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A　day　or　two　later；　on　another　of　our　walks；　I　asked　him　how　and



when；　in　his　opinion；　a　decided　advance　in　Russian　liberty　and



civilization　would　be　made。　He　answered　that　he　thought　it　would



come　soon；　and　with　great　power。　On　my　expressing　the　opinion



that　such　progress　would　be　the　result　of　a　long　evolutionary



process；　with　a　series　of　actions　and　reactions；　as　heretofore　in



Russian　history；　he　dissented；　and　said　that　the　change　for　the



better　would　come　soon；　suddenly；　and　with　great　force。







As　we　passed　along　the　streets　he　was；　as　during　our　previous



walks；　approached　by　many　beggars；　to　each　of　whom　he　gave　as



long　as　his　money　lasted。　He　said　that　he　was　accustomed　to　take



a　provision　of　copper　money　with　him　for　this　purpose　on　his



walks；　since　he　regarded　it　as　a　duty　to　give　when　asked；　and　he



went　on　to　say　that　he　carried　the　idea　so　far　that　even　if　he



knew　the　man　wanted　the　money　to　buy　brandy　he　would　give　it　to



him；　but　he　added　that　he　would　do　all　in　his　power　to　induce　the



man　to　work　and　to　cease　drinking。　I　demurred　strongly　to　all



this；　and　extended　the　argument　which　I　had　made　during　our



previous　walk；　telling　him　that　by　such　giving　he　did　two　wrongs：



first；　to　the　beggar　himself；　since　it　led　him　to　cringe　and　lie



in　order　to　obtain　as　a　favor　that　which；　if　he　did　his　duty　in



working；　he　could　claim　as　a　right；　and；　secondly；　to　society　by



encouraging　such　a　multitude　to　prey　upon　it　who　might　be　giving



it　aid　and　strength；　and　I　again　called　his　attention　to　the



hordes　of　sturdy　beggars　in　Moscow。　He　answered　that　the　results



of　our　actions　in　such　cases　are　not　the　main　thing；　but　the



cultivation　of　proper　feelings　in　the　giver　is　first　to　be



considered。







I　then　asked　him　about　his　manual　labor。　He　said　that　his　habit



was　to　rise　early　and　read　or　write　until　noon；　then　to　take　his



luncheon　and　a　short　sleep；　and　after　that　to　work　in　his　garden



or　fields。　He　thought　this　good　for　him　on　every　account；　and



herein　we　fully　agreed。







On　our　return　through　the　Kremlin；　passing　the　heaps　and　rows　of



cannon　taken　from　the　French　in　1812；　I　asked　him　if　he　still



adhered　to　the　low　opinion　of　Napoleon　expressed　in　〃War　and



Peace。〃　He　said　that　he　did；　and　more　than　ever　since　he　had



recently　read　a　book　on　Napoleon's　relations　to　women　which



showed　that　he　took　the　lowest　possible　view　of　womankind。　I　then



asked　him　if　he　still　denied　Napoleon's　military　genius。　He



answered　that　he　certainly　did；　that　he　did　not　believe　in　the



existence　of　any　such　thing　as　military　genius；　that　he　had　never



been　able　to　understand　what　is　meant　by　the　term。　I　asked；　〃How



then　do　you　account　for　the　amazing　series　of　Napoleon's



successes？〃　He　answered；　〃By　circumstances。〃　I　rejoined　that　such



an　explanation　had　the　merit；　at　least；　of　being　short　and　easy。







He　then　went　on　to　say　that　battles　are　won　by　force　of



circumstances；　by　chance；　by　luck；　and　he　quoted　Suvaroff　to　this



effect。　He　liked　Lanfrey's　〃History　of　Napoleon〃　and　Taine's　book



on　the　Empire；　evidently　because　both　are　denunciatory　of　men　and



things　he　dislikes；　but　said　that　he　did　not　believe　in　Thiers。







We　came　finally　under　the　shade　of　the　great　tower　and　into　the



gateway　through　which　Napoleon　entered　the　Kremlin；　and　there　we



parted　with　a　hearty　good…bye。







The　question　has　been　asked　me；　at　various　times　since；　whether；



in　my　opinion；　Tolstoi　is　really　sincere；　and　allusion　has　been



made　to　a　book　published　by　a　lady　who　claims　to　have　been　in



close　relations　with　his　family；　which　would　seem　to　reveal　a



theatrical　element　in　his　whole　life。　To　this　my　answer　has



always　been；　and　still　is；　that　I　believe　him　to　be　one　of　the



most　sincere　and　devoted　men　alive；　a　man　of　great　genius　and；　at



the　same　time；　of　very　deep　sympathy　with　his　fellow…creatures。







Out　of　this　character　of　his　come　his　theories　of　art　and



literature；　and；　despite　their　faults；　they　seem　to　me　more



profound　and　far…reaching　than　any　put　forth　by　any　other　man　in



our　time。







There　is　in　them；　for　the　current　cant　regarding　art　and



literature；　a　sound；　sturdy；　hearty　contempt　which　braces　and



strengthens　one　who　reads　or　listens　to　him。　It　does　one　good　to



hear　his　quiet　sarcasms　against　the　whole　fin…de…siecle



businessthe　〃impressionism；〃　the　〃sensationalism；〃　the　vague



futilities　of　every　sort；　the　〃great　poets〃　wallowing　in　the　mud



of　Paris；　the　〃great　musicians〃　making　night　hideous　in　German



concert…halls；　the　〃great　painters〃　of　various　countries　mixing



their　colors　with　as　much　filth　as　the　police　will　allow。　His



