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part05+-第21部分

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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
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