[The following letter, called forth by the dispute about Venezuela between the United States and England, was written by Count Tolstoy to an English correspondent in the early part of the present year (1896), and first appeared in The Daily Chronicle of 17th March.]
You write asking me to state my opinion on the case between the United States and England, "in the cause of Christian consistency and true peace," and you express the hope "that the nations may soon be awakened to the only means of ensuring international peace."
I entertain the same hope; and for this reason. The complication which, in our time, involves the nations: exalting patriotism as they do, educating the young generation in that superstition, and at the same time shi... (From: Wikisource.org.)
"The world, ye shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)
The Dukhobors[1] settled in the Caucasus have been subjected to cruel persecutions by the Russian authorities, and these persecutions, described in the report of one who made inquiries on the spot,[2] are now, at this moment, being carried on.
These Dukhobors were beaten, whipped, and ridden down; quartered upon them in "executions" were Cossacks who, it is proved, allowed themselves every license with
these people; and everything they did was with the consent of their officers. Those men who had refused military service were tortured, in body and in mind; and it is entirely true that a prosperous population, who by tens of years of ha... (From: Wikisource.org.)
(Based on a story by Victor Hugo)
In a fishing hut, Jeanna, wife of a fisherman, sits by the fire and repairs an old
sail. Outside, the wind whistles and howls, and waves rumble are splash and
break against the shore. The yard is dark and cold, the sea is storming, but it
is warm and cozy in the fishing hut. Earthen floor is swept cleanly; the fire is
still on in the stove; clean dishes glitter on the shelf. On the bed with lowered
white canopy, five children sleep with the sounds of the howls of stormy sea.
The husband, a fisher, since the morning went out on a boat trip in the sea
and has not return yet. The woman hears the rumble and the roar of the
waves. Jeanna is fearful.
Old wooden clock with a squeaky beat stru... (From: Archive.org.)
Why Tanya, have you dried up? You don't write to me at all, and I so love receiving letters from you, and you and have not yet replied to Levochka[1]'s crazy epistle, of which I did not understand a word.
23rd MarchThere, she began to write, and suddenly stopped, because she could not continue. And do you know why, Tanya dear?
A strange thing has befallen her, and a still stranger thing has befallen me. As you know, like hte rest of us, she has always been made of flesh and blood, with all the advantages and disadvantages of that condition: she breathed, was warm and sometimes hot, blew her nose (and how loud!) and so on - and above all, she had control of her limbs, which - both arms and legs - could assume different positions: in a wo... (From: Wikisource.org.)
(Posthumous notes of the hermit, Fëdor Kuzmích, who died in Siberia in a hut belonging to Khrómov, the merchant, near the town of Tomsk, on the 20th January 1864)
During the lifetime of the hermit Fëdor Kuzmích, who appeared in Siberia in 1836 and lived there in different parts for twenty-seven years, strange rumors were rife that he – concealing his real name and rank – was none other than Alexander the First. After his death these rumors became more definite and widespread. That he really was Alexander the First was believed during the reign of Alexander III not only by the common people, but also in Court circles and even by members of the Imperial family. Among others, the historian Schilder, ... (From: Wikisource.org.)
PETER IGNÁTITCH. A well-to-do peasant, 42 years old, married
for the second time, and sickly.
ANÍSYA. His wife, 32 years old, fond of dress.
AKOULÍNA. Peter's daughter by his first marriage, 16 years old,
hard of hearing, mentally undeveloped.
NAAN (ANNA PETRÓVNA). His daughter by his second marriage, 10
years old.
NIKÍTA. Their laborer, 26 years old, fond of dress.
AKÍM. Nikíta's father, 50 years old, a plain-looking, God-fearing
peasant.
MATRYÓNA. His wife and Nikíta's mother, 50 years old.
MARÍNA. An orphan girl, 22 years old.
MARTHA. Peter's sister.
MÍTRITCH. An old laborer, ex-soldier.
SIMON. Marína's husband.
BRIDEG... (From: Gutenberg.org.)
TO those who ask my opinion whether it be desirable to endeavor by the aid of reason to attain complete consciousness in one's inner spiritual life, and to express the truths thus attained in definite language, I would answer positively in the affirmative, that every man, in order to achieve his destiny on earth, and to attain true welfare,—the two are synonymous,—must continually exert all his mental faculties to solve for himself and clearly to express the religious foundations on which he lives—that is, the meaning of his life.
I have often found among illiterate laborers who have to deal with cubic measurements an accepted conviction that mathematical calculations are fallacious, and not to be trusted. Whether it aris... (From: Wikisource.org.)
Well, it happened about three o'clock. The gentlemen were playing. There was the tall visitor, as our men called him. The prince was there,--the two are always together. The mustached barin was there; also the little hussar, Oliver, who was an actor; there was the Polish pan.[1] It was a pretty good crowd.