keen　thrusts　at　these　incarnations　of　folly　and　obscenity　in　the



last　quarter　of　the　nineteenth　century；　and　especially　at　those



who　seek　to　hide　the　poverty　of　their　ideas　in　the　obscurity　of



their　phrases；　encourage　one　to　think　that　in　the　next　generation



the　day　of　such　pretenders　will　be　done。　His　prophesying　against



〃art　for　art's　sake〃；　his　denunciation　of　art　which　simply



ministers　to　sensual　pleasure；　his　ridicule　of　art　which　can　be



discerned　only　by　〃people　of　culture〃；　his　love　for　art　which　has



a　sense；　not　only　of　its　power；　but　of　its　obligations；　which



puts　itself　at　the　service　of　great　and　worthy　ideas；　which



appeals　to　men　as　menin　this　he　is　one　of　the　best　teachers　of



his　time　and　of　future　times。







Yet　here　come　in　his　unfortunate　limitations。　From　his



substitutions　of　assertion　for　inference；　and　from　the　inadequacy



of　his　view　regarding　sundry　growths　in　art；　literature；　and



science；　arises　endless　confusion。







For　who　will　not　be　skeptical　as　to　the　value　of　any　criticism　by



a　man　who　pours　contempt　over　the　pictures　of　Puvis　de　Chavannes；



stigmatizes　one　of　Beethoven's　purest　creations　as　〃corrupting；〃



and　calls　Shakspere　a　〃scribbler〃！







Nothing　can　be　more　genuine　than　his　manner：　there　is　no　posing；



no　orating；　no　phrase…making；　a　quiet　earnestness　pervades　all



his　utterances。　The　great　defect　in　him　arises；　as　I　have　already



said；　from　a　peculiarity　in　the　development　of　his　opinions：



namely；　that　during　so　large　a　part　of　his　life　he　has　been　wont



to　discuss　subjects　with　himself　and　not　with　other　men；　that　he



has；　therefore；　come　to　worship　idols　of　his　own　creation；　and



often　very　unsubstantial　idols；　and　to　look　with　misgiving　and



distrust　on　the　ideas　of　others。　Very　rarely　during　our



conversations　did　I　hear　him　speak　with　any　real　enthusiasm



regarding　any　human　being：　his　nearest　approach　to　it　was　with



reference　to　the　writings　of　the　Rev。　Adin　Ballou；　when　he



declared　him　the　foremost　literary　character　that　America　has



produced。　A　result　of　all　this　is　that　when　he　is　driven　into　a



corner　his　logic　becomes　so　subtle　as　to　be　imperceptible；　and　he



is　very　likely　to　take　refuge　in　paradoxes。







At　times；　as　we　walked　together；　he　would　pour　forth　a　stream　of



reasoning　so　lucid；　out　of　depths　so　profound　and　reach



conclusions　so　cogent；　that　he　seemed　fairly　inspired。　At　other



times　he　would　develop　a　line　of　argument　so　outworn；　and　arrive



at　conclusions　so　inane；　that　I　could　not　but　look　into　his　face



closely　to　see　if　he　could　be　really　in　earnest；　but　it　always



bore　that　same　expressionforbidding　the　slightest　suspicion



that　he　was　uttering　anything　save　that　which　he　believed；　at



least　for　the　time　being。







As　to　the　moral　side；　the　stream　of　his　thought　was　usually



limpid；　but　at　times　it　became　turbid　and　his　better　ideas　seemed



to　float　on　the　surface　as　iridescent　bubbles。







Had　he　lived　in　any　other　country；　he　would　have　been　a　power



mighty　and　permanent　in　influencing　its　thought　and　in　directing



its　policy；　as　it　is；　his　thought　will　pass　mainly　as　the



confused；　incoherent　wail　and　cry　of　a　giant　struggling　against



the　heavy　adverse　currents　in　that　vast　ocean　of　Russian　life：







　　　　　　　　　　〃The　cry　of　some　strong　swimmer　in　his　agony。〃











The　evolution　of　Tolstoi's　ideas　has　evidently　been　mainly



determined　by　his　environment。　During　two　centuries　Russia　has



been　coming　slowly　out　of　the　middle　agesindeed；　out　of　perhaps



the　most　cruel　phases　of　mediaeval　life。　Her　history　is；　in　its



details；　discouraging；　her　daily　life　disheartening。　Even　the



aspects　of　nature　are　to　the　last　degree　depressing：　no



mountains；　no　hills；　no　horizon；　no　variety　in　forests；　a　soil



during　a　large　part　of　the　year　frozen　or　parched；　a　people　whose



upper　classes　are　mainly　given　up　to　pleasure　and　whose　lower



classes　are　sunk　in　fetishism；　all　their　poetry　and　music　in　the



minor　key；　old　oppressions　of　every　sort　still　lingering；　no　help



in　sight；　and；　to　use　their　own　cry；　〃God　so　high　and　the　Czar　so



distant。〃







When；　then；　a　great　man　arises　in　Russia；　if　he　gives　himself



wholly　to　some　well…defined　purpose；　looking　to　one　high　aim　and



rigidly　excluding　sight　or　thought　of　the　ocean　of　sorrow　about



him；　he　may　do　great　things。　If　he　be　Suvaroff　or　Skobeleff　or



Gourko　he　may　win　great　battles；　if　he　be　Mendeleieff　he　may



reach　some　epoch…making　discovery　in　science；　if　he　be　Derjavine



he　may　write　a　poem　like　the　〃Ode　to　God〃；　if　he　be　Antokolsky　he



may　carve　statues　like　〃Ivan　the　Terrible〃；　if　he　be　Nesselrode



he　may　hold　all　Europe　enchained　to　the　ideas　of　the　autocrat；　if



he　be　Mi