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dipped　into　Plato；　had　thus　placed　Socrates　among　the　precursors



of　Christ。　I　cited　the　reason　assigned　by　Melanchthon　for



Christ's　descent　into　hellnamely；　the　desire　of　the　Redeemer　to



make　himself　known　to　Socrates；　Plato；　and　the　best　of　the



ancient　philosophers；　and　I　compared　this　with　Luther's　idea；　so



characteristic　of　him；　that　Christ　descended　into　hell　in　order



to　have　a　hand…to…hand　grapple　and　wrestle　with　Satan。　This　led



Tolstoi　to　give　me　a　Russian　legend　of　the　descent　into　hell；



which　was　that；　when　Christ　arrived　there；　he　found　Satan　forging



chains；　but　that；　at　the　approach　of　the　Saviour；　the　walls　of



hell　collapsed；　and　Satan　found　himself　entangled　in　his　own



chains；　and　remained　so　for　a　thousand　years。







In　regard　to　the　Jews；　he　said　that　he　sympathized　with　them；　but



that　the　statements　regarding　the　persecution　of　them　were



somewhat　exaggerated。　Kennan's　statements　regarding　the　treatment



of　prisoners　in　Siberia　he　thought　overdrawn　at　times；　but



substantially　true。　He　expressed　his　surprise　that　certain



leading　men　in　the　empire；　whom　he　named；　could　believe　that



persecution　and　the　forcible　repression　of　thought　would　have　any



permanent　effect　at　the　end　of　the　nineteenth　century。







He　then　dwelt　upon　sundry　evil　conditions　in　Russia；　on　which　my



comment　was　that　every　country；　of　course；　had　its　own　grievous



shortcomings；　and　I　cited；　as　to　America；　the　proverb：　〃No　one



knows　so　well　where　the　shoe　pinches　as　he　who　wears　it。〃　At　this



he　asked　me　about　lynch　law　in　the　United　States；　and　expressed



his　horror　of　it。　I　showed　him　that　it　was　the　inevitable　result



of　a　wretched　laxity　and　sham　humanity　in　the　administration　of



our　criminal　law；　which　had　led　great　bodies　of　people；　more



especially　in　the　Southern　and　extreme　Western　parts　of　the



country；　to　revert　to　natural　justice　and　take　the　law　into　their



own　hands；　and　I　cited　Goldwin　Smith's　profound　remark　that　〃some



American　lynchings　are　proofs　not　so　much　of　lawlessness　as　of　a



respect　for　law。〃







He　asked　me　where；　besides　this；　the　shoe　pinched　in　the　United



States。　I　told　him　that　it　pinched　in　various　places；　but　that



perhaps　the　worst　pinch　arises　from　the　premature　admission　to



full　political　rights　of　men　who　have　been　so　benumbed　and



stunted　intellectually　and　morally　in　other　countries　that　their



exercise　of　political　rights　in　America　is　frequently　an　injury；



not　only　to　others；　but　to　themselves。　In　proof　of　this　I　cited



the　case　of　the　crowds　whom　I　had　seen　some　years　before　huddled



together　in　New　York　tenement…houses；　preyed　upon　by　their



liquor…selling　landlords；　their　families　perishing　of　typhoid　and



smallpox　on　account　of　the　negligence　and　maladministration　of



the　local　politicians；　but　who；　as　a　rule；　were　almost　if　not



quite　ready　to　mob　and　murder　those　of　us　who　brought　in　a　new



health　board　and　a　better　order　of　things；　showing　him　that　for



years　the　very　class　of　people　who　suffered　most　from　the　old；



vile　state　of　things　did　their　best　by　their　votes　to　keep　in



power　the　men　who　maintained　it。







We　then　passed　to　the　subject　of　the　trans…Siberian　Railway。　In



this　he　seemed　interested；　but　in　a　vague　way　which　added　nothing



to　my　knowledge。







Asking　me　regarding　my　former　visit　to　Moscow；　and　learning　that



it　was　during　the　Crimean　War；　he　said；　〃At　that　time　I　was　in



Sebastopol；　and　continued　there　as　a　soldier　during　the　siege。〃







As　to　his　relations　with　the　imperial　government　at　present；　he



said　that　he　had　been　recently　elected　to　a　learned　society　in



Moscow；　but　that　the　St。　Petersburg　government　had　interfered　to



stop　the　election；　and　he　added　that　every　morning；　when　he



awoke；　he　wondered　that　he　was　not　on　his　way　to　Siberia。







On　my　leaving　him；　both　he　and　the　countess　invited　me　to　meet



them　next　day　at　the　Tretiakof　Museum　of　Russian　Pictures；　and



accordingly；　on　the　following　afternoon；　I　met　them　at　that



greatest　of　all　galleries　devoted　purely　to　Russian　art。　They



were　accompanied　by　several　friends；　among　them　a　little　knot　of



disciplesyoung　men　clad　in　simple　peasant　costume　like　that



worn　by　the　master。　It　was　evident　that　he　was　an　acknowledged



lion　at　the　old　Russian　capital；　for　as　he　led　me　about　to　see



the　pictures　which　he　liked　best；　he　was　followed　and　stared　at



by　many。







Pointing　out　to　me　some　modern　religious　pictures　in　Byzantine



style　painted　for　the　Cathedral　of　Kieff；　he　said；　〃They



represent　an　effort　as　futile　as　trying　to　persuade　chickens　to



reenter　the　egg…shells　from　which　they　have　escaped。〃　He　next



