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



agreed　cordially；　and　declared　the　abolition　of　torture　in



procedure　and　penalty　to　be　one　great　gain；　at　any　rate。







We　spoke　of　the　present　condition　of　things　in　Europe；　and　I　told



him　that　at　St。　Petersburg　the　opinion　very　general　among　the



more　thoughtful　members　of　the　diplomatic　corps　was　that　war　was



not　imminent；　that　the　Czar；　having　himself　seen　the　cruelties　of



war　during　the　late　struggle　in　the　Balkans；　had　acquired　an



invincible　repugnance　to　it。　He　acquiesced　in　this；　but　said　that



it　seemed　monstrous　to　him　that　the　peace　of　the　empire　and　of



Europe　should　depend　upon　so　slender　a　thread　as　the　will　of　any



one　man。







Our　next　walk　was　taken　across　the　river　Moskwa；　on　the　ice；　to



and　through　the　Kremlin；　and　as　we　walked　the　conversation　fell



upon　literature。　As　to　French　literature；　he　thought　Maupassant



the　man　of　greatest　talent；　by　far；　in　recent　days；　but　that　he



was　depraved　and　centered　all　his　fiction　in　women。　For　Balzac；



Tolstoi　evidently　preserved　admiration；　but　he　cared　little；



apparently；　for　Daudet；　Zola；　and　their　compeers。







As　to　American　literature；　he　said　that　Tourgueneff　had　once　told



him　that　there　was　nothing　in　it　worth　reading；　nothing　new　or



original；　that　it　was　simply　a　copy　of　English　literature。　To



this　I　replied　that　such　criticism　seemed　to　me　very　shallow；



that　American　literature　was；　of　course；　largely　a　growth　out　of



the　parent　stock　of　English　literature；　and　must　mainly　be　judged



as　such；　that　to　ask　in　the　highest　American　literature　something



absolutely　different　from　English　literature　in　general　was　like



looking　for　oranges　upon　an　apple…tree；　that　there　had　come　new



varieties　in　this　growth；　many　of　them　original；　and　some



beautiful；　but　that　there　was　the　same　sap；　the　same　life…current



running　through　it　all；　and　I　compared　the　treatment　of　woman　in



all　Anglo…Saxon　literature；　whether　on　one　side　of　the　Atlantic



or　the　other；　from　Chaucer　to　Mark　Twain；　with　the　treatment　of



the　same　subject　by　French　writers　from　Rabelais　to　Zola。　To　this



he　answered　that　in　his　opinion　the　strength　of　American



literature　arises　from　the　inherent　Anglo…Saxon　religious



sentiment。　He　expressed　a　liking　for　Emerson；　Hawthorne；　and



Whittier；　but　he　seemed　to　have　read　at　random；　not　knowing　at



all　some　of　the　best　things。　He　spoke　with　admiration　of　Theodore



Parker's　writings；　and　seemed　interested　in　my　reminiscences　of



Parker　and　of　his　acquaintance　with　Russian　affairs。　He　also



revered　and　admired　the　character　and　work　of　William　Lloyd



Garrison。　He　had　read　Longfellow　somewhat；　but　was　evidently



uncertain　regarding　Lowell；confusing　him；　apparently；　with　some



other　author。　Among　contemporary　writers　he　knew　some　of



Howells's　novels　and　liked　them；　but　said：　〃Literature　in　the



United　States　at　present　seems　to　be　in　the　lowest　trough　of　the



sea　between　high　waves。〃　He　dwelt　on　the　flippant　tone　of



American　newspapers；　and　told　me　of　an　interviewer　who　came　to



him　in　behalf　of　an　American　journal；　and　wanted　simply　to　know



at　what　time　he　went　to　bed　and　rose；　what　he　ate；　and　the　like。



He　thought　that　people　who　cared　to　read　such　trivialities　must



be　very　feeble…minded；　but　he　said　that　the　European　press　is；　on



the　whole；　just　as　futile。　On　my　attempting　to　draw　from　him　some



statement　as　to　what　part　of　American　literature　pleased　him



most；　he　said　that　he　had　read　some　publications　of　the　New　York



and　Brooklyn　Society　for　Ethical　Culture；　and　that　he　knew　and



liked　the　writings　of　Felix　Adler。　I　then　asked　who；　in　the　whole



range　of　American　literature；　he　thought　the　foremost。　To　this　he



made　an　answer　which　amazed　me；　as　it　would　have　astonished　my



countrymen。　Indeed；　did　the　eternal　salvation　of　all　our　eighty



millions　depend　upon　some　one　of　them　guessing　the　person　he



named；　we　should　all　go　to　perdition　together。　That　greatest　of



American　writers　wasAdin　Ballou！　Evidently；　some　of　the



philanthropic　writings　of　that　excellent　Massachusetts　country



clergyman　and　religious　communist　had　pleased　him；　and　hence　came



the　answer。







The　next　day　he　came　over　to　my　hotel　and　we　went　out　for　a



stroll。　As　we　passed　along　the　streets　I　noticed　especially　what



I　had　remarked　during　our　previous　walks；　that　Tolstoi　had　a



large　quantity　of　small　Russian　coins　in　his　pockets；　that　this



was　evidently　known　to　the　swarms　of　beggars　who　infest　the



Kremlin　and　the　public　places　generally；　and　that　he　always　gave



to　them。







On　my　speaking　of　this；　he　said　he　thought　that　any　one；　when



asked　for　money；　ought　to　give　it。　Arguing　against　this　doctrine；



