TOLSTOY’S STRUGGLE.

Waikato Times, Volume 105, Issue 17786, 10 August 1929, Page 4

TOLSTOY’S STRUGGLE.

HIS LIFE AND CHARACTER. WORKERS’ EDUCATIONAL LEAGUE. i There was a good attendance of students at the lecture given under the auspices of the Workers’ Educational Association on Thursday evening by Mr J. A. Brailsford, 8.A., on “Tolstoy’s Struggle for Truth.” Mr Brailsford commenced by remarking upon the tremendous contrast between Barrie—the last author the class had studied—and Tolstoy. Everything that Barrie dealt with he had touched with the most delightful humour, and he brought out the human side of every subject. Tolstoy had dealt with every problem with such tragic intensity that he made many enemies during his life-time and among readers of recent times. He

had been severely criticised for attempting to carry out his doctrine to the logical conclusion, heedless at times of the effects of his conduct

upon those about him. Yet both writers had been endeavouring to preach the doctrine of the Sermon on the Mount. When we were inclined to criticise Tolstoy (said the lecturer) we should remember the country in which he lived and the circumstances under which he was brought up.. The vast expanses of Russia, the cruel climate, the mingling of races which tended to produce strength and intensity of character, and the great extremes of poverty and riches had to be taken into consideration.

Tolstoy was brought up by two aunts, his mother having died when he was a baby and his father when he was about eight. His aunt Alexandra was a saintly character, and possessed something of the spirit of self-denial that Tolstoy showed later. Of his Aunt Tatiana’s beautiful character Tolstoy wrote with great eloquence. In the thirty years he was with her he never remembered her saying a harsh word of anyone. She never preached to the children about what they were to believe or do. Yet, because of the life she lived, her influence was great. Tolstoy had no perseverance for study, and was attracted to St. Petersburg, where from the age of twenty to twenty-three he lived the life of dissipation common among the nobility of his lime. Even at this period he was

fluctuating between his dissolute life and repentance, and was feeling the call of a spiritual life. At an early age he had the idea that he was a man of destiny. With his spirit of selfassertion came the desire for selfsaeriflee. In spite of wasted years he felt he could do something good, and he was coming to the conclusion that happiness came from living for others. Early in life he had the revulsion against war that formed such an important part of his teaching. But during the Crimean war he wrote in high praise of the Russian army, and he was inconsistent enough to challenge the novelist Turgenieff to a duel.

Convinced of Special Task. Always taking himself very seriously, Tolstoy went through a period of intense self-depreciation,- and soon began to be convinced that his special task was to preach a new religion—that of Christianity purged from dogma. With the inconsistency which seemed to characterise , his life he again plunged into the gay life at St. Petersburg. Later he attempted to settle down on his country estate, and established a school for the peasants’ children. Ills ideas on freedom in education were carried to extremes.

At the age of 34 he became engaged

to a German lady of 18, and, with characteristic thoroughness, married within a week, and made a complete confession of his f rmer wild life. Naturally a young woman would scarcely realise what it would mean to marry a man of such intense character and love of truth. As'his wife also had great strength of character, and as the had little understanding of Tolstoy’s ideals and scant sympathy with him when he was doing anything apart from the writing of fiction, their unhappiness was almost inevitable. However, it should not be

’orgotten that they had no fewer than

J 3 children and that besides her home duties Tolstoy’s wife often acted as his secretary, laboriously copying one of his longest novels seven times. His cruel conduct to his wife at times was almost unforgivable. For a while Tolstoy became actively associated with the Russian Orthodox Church. He revolted against the Church's teaching because of the dogma and because the Church condoned such cruelties as war.

When he was 82 years old Tolstoy decided to part from his wife, for he could no longer endure the conflict of their Ideas. Commenting upon his conduct in this respect the lecturer said that Tolstoy’s problem was difficult, and perhaps if we knew all he went through we would have a deeper sympathy with him even though our sympathy with his wife remained. The lecture was interspersed with readings from Tolstoy’s writings and biographies. An interesting discussion took place, the following taking part: Miss McMullin, Rev. Brother Malley, Messrs Peters, Graham, Sherley and Thomas. A second and final discussion of Tolstoy t dealing with his teaching that we should live entirely in accordance with the Sermon on the Mount, will take place at next Thursday’s meeting.