part05+-第19部分

快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部! 如果本书没有阅读完，想下次继续接着阅读，可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能！





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



finger　more　or　less　in　making　the　sign　of　the　cross；　or　for　this



garment　in　a　ritual；　or　that　gesture　in　a　ceremony。







In　social　creeds　they　have　developed　nihilism；　which　virtually



assumes　the　right　of　an　individual　to　sit　in　judgment　upon　the



whole　human　race　and　condemn　to　death　every　other　human　being　who



may　differ　in　opinion　or　position　from　this　self…constituted



judge。







In　political　creeds　they　have　conceived　the　monarch　as　the



all…powerful　and　irresponsible　vicegerent　of　God；　and　all　the



world　outside　Russia　as　given　over　to　Satan；　for　the　reason　that



it　has　〃rejected　the　divine　principle　of　authority。〃







In　various　branches　of　philosophy　they　have　developed　doctrines



which　involve　the　rejection　of　the　best　to　which　man　has　attained



in　science；　literature；　and　art；　and　a　return　to　barbarism。







In　the　theory　of　life　and　duty　they　have　devised　a　pessimistic



process　under　which　the　human　race　would　cease　to　exist。







Every　one　of　these　theories　is　the　outcome　of　some　original　mind



of　more　or　less　strength；　discouraged；　disheartened；　and



overwhelmed　by　the　sorrows　of　Russian　life；　developing　its　ideas



logically　and　without　any　possibility　of　adequate　discussion　with



other　men。　This　alone　explains　a　fact　which　struck　me



forciblythe　fact　that　all　Tolstoi's　love　of　humanity；　real



though　it　certainly　is；　seems　accompanied　by　a　depreciation　of



the　ideas；　statements；　and　proposals　of　almost　every　other　human



being；　and　by　virtual　intolerance　of　all　thought　which　seems　in



the　slightest　degree　different　from　his　own。







Arriving　in　the　Kremlin；　he　took　me　to　the　Church　of　the



Annunciation　to　see　the　portrait　of　Socrates　in　the　religious



picture　of　which　he　had　spoken；　but　we　were　too　late　to　enter；



and　so　went　to　the　Palace　of　the　Synod；　where　we　looked　at　the



picture　of　the　Trinity；　which；　by　a　device　frequently　used　in



street　signs；　represents；　when　looked　at　from　one　side；　the



suffering　Christ；　from　the　other　the　Holy　Ghost　in　the　form　of　a



dove；　and　from　the　front　the　Almighty　as　an　old　man　with　a　white



beard。　What　Tolstoi　thought　of　the　doctrine　thus　illustrated　came



out　in　a　subsequent　conversation。







The　next　day　he　came　again　to　my　rooms　and　at　once　began　speaking



upon　religion。　He　said　that　every　man　is　religious　and　has　in　him



a　religion　of　his　own；　that　religion　results　from　the　conception



which　a　man　forms　of　his　relations　to　his　fellow…men；　and　to　the



principle　which　in　his　opinion　controls　the　universe；　that　there



are　three　stages　in　religious　development：　first；　the　childhood



of　nations；　when　man　thinks　of　the　whole　universe　as　created　for



him　and　centering　in　him；　secondly；　the　maturity　of　nations；　the



time　of　national　religions；　when　each　nation　believes　that　all



true　religion　centers　in　it；the　Jews　and　the　English；　he　said；



being　striking　examples；　and；　finally；　the　perfected　conception



of　nations；　when　man　has　the　idea　of　fulfilling　the　will　of　the



Supreme　Power　and　considers　himself　an　instrument　for　that



purpose。　He　went　on　to　say　that　in　every　religion　there　are　two



main　elements；　one　of　deception　and　one　of　devotion；　and　he　asked



me　about　the　Mormons；　some　of　whose　books　had　interested　him。　He



thought　two　thirds　of　their　religion　deception；　but　said　that　on



the　whole　he　preferred　a　religion　which　professed　to　have　dug　its



sacred　books　out　of　the　earth　to　one　which　pretended　that　they



were　let　down　from　heaven。　On　learning　that　I　had　visited　Salt



Lake　City　two　years　before；　he　spoke　of　the　good　reputation　of



the　Mormons　for　chastity；　and　asked　me　to　explain　the　hold　of



their　religion　upon　women。　I　answered　that　Mormonism　could　hardly



be　judged　by　its　results　at　present；　that；　as　a　whole；　the



Mormons　are；　no　doubt；　the　most　laborious　and　decent　people　in



the　State　of　Utah；　but　that　this　is　their　heroic　period；　when



outside　pressure　keeps　them　firmly　together　and　arouses　their



devotion；　that　the　true　test　will　come　later；　when　there　is　less



pressure　and　more　knowledge；　and　when　the　young　men　who　are　now



arising　begin　to　ask　questions；　quarrel　with　each　other；　and



split　the　whole　body　into　sects　and　parties。







This　led　to　questions　in　regard　to　American　women　generally；　and



he　wished　to　know　something　of　their　condition　and　prospects。　I



explained　some　features　of　woman's　condition　among　us；　showing



its　evolution；　first　through　the　betterment　of　her　legal　status；



and　next　through　provision　for　her　advanced　education；　but　told



him　that　so　far　as　political　rights　are　concerned；　there　had　been



