part05+-第22章

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the　Grand　Duchess　Sophia　in　her　monastery　prison；　and　the　remorse



of　Ivan　the　Terrible　after　murdering　his　son。







To　my　surprise；　he　agreed　with　me；　and　even　went　beyond　me；　in



rating　landscape　infinitely　below　religious　and　historical



painting；　saying　that　he　cared　for　landscape…painting　only　as



accessory　to　pictures　revealing　human　life。







Among　genre　pictures；　we　halted　before　one　representing　a　peasant



family　grouped　about　the　mother；　who；　with　a　sacred　picture　laid



upon　her　breast；　after　the　Russian　manner；　was　dying　of　famine。



This　also　seemed　deeply　to　impress　him。







We　stopped　next　before　a　picture　of　a　lady　of　high　birth　brought



before　the　authorities　in　order　to　be　sent；　evidently　against　her



will；　to　a　convent。　I　cited　the　similar　story　from　Manzoni's



〃Promessi　Sposi〃；　but；　to　my　surprise；　he　seemed　to　know　little



of　that　most　fascinating　of　historical　romances。　This　led　to　a



discussion　in　which　he　said　he　had　once　liked　Walter　Scott；　but



had　not　read　anything　of　his　for　many　years；　and　he　seemed



interested　in　my　statement　that　although　always　an　especial



admirer　of　Scott；　I　had　found　it　almost　impossible　to　induce　the



younger　generation　to　read　him。







Stopping　before　a　picture　of　Peter　the　Great's　fatal　conference



with　his　son　Alexis；　in　reply　to　my　remark　upon　the　marvel　that　a



prince　of　such　genius　as　Peter　should　have　appeared　at　Moscow　in



the　seventeenth　century；　he　said　that　he　did　not　admire　Peter；



that　he　was　too　cruel；administering　torture　and　death　at　times



with　his　own　hands。







We　next　halted　before　a　picture　representing　the　horrible



execution　of　the　Strelitzes。　I　said　that　〃such　pictures　prove



that　the　world　does；　after　all；　progress　slowly；　in　spite　of　what



pessimists　say；　and　that　in　order　to　refute　pessimists　one　has



only　to　refer　to　the　improvements　in　criminal　law。〃　To　this　he



agreed　cordially；　and　declared　the　abolition　of　torture　in



procedure　and　penalty　to　be　one　great　gain；　at　any　rate。







We　spoke　of　the　present　condition　of　things　in　Europe；　and　I　told



him　that　at　St。　Petersburg　the　opinion　very　general　among　the



more　thoughtful　members　of　the　diplomatic　corps　was　that　war　was



not　imminent；　that　the　Czar；　having　himself　seen　the　cruelties　of



war　during　the　late　struggle　in　the　Balkans；　had　acquired　an



invincible　repugnance　to　it。　He　acquiesced　in　this；　but　said　that



it　seemed　monstrous　to　him　that　the　peace　of　the　empire　and　of



Europe　should　depend　upon　so　slender　a　thread　as　the　will　of　any



one　man。







Our　next　walk　was　taken　across　the　river　Moskwa；　on　the　ice；　to



and　through　the　Kremlin；　and　as　we　walked　the　conversation　fell



upon　literature。　As　to　French　literature；　he　thought　Maupassant



the　man　of　greatest　talent；　by　far；　in　recent　days；　but　that　he



was　depraved　and　centered　all　his　fiction　in　women。　For　Balzac；



Tolstoi　evidently　preserved　admiration；　but　he　cared　little；



apparently；　for　Daudet；　Zola；　and　their　compeers。







As　to　American　literature；　he　said　that　Tourgueneff　had　once　told



him　that　there　was　nothing　in　it　worth　reading；　nothing　new　or



original；　that　it　was　simply　a　copy　of　English　literature。　To



this　I　replied　that　such　criticism　seemed　to　me　very　shallow；



that　American　literature　was；　of　course；　largely　a　growth　out　of



the　parent　stock　of　English　literature；　and　must　mainly　be　judged



as　such；　that　to　ask　in　the　highest　American　literature　something



absolutely　different　from　English　literature　in　general　was　like



looking　for　oranges　upon　an　apple…tree；　that　there　had　come　new



varieties　in　this　growth；　many　of　them　original；　and　some



beautiful；　but　that　there　was　the　same　sap；　the　same　life…current



running　through　it　all；　and　I　compared　the　treatment　of　woman　in



