-symbol of
wealth. was freer-lighter in spirit.
And there you have it. Material things
mean nothing. Money will not bring
exquisite joy. Not money alone"
That Count Tolstoy had the same idea
is evidenced by his will, the countess
said. He left her everything, but with
the distinct understanding that no
royalties be collected on his books; that
any one who wanted to publish them
could do so without payment to the
estate.
Il believe" she said, ''he is the only
writer in the world who ever did that
gave all his works away"
At her lecture the countess will ex-
hibit one Of the first motion pictures
ever made in Russia Aim showing
her father at work on his estate
Though reluctant to talk politics,
Countess Tolstoy visions the end of
Fascism and Communism, in years to
come, and the triumph Of Democracy
as it is known in the United States.
America" she says, ''is the only
country with freedom and liberty in
the world today, with the possible ex-
ception of Switzerland, and few
other small republics"
Communism in Russia, she believes,
is merely Fascism by another name.