210
TOLSTOY AND LAND.
"
1.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
11
-such a man, to TOLSTOY, is "living badly.' This, however, is taking us too far from the starting point.
Nor in TOLSTOY B
come
A mere
It was an
(Daily Press, 25th March.)
It should not be necessary to demonstrate Give a man a big name, and hang upon
how essential the ownership of land is; how his words as if they
it is as old as the land itself; and how, if were uniformly oracular. So might we paraphrase the analogies be permitted from the animal What dog-hanging adage, after trying to digest kingdom, it is older even than man. the "manifesto to the world which the
is more to the purpose is to show that if TOLSTOY's dream were realised to-morrow, Standard tells us that crazy old dreamer, LEO TOLSTOY, is about to issue. His
the present and natural order would be For land worth advice to his downtrodden compatriots, resumed the day after. not to resort to violent methods of redress-owning is not like air and sunshine; it ing their grievances, is theoretically good, represents labour; and after TOLSTOY has and may be approved, although it did not tilled his square yard of land and made it seem to be heeded by those it was meant to productive he is not going to have any edify. His platitudes about the need of a
other Russian come along and tell him that spread of education are sound in the same
any sort of property in land is immoral. conventional way, and will receive conven-
son afterwards, when tional approval;
and there is no need here that young man inherits it, nor the man to
whom it is sold. Of course, when we to re-open the 'philosophic doubt
to contemplate the enclosure, as thereanent which was shared by HERBERT, SPENCER It is particularly with regard private park, of thousands of acres of land in some country where there is not enough land to go round, we see something that seems wrong; but where are we going to draw the line f One man tills and prospers, and in time acquires his lazy neighbour's plot. The lazy man did not want it. embarrassing possession, constantly calling bim to work and he preferred the cash with which to make merry "in a far country." Somebody stays at home to make the land productive while the prodigal's nwxy. Is there to be a re-division every time the prodigals return! Supposing, as in some Russian places, the Commune be- came the collective owner of village lands, The villager who works and makes land productive is only a tenant, just as much as if he were paying rent to an individual The villager who does not work, and cannot pay, will be deprived of laud by Lis Commune just as he is now by the Nobles whose "immoral" ownership of
There actually was land continues. TOLSTOYAN sort of re-distribution in the reign of ALEXANDER II, by which twenty million peasants were made lauded pro- prietors, their average holdings (per family) being about twenty-two acres, less in the congested, rich soil parts, and more in the less fertile districts. They had to pay for it, at a reasonable, fixed rate, in moderate
many instalments spread over
spoiled ALEXANDER's fine
•
to TOLSTOY's dementations as to the owner- ship of land that the following comments Lave concern.
He advises the workmen of the world that what they chiefly require is free land upon which they can live, and from which they can draw their livelihood. To secure it, he advises them to desist from supporting the iniquity of landed pro- perty by working the lands owned by landlords, or even by renting them." This advice, palatable to an Irish Feninn, and perhaps applauded by those who are accustomed to hail fads with unthinking enthusiasm, should startle even the most loyal Tolstoyists into sanity. When they have got this free land, they must not, le tells them, regard it as their private pro- perty. "It is not necessary to recognise the rights of anybody in landed property, even if it consist of only one square yard." Land, he adds, must be recognised as the common property of all men, like the warmth of the sun and the air. What anarchy, and what wousense! NORDAU describes TOLSTOY
"mystical de generate, meaning that he is a mentally unbalanced dreamier. Even M. de Vooug
28 a
landlord.
Landowners
an ardent admirer of TOLSTOY, speaks of his "troubled, vacillating mind, steeped in the mists of Nihilism," that occasionally plunges him "into the abyss of philosophical contradic- tions," which is another way of saying that TOLSTOY has a great intellect, but lacks the faculty of attention.
dream by offering, as TOLSTOY's philo- sophy is a compound of Buddhism and Christianity the individual is nothing; the species is everything." A good many of his admirers like to profess the same thing; it sounds noble; but precious few of them dream of putting it into practice.