I　said　that　in　the　United　States　there　are　virtually　no　beggars；



and　I　might　have　gone　on　to　discuss　the　subject　from　the



politico…economical　point　of　view；　showing　how　such



indiscriminate　almsgiving　in　perpetual　driblets　is　sure　to　create



the　absurd　and　immoral　system　which　one　sees　throughout



Russia；hordes　of　men　and　women　who　are　able　to　take　care　of



themselves；　and　who　ought　to　be　far　above　beggary；　cringing　and



whining　to　the　passers…by　for　alms；　but　I　had　come　to　know　the



man　well　enough　to　feel　sure　that　a　politico…economical　argument



would　slide　off　him　like　water　from　a　duck's　back；　so　I　attempted



to　take　him　upon　another　side；　and　said：　〃In　the　United　States



there　are　virtually　no　beggars；　though　my　countrymen　are；　I



really　believe；　among　the　most　charitable　in　the　world。〃　To　this



last　statement　he　assented；　referring　in　a　general　way　to　our



shipments　of　provisions　to　aid　the　famine…stricken　in　Russia。



〃But；〃　I　added；　〃it　is　not　our　custom　to　give　to　beggars　save　in



special　emergencies。〃　I　then　gave　him　an　account　of　certain



American　church　organizations　which　had　established　piles　of



fire…wood　and　therefore　enabled　any　able…bodied　tramp；　by　sawing



or　cutting　some　of　it；　to　earn　a　good　breakfast；　a　good　dinner；



and；　if　needed；　a　good　bed；　and　showed　him　that　Americans



considered　beggary　not　only　a　great　source　of　pauperism；　but　as



absolutely　debasing　to　the　beggar　himself；　in　that　it　puts　him　in



the　attitude　of　a　suppliant　for　that　which；　if　he　works　as　he



ought；　he　can　claim　as　his　right；　that　to　me　the　spectacle　of



Count　Tolstoi　virtually　posing　as　a　superior　being；　while　his



fellow…Russians　came　crouching　and　whining　to　him；　was　not　at　all



edifying。　To　this　view　of　the　case　he　listened　very　civilly。







Incidentally　I　expressed　wonder　that　he　had　not　traveled　more。　He



then　spoke　with　some　disapprobation　of　travel。　He　had　lived



abroad　for　a　time；　he　said；　and　in　St。　Petersburg　a　few　years；



but　the　rest　of　his　life　had　been　spent　mainly　in　Moscow　and　the



interior　of　Russia。　The　more　we　talked　together；　the　more　it



became　clear　that　this　last　statement　explained　some　of　his　main



defects。　Of　all　distinguished　men　that　I　have　ever　met；　Tolstoi



seems　to　me　most　in　need　of　that　enlargement　of　view　and



healthful　modification　of　opinion　which　come　from　meeting　men　and



comparing　views　with　them　in　different　lands　and　under　different



conditions。　This　need　is　all　the　greater　because　in　Russia　there



is　no　opportunity　to　discuss　really　important　questions。　Among



the　whole　one　hundred　and　twenty　millions　of　people　there　is　no



public　body　in　which　the　discussion　of　large　public　questions　is



allowed；　the　press　affords　no　real　opportunity　for　discussion；



indeed；　it　is　more　than　doubtful　whether　such　discussion　would　be



allowed　to　any　effective　extent　even　in　private　correspondence　or



at　one's　own　fireside。







I　remember　well　that　during　my　former　stay　in　St。　Petersburg；



people　who　could　talk　English　at　their　tables　generally　did　so　in



order　that　they　might　not　betray　themselves　to　any　spy　who　might



happen　to　be　among　their　servants。







Still　worse；　no　one；　unless　a　member　of　the　diplomatic　corps　or



specially　privileged；　is　allowed　to　read　such　books　or　newspapers



as　he　chooses；　so　that　even　this　access　to　the　thoughts　of　others



is　denied　to　the　very　men　who　most　need　it。







Like　so　many　other　men　of　genius　in　Russia；　then；and　Russia　is



fertile　in　such；Tolstoi　has　had　little　opportunity　to　take　part



in　any　real　discussion　of　leading　topics；　and　the　result　is　that



his　opinions　have　been　developed　without　modification　by　any



rational　interchange　of　thought　with　other　men。　Under　such



circumstances　any　man；　no　matter　how　noble　or　gifted；　having



given　birth　to　striking　ideas；　coddles　and　pets　them　until　they



become　the　full…grown；　spoiled　children　of　his　brain。　He　can　at



last　see　neither　spot　nor　blemish　in　them；　and　comes　virtually　to



believe　himself　infallible。　This　characteristic　I　found　in



several　other　Russians　of　marked　ability。　Each　had　developed　his



theories　for　himself　until　he　had　become　infatuated　with　them；



and　despised　everything　differing　from　them。







This　is　a　main　cause　why　sundry　ghastly　creeds；　doctrines；　and



sectsreligious；　social；　political；　and　philosophichave　been



developed　in　Russia。　One　of　these　religious　creeds　favors　the



murder　of　new…born　children　in　order　to　save　their　souls；　another



enjoins　ghastly　bodily　mutilations　for　a　similar　purpose；　others



still　would　plunge　the　world　in　flames　and　blood　for　the



difference　of　a　phrase　in　a　creed；　or　a　vowel　in　a　name；　or　a



finger　more　or　less　in　making　t