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Revisiting　Moscow　after　an　absence　of　thirty…five　years；　the　most



surprising　thing　to　me　was　that　there　had　been　so　little　change。



With　the　exception　of　the　new　gallery　of　Russian　art；　and　the



bazaar　opposite　the　sacred　gate　of　the　Kremlin；　things　seemed　as



I　had　left　them　just　after　the　accession　of　Alexander　II。　There



were　the　same　unkempt　streets；　the　same　peasantry　clad　in



sheepskins；　the　same　troops　of　beggars；　sturdy　and　dirty；　the



same　squalid　crowds　crossing　themselves　before　the　images　at　the



street　corners；　the　same　throngs　of　worshipers　knocking　their



heads　against　the　pavements　of　churches；　and　above　all　loomed；



now　as　then；　the　tower　of　Ivan　and　the　domes　of　St。　Basil；



gloomy；　gaudy；　and　barbaric。　Only　one　change　had　taken　place



which　interested　me：　for　the　first　time　in　the　history　of　Russia；



a　man　of　world…wide　fame　in　literature　and　thought　was　abiding



thereCount　Leo　Tolstoi。







On　the　evening　of　my　arrival　I　went　with　my　secretary　to　his



weekly　reception。　As　we　entered　his　house　on　the　outskirts　of　the



city；　two　servants　in　evening　dress　came　forward；　removed　our　fur



coats；　and　opened　the　doors　into　the　reception…room　of　the



master。　Then　came　a　surprise。　His　living…room　seemed　the　cabin　of



a　Russian　peasant。　It　was　wainscoted　almost　rudely　and　furnished



very　simply；　and　there　approached　us　a　tall；　gaunt　Russian；



unmistakably　born　to　command；　yet　clad　as　a　peasant；　his　hair



thrown　back　over　his　ears　on　either　side；　his　flowing　blouse　kept



together　by　a　leathern　girdle；　his　high　jack…boots　completing　the



costume。　This　was　Tolstoi。







Nothing　could　be　more　kindly　than　his　greeting。　While　his　dress



was　that　of　a　peasant；　his　bearing　was　the　very　opposite；　for；



instead　of　the　depressed；　demure；　hangdog　expression　of　the



average　muzhik；　his　manner；　though　cordial；　was　dignified　and



impressive。　Having　given　us　a　hearty　welcome；　he　made　us



acquainted　with　various　other　guests。　It　was　a　singular



assemblage。　There　were　foreigners　in　evening　dress；　Moscow



professors　in　any　dress　they　liked；　and　a　certain　number　of



youth；　evidently　disciples；　who；　though　clearly　not　of　the



peasant　class；　wore　the　peasant　costume。　I　observed　these　with



interest　but　certainly　as　long　as　they　were　under　the　spell　of



the　master　they　communicated　nothing　worth　preserving；　they



seemed　to　show　〃the　contortions　of　the　sibyl　without　the



inspiration。〃







The　professors　were　much　more　engaging。　The　University　of　Moscow



has　in　its　teaching　body　several　strong　men；　and　some　of　these



were　present。　One　of　them；　whose　department　was　philosophy；



especially　interested　and　encouraged　me　by　assurances　that　the



movement　of　Russian　philosophy　is　〃back　to　Kant。〃　In　the　strange



welter　of　whims　and　dreams　which　one　finds　in　Russia；　this　was　to



me　an　unexpected　evidence　of　healthful　thought。







Naturally；　I　soon　asked　to　be　presented　to　the　lady　of　the　house；



and　the　count　escorted　us　through　a　series　of　rooms　to　a　salon



furnished　much　like　any　handsome　apartment　in　Paris　or　St。



Petersburg；　where　the　countess；　with　other　ladies；　all　in　full



evening　dress；　received　us　cordially。　This　sudden　transition　from



the　peasant　cabin　of　the　master　to　these　sumptuous　rooms　of　the



mistress　was　startling；　it　seemed　like　scene…shifting　at　a



theater。







After　some　friendly　talk；　all　returned　to　the　rooms　of　the　master



of　the　house；　where　tea　was　served　at　a　long　table　from　the



bubbling　brazen　urnthe　samovar；　and　though　there　were　some



twenty　or　thirty　guests；　nothing　could　be　more　informal。　All　was



simple；　kindly；　and　unrestrained。







My　first　question　was　upon　the　condition　of　the　people。　Our



American　legation　had　corresponded　with　Count　Tolstoi　and　his



family　as　to　distributing　a　portion　of　the　famine　fund　sent　from



the　United　States；　hence　this　subject　naturally　arose　at　the



outset。　He　said　that　the　condition　of　the　peasants　was　still　very



bad；　that　they　had　very　generally　eaten　their　draught…animals；



burned　portions　of　their　buildings　to　keep　life　in　their　bodies；



and　reduced　themselves　to　hopeless　want。　On　my　suggesting　that



the　new　commercial　treaty　with　Germany　might　help　matters；　he



thought　that　it　would　have　but　little　effect；　since　only　a　small



portion　of　the　total　product　of　Russian　agriculture　is　consumed



abroad。　This　led　him　to　speak　of　some　Americans　and　Englishmen



who　had　visited　the　famine…stricken　districts；　and；　while　he



referred　kindly　to　them　all；　he　seemed　especially　attracted　by



the　Quaker　John　Bellows　of　Gloucester；　England；　the　author　of　the



wonderful　little　French　dictionary。　This　led　him　to　say　that　he