The tall visitor and the prince were playing together. Now, here I was walking up and down around the billiard-table with my stick, keeping tally,--ten and forty-seven, twelve and forty-seven.
Everybody knows it's our business to score. You don't get a chance to get a bite of anything, and you don't get to bed till two o'clock o' nights, but you're always being screamed at to bring the balls.
I was keeping tally ; and I look, and se... (From: Wikisource.org.)
Private room in a cheap restaurant. FÉDYA is shown in by a shabby waiter.
Waiter. This way, sir. No one will disturb you here. Here’s the writing paper.
[Starts to exit.
Fédya (as waiter starts to exit). Bring me a bottle of champagne.
Waiter. Yes, sir.
[Exits R. C.
[FÉDYA sits at table L. C., and begins to write. IVÁN PETROVICH appearing in the doorway R. C.
Iván. I’ll come in, shall I?
Fédya (sitting L. of table L. C. Very serious). If you want to, but I’m awfully busy, and—(seeing he has already entered) Oh, all right, do come in.
Iván Petrovich (C.). You’re going to write an answer to their demand... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)
You ask me—first, How I understand the word religion; and, second, Whether I admit the existence of morality, independent of religion as understood by me. I will answer these most important questions, well put by you, as best I can.[1]
There are three separate meanings generally implied by the word religion. First—That religion is a certain true revelation
given by God to men, from which proceeds man's worship of God. Such an interpretation is applied to religion by all believers in one of its existing forms, who regard in consequence their particular form as the only true one. Second—That religion is a collection of superstitious statements, from which a worship equally superstitious is derived. Such an interpretation ... (From: Wikisource.org.)
'And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy Kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.'-Luke xxiii. 42, 43.
There was once a man who lived for seventy years in the world, and lived in sin all that time. He fell ill, but even then did not repent. Only at the last moment, as he was dying, he wept and said:
'Lord! forgive me, as Thou forgavest the thief upon the cross.'
And as he said these words, his soul left his body. And the soul of the sinner, feeling love towards God and faith in His mercy, went to the gates of heaven, and knocked, praying to be let into the heavenly kingdom.
Then a voice spoke from within the gate:
'What man is it that knocks at th... (From: Wikisource.org.)
To Critics
A LETTER ADDRESSED TO "THE DAILY CHRONICLE'
SINCE the appearance of my book, "The Kingdom of God is within Us," and my article on "Patriotism and Christianity," I often hear and read in articles and
letters addressed to me, arguments against, I will not
say the ideas expressed in those books, but against such
misconstructions as are put upon them. This is done
sometimes consciously, but very often unwittingly, and
is wholly due to a want of understanding of the spirit of
the Christian religion.
" It is all very well," they say ; " despotism, capital
punishments, wars, the arming of all Europe, the precarious state of the working-classes, are indeed great evils,
and you are right in condemning all this ; ... (From: Wikisource.org.)
The next day the gay, handsome, and brilliant Schonbock joined Nekhludoff at his aunts’ house, and quite won their hearts by his refined and amiable manner, his high spirits, his generosity, and his affection for Dmitri.
But though the old ladies admired his generosity it rather perplexed them, for it seemed exaggerated. He gave a ruble to some blind beggars who came to the gate, gave 15 rubles in tips to the servants, and when Sophia Ivanovna’s pet dog hurt his paw and it bled, he tore his hemstitched cambric handkerchief into strips (Sophia Ivanovna knew that such handkerchiefs cost at least 15 rubles a dozen) and bandaged the dog’s foot. The old ladies had never met people of this kind, and did not know that Scho... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)
When I was about thirty-seven years old I acted in a manner of which I had always disapproved. I had known of other people acting in the same way, and had always felt that they were doing wrong. It was in sex matters that I sinned, and the case was the more startling because I had been guilty of no outwardly wrong action of the kind since I was quite a young man, and for about a year before the lapse I had been stirred by a strong desire to change my whole way of life and be of more use in the world than heretofore. And the question arose — Was I to confess my conduct to those whose lives were linked to mine and whom I could not wound without lacerating myself? or had I better conceal it?
If I told them the truth it ... (From: Archive.org.)
One time in winter I had gone into the woods after
timber. I had cut down three trees, and lopped off the
limbs, and was hewing them, when I looked up and saw
that it was getting late ; that it was time to go home.
But the weather was bad ; it was snowing and blowing.
I said to myself :
" The night is coming on, and you don't know the
way."
I whipped up the horse and drove on ; still there was
no sign of outlet. Forest all around.
I thought how thin my shuba was ; I was in danger
of freezing to death.