very　little　practical　advance　in　the　entire　East　and　South　of　the



country　during　the　last　fifty　years；　and　that　even　in　the　extreme



Western　States；　where　women　have　been　given　political　rights　and



duties　to　some　extent；　the　concessions　have　been　wavering　and



doubtful。







At　this；　he　took　up　his　parable　and　said　that　women　ought　to　have



all　other　rights　except　political；　that　they　are　unfit　to



discharge　political　duties；　that；　indeed；　one　of　the　great



difficulties　of　the　world　at　present　lies　in　their　possession　of



far　more　consideration　and　control　than　they　ought　to　have。　〃Go



into　the　streets　and　bazaars；〃　he　said；　〃and　you　will　see　the



vast　majority　of　shops　devoted　to　their　necessities。　In　France



everything　centers　in　women；　and　women　have　complete　control　of



life：　all　contemporary　French　literature　shows　this。　Woman　is　not



man's　equal　in　the　highest　qualities；　she　is　not　so



self…sacrificing　as　man。　Men　will；　at　times；　sacrifice　their



families　for　an　idea；　women　will　not。〃　On　my　demurring　to　this



latter　statement；　he　asked　me　if　I　ever　knew　a　woman　who　loved



other　people's　children　as　much　as　her　own。　I　gladly　answered　in



the　negative；　but　cited　Florence　Nightingale；　Sister　Dora；　and



others；　expressing　my　surprise　at　his　assertion　that　women　are



incapable　of　making　as　complete　sacrifices　for　any　good　cause　as



men。　I　pointed　to　the　persecutions　in　the　early　church；　when



women　showed　themselves　superior　to　men　in　suffering　torture；



degradation；　and　death　in　behalf　of　the　new　religion；　and　added



similar　instances　from　the　history　of　witchcraft。　To　this　he



answered　that　in　spite　of　all　such　history；　women　will　not　make



sacrifices　of　their　own　interest　for　a　good　cause　which　does　not



strikingly　appeal　to　their　feelings；　while　men　will　do　so；　that



he　had　known　but　two　or　three　really　self…sacrificing　women　in



his　life；　and　that　these　were　unmarried。　On　my　saying　that



observation　had　led　me　to　a　very　different　conclusion；　his



indictment　took　another　form。　He　insisted　that　woman　hangs　upon



the　past；　that　public　opinion　progresses；　but　that　women　are



prone　to　act　on　the　opinion　of　yesterday　or　of　last　year；　that



women　and　womanish　men　take　naturally　to　old　absurdities；　among



which　he　mentioned　the　doctrines　of　the　Trinity；　〃spiritism；〃　and



homeopathy。　At　this　I　expressed　a　belief　that　if；　instead　of



educating　women；　as　Bishop　Dupanloup　expressed　it；　〃in　the　lap　of



the　church　（sur　les　genoux　de　l'eglise）；〃　we　educate　them　in　the



highest　sense；　in　universities；　they　will　develop　more　and　more



intellectually；　and　so　become　a　controlling　element　in　the



formation　of　a　better　race；　that；　as　strong　men　generally　have



strong　mothers；　the　better　education　of　woman　physically；



intellectually；　and　morally　is　the　true　way　of　bettering　the　race



in　general。　In　this　idea　he　expressed　his　disbelief；　and　said



that　education　would　not　change　women；　that　women　are　illogical



by　nature。　At　this　I　cited　an　example　showing　that　women　can　be



exceedingly　logical　and　close　in　argument；　but　he　still　adhered



to　his　opinion。　On　my　mentioning　the　name　of　George　Eliot；　he



expressed　a　liking　for　her。







On　our　next　walk；　he　took　me　to　the　funeral　of　one　of　his



friends。　He　said　that　to　look　upon　the　dead　should　rather　give



pleasure　than　pain；　that　memento　mori　is　a　wise　maxim；　and



looking　upon　the　faces　of　the　dead　a　good　way　of　putting　it　in



practice。　I　asked　him　if　he　had　formed　a　theory　as　to　a　future



life；　and　he　said　in　substance　that　he　had　not；　but　that；　as　we



came　at　birth　from　beyond　the　forms　of　space　and　time；　so　at



death　we　returned　whence　we　came。　I　said；　〃You　use　the　word



'forms'　in　the　Kantian　sense？〃　〃Yes；〃　he　said；　〃space　and　time



have　no　reality。〃







We　arrived　just　too　late　at　the　house　of　mourning。　The　dead　man



had　been　taken　away；　but　many　of　those　who　had　come　to　do　him



honor　still　lingered；　and　were　evidently　enjoying　the　〃funeral



baked　meats。〃　There　were　clear　signs　of　a　carousal。　The　friends



who　came　out　to　meet　us　had；　most　of　them；　flushed　faces；　and　one



young　man　in　military　uniform；　coming　down　the　stairs；　staggered



and　seemed　likely　to　break　his　neck。







Tolstoi　refused　to　go　in；　and；　as　we　turned　away；　expressed



disgust　at　the　whole　system；　saying；　as　well　he　might；　that　it



was　utterly　barbarous。　He　seemed　despondent　over　it；　and　I　tried



to　cheer　him　by　showing　how　the　same　custom　of　drinking　strong



liquors　at　funerals　had；　only　a　few　generations　since；　prevailed



in　large　districts　of　England　and　America；　but　that　better　ideas



of　living　had　swept　it　away。







On　our　way　through　the　street；　we　passed　a　shrine　at　which　a　mob



of　peasants　were　adoring　a　sacred　picture。　He　dwelt　on　the