It was in the reign of the Roman Emperor Trajan,
a century after the birth of Christ. It was at the
time when the disciples of Christ's disciples were still
living, and the Christians faithfully observed the laws
of the Master as it is related in the Acts :
And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart
and of one soul ; neither said any of them that aught of the
things which he possessed was his own ; but they had all things
common. And with great power gave the Apostles witness of
the resurrection of the Lord Jesus ; and great grace was upon
them all. Neither was there any among them that lacked; for
as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them and
brought the prices of the things that were so... (From: Wikisource.org.)
People talk of the art of the future, meaning by “art of
the future” some especially refined, new art, which, as they
imagine, will be developed out of that exclusive art of one
class which is now considered the highest art. But no such
new art of the future can or will be found. Our exclusive
art, that of the upper classes of Christendom, has found its
way into a blind alley. The direction in which it has been
going leads nowhere. Having once let go of that which is
most essential for art (namely, the guidance given by
religious perception), that art has become ever more and
more exclusive, and therefore ever more and more perverted,
until, finally, it has come to nothing. The art of the future,
that which is really... (From: Gutenberg.org.)
Count Tolstoy has written for the Revue de Paris an article entitled “What the Orthodox Religion Really Is.” He indicts the Russian national Church for apostasy to the tenets of the founder of Christianity on almost every count, and gives this description of the orthodox religion, which, he declares, is losing its hold on the people:
“Orthodox religion brings to my mind only a lot of long-haired men, who are very arrogant, without instruction, clothed in silk and velvet, decorated with ornaments and jewels, whom one calls archbishops and metropolitans, and thousands of other men, with hair uncombed, who find themselves under the most servile domination of a few individuals who, under color of dispensing the sacraments, ... (From: Wikisource.org.)
In a certain town there lived a cobbler, Martin Avdéitch by name. He had a tiny room in a basement, the one window of which looked out on to the street. Through it one could only see the feet of those who passed by, but Martin recognized the people by their boots. He had lived long in the place and had many acquaintances. There was hardly a pair of boots in the neighborhood that had not been once or twice through his hands, so he often saw his own handiwork through the window. Some he had re-soled, some patched, some stitched up, and to some he had even put fresh uppers. He had plenty to do, for he worked well, used good material, did not charge too much, and could be relied on. If he could do a job by the day required, he undertook ... (From: Wikisource.org.)
In the city lived the shoemaker, Martuin Avdyeitch. He lived in a basement, in a little room with one window. The window looked out on the street. Through the window he used to watch the people passing by; although only their feet could be seen, yet by the boots, Martuin Avdyeitch recognized the people. Martuin Avdyeitch had lived long in one place, and had many acquaintances. Few pairs of boots in his district had not been in his hands once and again. Some he would half-sole, some he would patch, some he would stitch around, and occasionally he would also put on new uppers. And through the window he often recognized his work.
Avdyeitch had plenty to do, because he was a faithful workman, used good material, did not make exorbitant c... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)
In the fourth volume of the journal Yasnaya Poly ana
there was printed among the children's composi-
tions by an editorial mistake "A History of how a
boy was frightened in Tula." This little story was not
written by a boy, but was made up by the teacher from
a dream which he had, and which he related to the
boys. Some of the readers, who followed the numbers
of Yasnaya Polyana, expressed their doubts whether
this tale really belonged to the boy. I hasten to apol-
ogize to my readers for this oversight, and seize the
opportunity to remark how impossible are counterfeits
in this class of work. This tale was detected, not be-
cause it was better, but because it was worse, incompa-
rably worse, than all the compositio... (From: Wikisource.org.)
Terrible, as they are described to us, are the consequences of opium and hashish on individuals; terrible, as we know them, are the consequences of alcohol to flagrant drunkards; but incomparably more terrible to our whole society are the consequences of what is considered the harmless, moderate use of spirits, wine, beer, and tobacco, to which the majority of men, and especially our so-called cultured classes, are addicted.
The consequences must naturally be terrible, admitting the fact, which must be admitted, that the guiding activities of society - political, official, scientific, literary, and artistic - are carried on for the most part by people in an abnormal state: by people who are drunk.
It is generally supposed that a man who, ... (From: Wikisource.org.)