I still pushed on ; it grew dark, and I was entirely off
the road.
I was just going to unyoke the sled and protect myself
under it, when I heard not far away the jingle of bells.
I went in the direction of the b... (From: Wikisource.org.)
There was a time between 1820 and 1830 when the officers of the Semenof regiment the flower of the youth at that time; men who were for the most part Freemasons, and subsequently Decembrists[1]—decided not to use corporal punishment in their regiment, and, notwithstanding the stringent discipline then required, theirs continued to be a model regiment without corporal punishment.
The officer in charge of one of the companies of this same Semenof regiment, meeting Serge Ivanovitch Muravief—one of the best men of his, or indeed of any, time,—spoke of a certain soldier, a thief and a drunkard, saying that such a man can only be tamed with rods. Serge Muravief did not agree with him, and proposed to transfer the man into his o... (From: Wikisource.org.)
Voices and an accordion sounded as if close
by, though through the mist nobody could
be seen. It was a work-day morning, and I
was surprised to hear music.
"Oh, it's the recruits' leave-taking," thought I,
remembering that I had heard something a few
days before about five men being drawn from
our village. Involuntarily attracted by the merry
song, I went in the direction whence it proceeded.
As I approached the singers, the sound of song
and accordion suddenly stopped. The singers,
that is the lads who were leave-taking, entered
the double-fronted brick cottage belonging to the
father of one of them. Before the door stood a
small group of women, girls, and children.
While I was finding out whose sons were going,
and w... (From: Archive.org.)
I.
In reply to your letter I send you the enclosed with special pleasure. I have been acquainted with Henry George since the appearance of his Social Problems. I read them, and was struck by the correctness of his main idea, and by the unique clearness and power of his argument, which is unlike anything in scientific literature, and especially by the Christian spirit, which also stands alone in the literature of science, which pervades the book. After reading it I turned to his previous work, Progress and Poverty, and with a heightened appreciation of its author's activity. You ask my opinion of Henry George's work, and of his single tax system. My opinion is the following:—
Humanity advances continually towards the enlightenmen... (From: Wikisource.org.)
I. THE WOLF AND THE KIDS
A GOAT was going to the field after provender, and she shut up her Kids in the barn, with injunctions not to let any one in. Said she : "But when you hear my voice then open the door."
A Wolf overheard, crept up to the barn, and sang after the manner of the Goat : "Little children, open the door ; your mother has come with some food for you."
The Kids peered out of the window, and said : "The voice is our mama's, but the legs are those of a wolf. We cannot let you in."
II. THE FARMER'S WIFE AND THE CAT
A FARMER'S wife was annoyed by mice eating up the tallow in her cellar. She shut the cat into the cellar, so that the cat might catch the mice. But the cat ate up, not only the tallow, but the milk and the ... (From: Wikisource.org.)
From the stanitsa, I did not return directly to Russia,
but stopped at Pyetigorsk, and there I spent two months.
I gave Milton to the old Cossack hunter, but Bulka I
took with me to Pyetigorsk.
Pyetigorsk, or Five Mountain, is so called because it is
built on Mount Besh-Tau. Besh in the Tartar language
means five ; and Tau, mountain.
From this mountain flows a sulfur hot spring. The
water boils like a kettle, and over the spot where the
waters spring from the mountain steam always rises, just
as it does from a samovar.
The whole region where the city is built is very charm-
ing. The hot springs flow down from the mountains ;
at their feet flows the little river Podkumok. The hill-
sides are clothed with forests ;... (From: Wikisource.org.)
Once upon a time, in a certain province of a certain country, there lived a rich peasant, who had three sons: Simon the Soldier, Tarás the Stout, and Iván the Fool, besides an unmarried daughter, Martha, who was deaf and dumb. Simon the Soldier went to the wars to serve the king; Tarás the Stout went to a merchant's in town to trade, and Iván the Fool stayed at home with the lass, to till the ground till his back bent.
Simon the Soldier obtained high rank and an estate, and married a nobleman's daughter. His pay was large and his estate was large, but yet he could not make ends meet. What the husband earned his lady wife squandered, and they never had money enough.
So Simon the Soldier went to his estate to col... (From: Wikisource.org.)
I. The essence of the lie and the deception of the doctrine of state
1.
The deceitful doctrine of state is regarding yourself as connected with the people of one nationality, or one state, separated from the people of other nations and the other states. People torture, kill, rob each other and themselves because of this terribly false dogma. People can free themselves from this dogma only after they identify themselves with the spiritual beginning of the life, which is the same in all people. Once people recognize this beginning in themselves, they can no longer believe in human institutions which only separate that what is connected by God.
2.
It’s reasonable to love virtues, respect courageous acts, recognize kindness regardles... (From: Wikisource.org.)