showed　me　two　religious　pictures；　the　first　representing　the



meeting　of　Jesus　and　Pilate；　when　the　latter　asked；　〃What　is



truth？〃　Pilate　was　depicted　as　a　rotund；　jocose；　cynical　man　of



the　world；　Jesus；　as　a　street　preacher　in　sordid　garments；　with



unkempt　hair　flowing　over　his　haggard　face；a　peasant　fanatic



brought　in　by　the　police。　Tolstoi　showed　an　especial　interest　in



this　picture；　it　seemed　to　reveal　to　him　the　real　secret　of　that



famous　question　and　its　answer；　the　question　coming　from　the



mighty　of　the　earth；　and　the　answer　from　the　poor　and　oppressed。







The　other　picture　represented　the　Crucifixion。　It　was　painted　in



the　most　realistic　manner　possible；　nothing　was　idealized；　it　was



even　more　vividly　realistic　than　Gebhardt's　picture　of　the　Lord's



Supper；　at　Berlin；　so　that　it　at　first　repelled　me；　though　it



afterward　exercised　a　certain　fascination。　That　Tolstoi　was



deeply　interested　was　clear。　He　stood　for　a　time　in　silence；　as



if　musing　upon　all　that　the　sacrifice　on　Calvary　had　brought　to



the　world。　Other　representations　of　similar　scenes；　in　the



conventional　style　of　the　older　masters；　he　had　passed　without　a



glance；　but　this　spectacle　of　the　young　Galilean　peasant；　with



unattractive　features；　sordid　garb；　poverty…stricken　companions；



and　repulsive　surroundings；　tortured　to　death　for　preaching　the



〃kingdom　of　God〃　to　the　poor　and　down…trodden；　seemed　to　hold　him



fast；　and　as　he　pointed　out　various　features　in　the　picture　it



became　even　more　clear　to　me　that　sympathy　with　the　peasant



class；　and　a　yearning　to　enter　into　their　cares　and　sorrows；　form



the　real　groundwork　of　his　life。







He　then　took　me　to　a　small　picture　of　Jesus　and　his　disciples



leaving　the　upper　room　at　Jerusalem　after　the　Last　Supper。　This；



too；　was　painted　in　the　most　realistic　manner。　The　disciples；



simple…minded　fishermen；　rude　in　features　and　dress；　were



plodding　homeward；　while　Christ　himself　gazed　at　the　stars　and



drew　the　attention　of　his　nearest　companions　to　some　of　the



brightest。　Tolstoi　expressed　especial　admiration　for　this



picture；　saying　that　at　times　it　affected　him　like　beautiful



music；like　music　which　draws　tears；　one　can　hardly　tell　why。　It



was　more　and　more　evident；　as　he　lingered　before　this　and　other



pictures　embodying　similar　ideas；　that　sympathy　for　those



struggling　through　poverty　and　want　toward　a　better　life　is　his



master　passion。







Among　the　pictures；　not　to　be　classed　as　religious；　before　which



he　thus　lingered　were　those　representing　the　arrest　of　a　nihilist



and　the　return　of　an　exile　from　Siberia。　Both　were　well　painted；



and　both　revealed　the　same　characteristicsympathy　with　the



poor；　even　with　criminals。







Some　of　the　more　famous　historical　pictures　in　the　collection　he



thought　exaggerated；　especially　those　representing　the　fury　of



the　Grand　Duchess　Sophia　in　her　monastery　prison；　and　the　remorse



of　Ivan　the　Terrible　after　murdering　his　son。







To　my　surprise；　he　agreed　with　me；　and　even　went　beyond　me；　in



rating　landscape　infinitely　below　religious　and　historical



painting；　saying　that　he　cared　for　landscape…painting　only　as



accessory　to　pictures　revealing　human　life。







Among　genre　pictures；　we　halted　before　one　representing　a　peasant



family　grouped　about　the　mother；　who；　with　a　sacred　picture　laid



upon　her　breast；　after　the　Russian　manner；　was　dying　of　famine。



This　also　seemed　deeply　to　impress　him。







We　stopped　next　before　a　picture　of　a　lady　of　high　birth　brought



before　the　authorities　in　order　to　be　sent；　evidently　against　her



will；　to　a　convent。　I　cited　the　similar　story　from　Manzoni's



〃Promessi　Sposi〃；　but；　to　my　surprise；　he　seemed　to　know　little



of　that　most　fascinating　of　historical　romances。　This　led　to　a



discussion　in　which　he　said　he　had　once　liked　Walter　Scott；　but



had　not　read　anything　of　his　for　many　years；　and　he　seemed



interested　in　my　statement　that　although　always　an　especial



admirer　of　Scott；　I　had　found　it　almost　impossible　to　induce　the



younger　generation　to　read　him。







Stopping　before　a　picture　of　Peter　the　Great's　fatal　conference



with　his　son　Alexis；　in　reply　to　my　remark　upon　the　marvel　that　a



prince　of　such　genius　as　Peter　should　have　appeared　at　Moscow　in



the　seventeenth　century；　he　said　that　he　did　not　admire　Peter；



that　he　was　too　cruel；administering　torture　and　death　at　times



with　his　own　hands。







We　next　halted　before　a　picture　representing　the　horrible



execution　of　the　Strelitzes。　I　said　that　〃such　pictures　prove



that　the　world　does；　after　all；　progress　slowly；　in　spite　of　what



pessimists　say；　and　that　in　order　to　refute　pessimists　one　has



only　to　refer　to　the　improvements　in　criminal　law。〃　To　this　he



a