友情提示:如果本网页打开太慢或显示不完整,请尝试鼠标右键“刷新”本网页!
读书室 返回本书目录 加入书签 我的书架 我的书签 TXT全本下载 『收藏到我的浏览器』

part05+-第21部分

快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部! 如果本书没有阅读完,想下次继续接着阅读,可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能!




difference of a phrase in a creed; or a vowel in a name; or a



finger more or less in making the sign of the cross; or for this



garment in a ritual; or that gesture in a ceremony。







In social creeds they have developed nihilism; which virtually



assumes the right of an individual to sit in judgment upon the



whole human race and condemn to death every other human being who



may differ in opinion or position from this self…constituted



judge。







In political creeds they have conceived the monarch as the



all…powerful and irresponsible vicegerent of God; and all the



world outside Russia as given over to Satan; for the reason that



it has 〃rejected the divine principle of authority。〃







In various branches of philosophy they have developed doctrines



which involve the rejection of the best to which man has attained



in science; literature; and art; and a return to barbarism。







In the theory of life and duty they have devised a pessimistic



process under which the human race would cease to exist。







Every one of these theories is the outcome of some original mind



of more or less strength; discouraged; disheartened; and



overwhelmed by the sorrows of Russian life; developing its ideas



logically and without any possibility of adequate discussion with



other men。 This alone explains a fact which struck me



forciblythe fact that all Tolstoi's love of humanity; real



though it certainly is; seems accompanied by a depreciation of



the ideas; statements; and proposals of almost every other human



being; and by virtual intolerance of all thought which seems in



the slightest degree different from his own。







Arriving in the Kremlin; he took me to the Church of the



Annunciation to see the portrait of Socrates in the religious



picture of which he had spoken; but we were too late to enter;



and so went to the Palace of the Synod; where we looked at the



picture of the Trinity; which; by a device frequently used in



street signs; represents; when looked at from one side; the



suffering Christ; from the other the Holy Ghost in the form of a



dove; and from the front the Almighty as an old man with a white



beard。 What Tolstoi thought of the doctrine thus illustrated came



out in a subsequent conversation。







The next day he came again to my rooms and at once began speaking



upon religion。 He said that every man is religious and has in him



a religion of his own; that religion results from the conception



which a man forms of his relations to his fellow…men; and to the



principle which in his opinion controls the universe; that there



are three stages in religious development: first; the childhood



of nations; when man thinks of the whole universe as created for



him and centering in him; secondly; the maturity of nations; the



time of national religions; when each nation believes that all



true religion centers in it;the Jews and the English; he said;



being striking examples; and; finally; the perfected conception



of nations; when man has the idea of fulfilling the will of the



Supreme Power and considers himself an instrument for that



purpose。 He went on to say that in every religion there are two



main elements; one of deception and one of devotion; and he asked



me about the Mormons; some of whose books had interested him。 He



thought two thirds of their religion deception; but said that on



the whole he preferred a religion which professed to have dug its



sacred books out of the earth to one which pretended that they



were let down from heaven。 On learning that I had visited Salt



Lake City two years before; he spoke of the good reputation of



the Mormons for chastity; and asked me to explain the hold of



their religion upon women。 I answered that Mormonism could hardly



be judged by its results at present; that; as a whole; the



Mormons are; no doubt; the most laborious and decent people in



the State of Utah; but that this is their heroic period; when



outside pressure keeps them firmly together and arouses their



devotion; that the true test will come later; when there is less



pressure and more knowledge; and when the young men who are now



arising begin to ask questions; quarrel with each other; and



split the whole body into sects and parties。







This led to questions in regard to American women generally; and



he wished to know something of their condition and prospects。 I



explained some features of woman's condition among us; showing



its evolution; first through the betterment of her legal status;



and next through provision for her advanced education; but told



him that so far as political rights are concerned; there had been



very little practical advance in the entire East and South of the



country during the last fifty years; and that even in the extreme



Western States; where women have been given political rights and



duties to some extent; the concessions have been wavering and



doubtful。







At this; he took up his parable and said that women ought to have



all other rights except political; that they are unfit to



discharge political duties; that; indeed; one of the great



difficulties of the world at present lies in their possession of



far more consideration and control than they ought to have。 〃Go



into the streets and bazaars;〃 he said; 〃and you will see the



vast majority of shops devoted to their necessities。 In France



everything centers in women; and women have complete control of



life: all contemporary French literature shows this。 Woman is not



man's equal in the highest qualities; she is not so



self…sacrificing as man。 Men will; at times; sacrifice their



families for an idea; women will not。〃 On my demurring to this



latter statement; he asked me if I ever knew a woman who loved



other people's children as much as her own。 I gladly answered in



the negative; but cited Florence Nightingale; Sister Dora; and



others; expressing my surprise at his assertion that women are



incapable of making as complete sacrifices for any good cause as



men。 I pointed to the persecutions in the early church; when



women showed themselves superior to men in suffering torture;



degradation; and death in behalf of the new religion; and added



similar instances from the history of witchcraft。 To this he



answered that in spite of all such history; women will not make



sacrifices of their own interest for a good cause which does not



strikingly appeal to their feelings; while men will do so; that



he had known but two or three really self…sacrificing women in



his life; and that these were unmarried。 On my saying that



observation had led me to a very different conclusion; his



indictment took another form。 He insisted that woman hangs upon



the past; that public opinion progresses; but that women are



prone to act on the opinion of yesterday or of last year; that



women and womanish men take naturally to old absurdities; among



which he mentioned the doctrines of the Trinity; 〃spiritism;〃 and



homeopathy。 At this I expressed a belief that if; instead of



educating women; as Bishop Dupanloup expressed it; 〃in the lap of



the church (sur les genoux de l'eglise);〃 we educate them in the



highest sense; in universities; they will develop more and more



intellectually; and so become a controlling element in the



formation of a better race; that; as strong men generally have



strong mothers; the better education of woman physically;



intellectually; and morally is the true way of bettering the race



in general。 In this idea he expressed his disbelief; and said



that education would not change women; that women are illogical



by nature。 At this I cited an example showing that women can be



exceedingly logical and close in argument; but he still adhered



to his opinion。 On my mentioning the name of George Eliot; he



expressed a liking for her。







On our next walk; he took me to the funeral of one of his



friends。 He said that to look upon the dead should rather give



pleasure than pain; that memento mori is a wise maxim; and



looking upon the faces of the dead a good way of putting it in



practice。 I asked him if he had formed a theory as to a future



life; and he said in substance that he had not; but that; as we



came at birth from beyond the forms of space and time; so at



death we returned whence we came。 I said; 〃You use the word



'forms' in the Kantian sense?〃 〃Yes;〃 he said; 〃space and time



have no reality。〃







We arrived just too late at the house of mourning。 The 
返回目录 上一页 下一页 回到顶部 0 3
快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
温馨提示: 温看小说的同时发表评论,说出自己的看法和其它小伙伴们分享也不错哦!发表书评还可以获得积分和经验奖励,认真写原创书评 被采纳为精评可以获得大量金币、积分和经验奖励哦!