all　Anglo…Saxon　literature；　whether　on　one　side　of　the　Atlantic



or　the　other；　from　Chaucer　to　Mark　Twain；　with　the　treatment　of



the　same　subject　by　French　writers　from　Rabelais　to　Zola。　To　this



he　answered　that　in　his　opinion　the　strength　of　American



literature　arises　from　the　inherent　Anglo…Saxon　religious



sentiment。　He　expressed　a　liking　for　Emerson；　Hawthorne；　and



Whittier；　but　he　seemed　to　have　read　at　random；　not　knowing　at



all　some　of　the　best　things。　He　spoke　with　admiration　of　Theodore



Parker's　writings；　and　seemed　interested　in　my　reminiscences　of



Parker　and　of　his　acquaintance　with　Russian　affairs。　He　also



revered　and　admired　the　character　and　work　of　William　Lloyd



Garrison。　He　had　read　Longfellow　somewhat；　but　was　evidently



uncertain　regarding　Lowell；confusing　him；　apparently；　with　some



other　author。　Among　contemporary　writers　he　knew　some　of



Howells's　novels　and　liked　them；　but　said：　〃Literature　in　the



United　States　at　present　seems　to　be　in　the　lowest　trough　of　the



sea　between　high　waves。〃　He　dwelt　on　the　flippant　tone　of



American　newspapers；　and　told　me　of　an　interviewer　who　came　to



him　in　behalf　of　an　American　journal；　and　wanted　simply　to　know



at　what　time　he　went　to　bed　and　rose；　what　he　ate；　and　the　like。



He　thought　that　people　who　cared　to　read　such　trivialities　must



be　very　feeble…minded；　but　he　said　that　the　European　press　is；　on



the　whole；　just　as　futile。　On　my　attempting　to　draw　from　him　some



statement　as　to　what　part　of　American　literature　pleased　him



most；　he　said　that　he　had　read　some　publications　of　the　New　York



and　Brooklyn　Society　for　Ethical　Culture；　and　that　he　knew　and



liked　the　writings　of　Felix　Adler。　I　then　asked　who；　in　the　whole



range　of　American　literature；　he　thought　the　foremost。　To　this　he



made　an　answer　which　amazed　me；　as　it　would　have　astonished　my



countrymen。　Indeed；　did　the　eternal　salvation　of　all　our　eighty



millions　depend　upon　some　one　of　them　guessing　the　person　he



named；　we　should　all　go　to　perdition　together。　That　greatest　of



American　writers　wasAdin　Ballou！　Evidently；　some　of　the



philanthropic　writings　of　that　excellent　Massachusetts　country



clergyman　and　religious　communist　had　pleased　him；　and　hence　came



the　answer。







The　next　day　he　came　over　to　my　hotel　and　we　went　out　for　a



stroll。　As　we　passed　along　the　streets　I　noticed　especially　what



I　had　remarked　during　our　previous　walks；　that　Tolstoi　had　a



large　quantity　of　small　Russian　coins　in　his　pockets；　that　this



was　evidently　known　to　the　swarms　of　beggars　who　infest　the



Kremlin　and　the　public　places　generally；　and　that　he　always　gave



to　them。







On　my　speaking　of　this；　he　said　he　thought　that　any　one；　when



asked　for　money；　ought　to　give　it。　Arguing　against　this　doctrine；



I　said　that　in　the　United　States　there　are　virtually　no　beggars；



and　I　might　have　gone　on　to　discuss　the　subject　from　the



politico…economical　point　of　view；　showing　how　such



indiscriminate　almsgiving　in　perpetual　driblets　is　sure　to　create



the　absurd　and　immoral　system　which　one　sees　throughout



Russia；hordes　of　men　and　women　who　are　able　to　take　care　of



themselves；　and　who　ought　to　be　far　above　beggary；　cringing　and



whining　to　the　passers…by　for　alms；　but　I　had　come　to　know　the



man　well　enough　to　feel　sure　that　a　politico…economical　argument



would　slide　off　him　like　water　from　a　duck's　back；　so　I　attempted



to　take　him　upon　another　side；　and　said：　〃In　the　United　States



there　are　virtually　no　beggars；　though　my　countrymen　are；　I



really　believe；　among　the　most　charitable　in　the　world。〃　To　this



last　statement　he　assented；　referring　in　a　general　way　to　our



shipments　of　provisions　to　aid　the　famine…stricken　in　Russia。



〃But；〃　I　added；　〃it　is　not　our　custom　to　give　t