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

returned to the others, they were already back at work again; and so it went on till the evening.

Among these downtrodden, duped, and defrauded men, who are becoming demoralised by overwork, and being gradually done to death by underfeeding, there are men living who consider themselves Christians; and others so enlightened that they feel no further need for Christianity or for any religion, so superior do they appear in their own esteem. And yet their hideous, lazy lives are supported by the degrading, excessive labour of these slaves, not to mention the labour of millions of other slaves, toiling in factories to produce samovars, silver, carriages, machines, and the like for their use. They live among these horrors, seeing them and yet not seeing them, although often kind at heart⁠—old men and women, young men and maidens, mothers and children⁠—poor children who are being vitiated and trained into moral blindness.

Here is a bachelor grown old, the owner of thousands of acres, who has lived a life of idleness, greed, and overindulgence, who reads The New Times, and is astonished that the government can be so unwise as to permit Jews to enter the university. There is his guest, formerly the governor of a province, now a senator with a big salary, who reads with satisfaction that a congress of lawyers has passed a resolution in favor of capital punishment. Their political enemy, N. P., reads a liberal paper, and cannot understand the blindness of the government in allowing the union of Russian men to exist.

Here is a kind, gentle mother of a little girl reading a story to her about Fox, a dog that lamed some rabbits. And here is this little girl. During her walks she sees other children, barefooted, hungry, hunting for green apples that have fallen from the trees; and, so accustomed is she to the sight, that these children do not seem to her to be children such as she is, but only part of the usual surroundings⁠—the familiar landscape.

Why is this?

The Wisdom of Children On Religion Boy Why is Nurse so nicely dressed today, and why did she make me wear that new shirt? Mother Because this is a holiday, and we are going to church. Boy What holiday? Mother Ascension day. Boy What does Ascension mean? Mother It means that Jesus Christ has ascended to heaven. Boy What does that mean: ascended? Mother It meant that He flew up to heaven. Boy How did he fly? With his wings? Mother Without any wings whatever. He simply flew up because He is God, and God can do anything. Boy But where did he fly to? Father told me there was nothing in heaven at all, and we only think we see something; that there’s nothing but stars up there, and behind them more stars still, and that there is no end to it. Then where did He fly to? Mother Smiling. You are unable to understand everything. You must believe. Boy What must I believe? Mother What you are told by grown-up people. Boy But when I said to you that somebody was going to die because some salt had been spilt, you said I was not to believe in nonsense. Mother Of course you are not to believe in nonsense. Boy But how am I to know what is nonsense and what is not? Mother You must believe what the true faith says, and not in nonsense. Boy Which is the true faith, then? Mother Our faith is the true one. To herself. I am afraid I am talking nonsense. Aloud. Go and tell father we are ready for church, and get your coat. Boy And shall we have chocolate after church? On War

Karlchen Schmidt, nine years

Petia Orlov, ten years

Masha Orlov, eight years

Karlchen … Because we Prussians will not allow Russia to rob us of our land. Petia But we say this land belongs to us; we conquered it first. Masha To whom? Is it ours? Petia You are a child, and you don’t understand. “To us” means to our state. Karlchen It is this way; some belong to one state and some to another. Masha What do I belong to? Petia You belong to Russia, like the rest of us. Masha And if I don’t want to? Petia It doesn’t matter whether you want to or not. You are Russian all the same. Every nation has its Tsar, its King. Karlchen Interrupting. And a parliament. Petia Each state has its army, each state raises taxes. Masha But why must each state stand by itself? Petia What a silly question! Because each state is a separate one. Masha But why must it exist apart? Petia Can’t you understand? Because everybody loves his own country. Masha I don’t understand why they must be separate from the rest. Wouldn’t it be better if they all kept together? Petia To keep together is all right when you play games. But this is no game: it is a very serious matter. Masha I don’t understand. Karlchen You will when you grow up. Masha Then I don’t want to grow up. Petia Such a tiny girl, and obstinate already, just like all of them. On State and Fatherland

Gavrila, a soldier in the reserve, a servant

Misha, his master’s young son

Gavrila Goodbye, Mishenka, my dear little master. Who knows whether God will permit me to see you again? Misha Are you really leaving? Gavrila I have to. There is war again. And I am in the reserve. Misha A war with whom? Who’s fighting, and who are they fighting against? Gavrila God knows. It’s very difficult to understand all that. I have read about it in the papers, but I can’t make it out. They say that someone in Austria has a grudge against us because of some favour he did to what’s-their-names.⁠ ⁠… Misha But what are you fighting for? Gavrila I am fighting for the Tsar, of course; for my country and the Orthodox Faith. Misha But you don’t wish to go to the war, do you? Gavrila Certainly not. To leave my wife and my children.⁠ ⁠… Do you suppose I would leave this happy life of