Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 6, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 January 1911 — LAST FROM TOLSTOI [ARTICLE]

LAST FROM TOLSTOI

Says War Against Capital Punishment Needs No Forcing. Final Article Entitled "Effective. Means," and Wan Written by the Count in Optina Monastery, * November 11. St Petersburg.—From Vladimir Tschertkoff, literary agent of Count Tolstoi, the last article written by Tolstoi has been received. It is entitled “Effective Means,” And was ASg£ten v by Tolstoi in the Optina monastery, November 11, shortly aft % er he began his self-imposed exile* from home. The article was given out by M. Tschertkoff at the express wish of Count Tolstoy for dissemination to mankind. It says: "I am naturally anxious to do all l can against evil, which tortures the best spirits of our time. “I think the present effective war against capital punishment does not need forcing; there is no need for an expression of indignation against its immorality, cruelty and absurdity—every sincere thinking person, everybody knowing from youth the sixth commandment, needs no explanation of its absurdity and immorality; there is no need for descriptions of the horrors >4}f executions, as they only affect hangmen, so men will more unwillingly become executioners and governments will be obligfed to compensate them more dearly for their, service. “Therefore, I think that neither the expression of indignation against the murder of our fellowmen nor the suggestion of ltd horror is mainly needed, but something totally different. “As Kantwell says, there are delusions which cannot be disproved and we must con&punicate to the deluded mind the knowledge which will enlighten and then the delusions will banish by themselves. “What knowledge need we communicate to the deluded human mind regarding the indispensableness, usefulness or justice of capital punishment in order that said delusions may destroy itself?

“Such knowledge, in my opinion. Is this: “The knowledge of what is man, what his surrounding world, what his destiny—hence, what man can and must do and principally what he cannot and must not do. “Therefore we should oppose capital punishment by lnoulcating this knowledge to all men, and especially to the hangman’s managers and sympathizers who wrongfully think they are maintaining their position, thanks only to capital punishment. “I know this is not an easy task. The employers and approvers ol hangmen with the instinct of selfpreservation feel this knowledge will make impossible the maintenance

of the position whieh they occupy, hence not only will they themselves not adopt it, but by all means In their power—by violence, deceit, lies and cruelty—they will try to hide from the people this knowledge, distorting it and exposing its disseminators to all kinds of privations and suffering. “Therefore if we readily wish to destroy the delusion of capital punishment and if we possess the knowledge which destroys this delusion let us, in spite of all menaces, deprivations and sufferings, teach the people this knowledge, because it is solely the effective means Jn the fight. "LEO TOLSTOI, “Optina Monastery. November 11.”