44
years.
au alternative to the
a
gradual purchase of a twenty acre allot- ment, a free gift of five acres, and numerous prodigals" jumped at this, as such people always will. Population increases, but an acre remains an acre all the time, and these Russian pesants soon found that the
[April 3, 1905. ings troubles those who have more practical tasks in hand.
AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY.
(Daily Press 27th March)
The change which has of late years come over American foreign policy and now forms an important feature in political relations in all parts of the world, will become a feature to be especially considered in regard to questions arising in the Far East. The influence of the United States in matters relating to China has always been very considerable; but its effect was to some extent diminished by the traditional policy
f the United States which was averse to
taking any direct part in questions which did not directly affect either the United States themselves or at least some part of the American continent. It was considered, and under the circumstances existing in earlier days, wisely considered, that the better serve her United States would interests by directing her attention to home affairs; and that she would have enough to occupy ber in the development of the magnificent country placed under her sway. A change, however, in this view was forced It became upon her by circumstances. apparent with the Cuban difficulty and the consequent war with Spain, and has since been still further emphasised by America having to assume the responsibility of the Government of a distant dependency such as Manila. The events which have led up to this change in fact form an interesting object lesson as to impossibility of any nation continuing long to confine itself to mere internal development. By degrees, she wished it or not, whether America became forced to concern herself matters of foreign very intimately with
in which it has now become policy; recognised that she will form a factor of much importance, which importance is likely to increase largely in the future, and more particularly in regard to foreign policy in the Far East.
It is a mistake to imagine that foreign
game
politics were not a salient consideration with American Statesmen. They have always been most carefully considered, but bave not been brought forward too pro- minently as anything like needless inter- ference in matters outside the country was not likely, in face of old traditions, to form a popular "platform." In China, American influence upon political questions has always been of marked importance; and has had much to do with the drift of foreign
The Burlin- relations of late years.
it Mission, unpopular though
Even TOLSTOT, in his retirement, has not
millennium had not arrived. Then, accord- was at the time, has proved to have been the first step towards a marked improve- shown the self-abnegation that he preaches ing to the historians, the seeds of uihilism to the Russian peasant. Surely the most
were sown. So despondency and discontentment in China's relations with the outside bigosted of religious people will disbelieve would follow TOLSTOY's plan, for while him when he says that " people are badly human nature is so varied, it is impossible to off only because they live badly" (.e. im- make all men equal "by Act of Parliament.' morally) for they know that its corollary The fact remains that the man who toils people are always well off who live well and cultivates, feeds his family, and pay. is not true in fact. That truth of experience his rent, and sleeps sound o' nights, withou, is them a divine mystery, and one of the trying to put his feeble spoke iu the wheel noblest and most poetic expressions of it of evolution, is of more use in the world may be found in the book of Jos. To than all the TOLSTOYs that ever wished to TOLSTOY the honest fellow who lives and pall everything to pieces and begin anew. loves and laughs beneath the sun, asking It is foolish to say that this involves the no questions, thanking
blaming gospel of things as they are. Nobody, content like those people of whom difference between the act of building on a WALT WHITMAN uttered his only one great rock, and the act of trying to sweep Britain and Japan, and of all who hope for thought:
back the tide. Man has been able to direct the establishment of a stable state of affairs as to China, both internally and externally, "They do not swet and whine about their the lightning's course, but no AJAX-TOLSTOY
⚫ ndition;
combination will ever stop its career.
Un- such, in fact as will give due opportunity They don t lie awake in the dark and weep for fortunately, the ignorant and the impres. for the furtherance of progress and the sionable believe them when they say they development of sound commercial enter- can, and much time is wasted in useless prise. The worrying, and the noise of their complain-treaty between Japan and the United
*
their sins.
and
Not one is respectable or unhappy over the
whele earth.”
There is a
world. It was the first attempt to establish diplomatic relations on the same footing as other nations; and now a Chinese Ambas- sador or Minister at all the important foreign capitals is a recognised institution, and one which has assisted in many in- stances in smoothing over difficulties which might otherwise have attained dangerous
dimensions. In the future there can be no doubt that the policy of the United States will have a marked influence on the course of events in these parts; and in the main it will run on all fours with that of Great
rumour that 80 arbitration