sympathized　with　the　Quakers　in　everything　save　their　belief　in



property；　that　in　this　they　were　utterly　illogical；　that　property



presupposes　force　to　protect　it。　I　remarked　that　most　American



Quakers　knew　nothing　of　such　force；　that　none　of　them　had　ever



seen　an　American　soldier；　save　during　our　Civil　War；　and　that



probably　not　one　in　hundreds　of　them　had　ever　seen　a　soldier　at



all。　He　answered；　〃But　you　forget　the　policeman。〃　He　evidently



put　policemen　and　soldiers　in　the　same　categoryas　using　force



to　protect　property；　and　therefore　to　be　alike　abhorred。







I　found　that　to　his　disbelief　in　any　right　of　ownership　literary



property　formed　no　exception。　He　told　me　that；　in　his　view；　he



had　no　right　to　receive　money　for　the　permission　to　print　a　book。



To　this　I　naturally　answered　that　by　carrying　out　this　doctrine



he　would　simply　lavish　large　sums　upon　publishers　in　every



country　of　Europe　and　America；　many　of　them　rich　and　some　of　them



piratical；　and　that　in　my　opinion　he　would　do　a　much　better　thing



by　taking　the　full　value　of　his　copyrights　and　bestowing　the



proceeds　upon　the　peasantry　starving　about　him。　To　which　he



answered　that　it　was　a　question　of　duty。　To　this　I　agreed；　but



remarked　that　beneath　this　lay　the　question　what　this　duty　really



was。　It　was　a　pleasure　to　learn　from　another　source　that　the



countess　took　a　different　view　of　it；　and　that　she　had　in　some



way　secured　the　proceeds　of　his　copyrights　for　their　very　large



and　interesting　family。　Light　was　thus　thrown　on　Tolstoi's



remark；　made　afterward；　that　women　are　not　so　self…sacrificing　as



men；　that　a　man　would　sometimes　sacrifice　his　family　for　an　idea；



but　that　a　woman　would　not。







He　then　went　on　to　express　an　interest　in　the　Shakers；　and



especially　in　Frederick　Evans。　He　had　evidently　formed　an　idea　of



them　very　unlike　the　reality；　in　fact；　the　Shaker　his　imagination



had　developed　was　as　different　from　a　Lebanon　Shaker　as　an　eagle



from　a　duck；　and　his　notion　of　their　influence　on　American



society　was　comical。







He　spoke　at　some　length　regarding　religion　in　Russia；　evidently



believing　that　its　present　dominant　form　is　soon　to　pass　away。　I



asked　him　how　then　he　could　account　for　the　fact　that　while　in



other　countries　women　are　greatly　in　the　majority　at　church



services；　in　every　Russian　church　the　majority　are　men；　and　that



during　the　thirty…five　years　since　my　last　visit　to　Moscow　this



tendency　had　apparently　increased。　He　answered；　〃All　this　is　on



the　surface；　there　is　much　deeper　thought　below；　and　the　great



want　of　Russia　is　liberty　to　utter　it。〃　He　then　gave　some



examples　to　show　this；　among　them　the　case　of　a　gentleman　and



lady　in　St。　Petersburg；　whose　children　had　been　taken　from　them



and　given　to　Princess　；　their　grandmother；　because　the　latter



is　of　the　Orthodox　Church　and　the　former　are　not。　I　answered　that



I　had　seen　the　children；　that　their　grandmother　had　told　me　that



their　mother　was　a　screaming　atheist　with　nihilistic　tendencies；



who　had　left　her　husband　and　was　bringing　up　the　children　in　a



scandalous　way；teaching　them　to　abjure　God　and　curse　the　Czar；



that　their　father　had　thought　it　his　duty　to　give　all　his



property　away　and　work　as　a　laborer；　that　therefore　shethe



grandmotherhad　secured　an　order　from　the　Emperor　empowering　her



to　take　charge　of　the　children；　that　I　had　seen　the　children　at



their　grandmother's　house；　and　that　they　had　seemed　very　happy。



Tolstoi　insisted　that　this　statement　by　the　grandmother　was



simply　made　to　cover　the　fact　that　the　children　were　taken　from



the　mother　because　her　belief　was　not　of　the　orthodox　pattern。　My



opinion　is　that　Tolstoi　was　mistaken；　at　least　as　to　the　father；



and　that　the　father　had　been　led　to　give　away　his　property　and



work　with　his　hands　in　obedience　to　the　ideas　so　eloquently



advocated　by　Tolstoi　himself。　Unlike　his　master；　this　gentleman



appears　not　to　have　had　the　advantage　of　a　wife　who　mitigated　his



ideas。







Tolstoi　also　referred　to　the　difficulties　which　translators　had



found　in　securing　publishers　for　his　most　recent　book〃The



Kingdom　of　God。〃　On　my　assuring　him　that　American　publishers　of



high　standing　would　certainly　be　glad　to　take　it；　he　said　that　he



had　supposed　the　ideas　in　it　so　contrary　to　opinions　dominant　in



America　as　to　prevent　its　publication　there。







Returning　to　the　subject　of　religion　in　Russia；　he　referred　to



some　curious　incongruities；　as；　for　example；　the　portrait　of



Socrates　forming　part　of　a　religious　picture　in　the　Annunciation



Church　at　the　Kremlin。　He　said　that　evidently　some　monk；　who　had



dipped　into　Plato；　had　thus　placed　Socrates　among　the　precursors



of　Christ。　I　cited　the　reason　assigned　by　Melanchtho