Short Fiction, Leo Tolstoy [general ebook reader .txt] 📗

him in the street, invited him home, and began to ask him how and where he lived.

Pamphilius told him he still lived in the same place with his mother.

“We do not live alone,” said he, “but many friends live with us, and we have all things in common.”

“What do you mean ‘in common’?” asked Julius.

“In such a way that none of us considers anything his private property.”

“Why do you do that way?”

“We are Christians,” said Pamphilius.

“Is it possible!” cried Julius. “Why, I have been told that Christians kill children and eat them. Can it be that you take part in doing such things?”

“Come and see,” replied Pamphilius. “We do nothing of the sort; we live simply, trying to do nothing wrong.”

“But how can you live, if you have no property of your own?”

“We support each other. If we give our brethren our labors, then they give us theirs.”

“But if your brethren take your labors and don’t reciprocate, then what?”

“We don’t have such persons,” said Pamphilius; “such persons prefer to live luxuriously, and they don’t join us; life among us is simple, and without luxury.”

“But are there not many lazy ones who would delight in being fed for nothing?”

“Yes, there are some such, and we willingly receive them. Not long ago a man of that character came to us⁠—a runaway slave; at first, it is true, he was lazy, and led a bad life, but soon he changed his life, and has now become one of the good brethren.”

“But supposing he had not ordered his life aright?”

“Well, there are some such. The old man Cyril says that we must treat such as if they were the very best of the brethren, and love them all the more.”

“Can one love good-for-nothings?”

“It is impossible to help loving a human being.”

“But how can you give all men whatever they ask of you?” asked Julius. “If my father gave all persons whatever they asked him for, very soon he wouldn’t have anything left.”

“I don’t know,” replied Pamphilius. “We always have enough left for our necessities. Even if it came about that we had nothing to eat or nothing to wear, then we ask the others and they give to us. Yes, it sometimes happens so. Only once did I ever have to go to bed without my supper, and that was because I was very tired and did not feel like going to ask any of the brethren.”

“I don’t know how you do,” said Julius, “only what my father says: if he didn’t have his own property, and if he gave to everyone who asked him, he would die of starvation.”

“We don’t! Come and see. We live, and not only do not lack, but we have even more than we need.”

“How can that be?”

“This is the way of it: We all profess one law, but our powers of fulfilling it vary in each individual; some have greater, some have less. One has already made great improvement in the good life, while another has only just begun in it. At the head of us all stands Christ, with His life, and we all try to imitate Him, and in this only we see our well-being. Certain of us, like the old man Cyril and his wife Pelagia, are our leaders; others stand next to them, and still others in a third rank, but all of us are traveling along the same path. Those in advance are already near to the law of Christ⁠—self-renunciation⁠—and they are willing to lose their life in order to save it. These need nothing; they have no regret for themselves, and to those that ask they give their last possession according to the law of Christ. There are others, feebler, who cannot give all they have, who have some pity on themselves, who grow weak if they don’t have their usual dress and food, and cannot give everything away. Then there are others still weaker⁠—such as have only just started on the path; these still live in the old way, keeping much for themselves and giving away only what is superfluous. Even these that linger in the rear give aid to those in the van. Moreover, all of us are entangled by our relationships with pagans. One man’s father is a pagan and has a property, and gives to his son. The son gives to those that ask, but the father still continues to provide. The mother of another is a pagan, and has pity on her son, and helps him. A third has heathen children, while a mother is a Christian, and the children obey her, give to her, and beg her not to give her possessions away, while she, out of love to them, takes what they give her, and gives to others. Then, again, a fourth will have a pagan wife, and a fifth a pagan husband. Thus all are perplexed, and those in the van would be glad to give their all, but they cannot. In this way the feeble in faith are confirmed, and thus much of the superfluous is collected together.”

In reply to this Julius said:⁠—

“Well, if this is so, then it means you fail to observe the teaching of Christ, and only pretend to observe it. For if you don’t give away your all, then there is no distinction between us and you. In my mind, if you are going to be a Christian, then you must fulfil the whole law; give everything away and remain a beggar.”

“That is the best way of all,” said Pamphilius. “Do so!”

“Yes, I will do so when I see that you do.”

“We do not wish to set an example. And I don’t advise you to join us and renounce your present life for a mere display; we act as we do, not for show, but as a part of our religion.”

“What do you mean⁠—your ‘religion’?”

“Why, it means that salvation from the evils of the world, from death, is to be found only in life according to the teaching of