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↑ Amanita muscaria. In certain parts of Russia, these mushrooms are
eaten dry and swallowed without mastication, thus producing an extended
intoxication. Made into a decoction with willow runners or whortleberry, it becomes a social intoxicant, the effects of which are wild exhilaration and often an increase of strength, so that a man under its influence has been known to run miles bearing heavy burdens. It is so powerful that children have been poisoned by the milk of women who had shortly before been under its influence. Its alkaloid is allied to that of hashish or Indian hemp.—Ed.
↑ The hero of Dostayevsky's most famous novel, "Crime and P... (From: Wikisource.org.)
People peacefully live and act in accordance with each other only when they are connected by the same system of beliefs: when thy equally understand the goal and the purpose of their activity.
This is true for families, and for different circles of people, and for political parties, and for entire dynasties, and it is especially true for the people united into states.
People of one nation live more or less peacefully among themselves, and together defend their common interests only while they live by one and the same ideology, recognized by all people of the nation. Common for all people ideology is usually expressed by the religion, established in the nation.
That’s how it always was in pagan antiquity, and it is here and now, - i... (From: Wikisource.org.)
This is a legend current among the South American Indians.
God, say they, at first made men so that they had no need to work: they needed neither houses, nor clothes, nor food, and they all lived till they were a hundred, and did not know what illness was.
When, after some time, God looked to see how people were living, he saw that instead of being happy in their life, they had quarreled with one another, and, each caring for himself, had brought matters to such a pass that far from enjoying life, they cursed it.
Then God said to himself: 'This comes of their living separately, each for himself.' And to change this state of things, God so arranged matters that it became impossible for people to live without working. To avoid suffering fr... (From: Wikisource.org.)
It was, I think, in the year 1881 that Turgénev, during a visit at my house, took a French novel, under the name of Maison Tellier, out of his satchel and gave it to me. That's it!
"Read it, if you have a chance," he said, apparently with
indifference, just as the year before he had handed me a number of
the Russian Wealth, in which there was an article by Garshin, who
was making his debut. Evidently, as in the case of Garshin, so
even now, he was afraid he might influence me in one way or
another, and wished to know my uninfluenced opinion.
"He is a young French author," he said; "look at it, – it is
not bad; he knows you and esteems you very much," he added, as
though to encourage me. "As a man he reminds me of Dr... (From: Wikisource.org.)
We returned to the village. Fedka had not once let
go of my hand. It seemed to me that he held it now
out of gratefulness. We were all brought so close together that night! as we had not been for a long time.
Pronka walked abreast with us, along the wide village
street.
"See, there 's a light at the Mazanofs' yet!" said he.
"As I was going to school to-day, Gavriukha [11] was coming out of the tavern dr-u-u-unk!" he added, "blind
drunk; his horse was all of a lather, and he was beating
her like everything. I feel sorry even now! Indeed,
I do! Why should he beat her? And lately, father," [12]
said Semka, "he drove his horse from Tula, and she
ran him into a snowdrift, but he was asleep, he was
so drunk!"
"But Gavr... (From: Wikisource.org.)
At the time of the Czar Ivan the Terrible, [1] the
Strogonofs were rich merchants, and lived in
Perm, on the river Kama.
They had heard that on the river Kama, for a hundred
and forty versts around, there was rich land ; the soil
had not been plowed for a century ; the black forest
for a century had not been felled. In the forests were
many wild animals, and along the river were lakes full
of fish, and no one lived in this land except wandering
Tartars.
So the Strogonofs wrote a letter to the Czar:
"Grant us this land, and we ourselves will found
cities, and we will gather men together and establish
them, and we will not allow the Tartars to pass
through it."
The Czar consented, and granted them... (From: Wikisource.org.)
The young Czar had just ascended the throne. For five weeks he had worked without ceasing, in the way that Czars are accustomed to work. He had been attending to reports, signing papers, receiving ambassadors and high officials who came to be presented to him, and reviewing troops. He was tired, and as a traveler exhausted by heat and thirst longs for a draft of water and for rest, so he longed for a respite of just one day at least from receptions, from speeches, from parades--a few free hours to spend like an ordinary human being with his young, clever, and beautiful wife, to whom he had been married only a month before.It was Christmas Eve. The young Czar had arranged to have a complete rest that evening. The night before he had worked t... (From: Online-Literature.com.)
