ThisparticularRaskolnik，orOldBeliever，towhomTolstoitookme，wasaMuscovitemerchantofgreatwealth，livinginasuperbvillaontheoutskirtsofthecity，withalargeparkaboutit;
theapartments，forsizeandbeautyofdecoration，fitforaroyalpalace——theceilingscoveredwithbeautifulfrescos，andtheroomsfullofstatuesandpicturesbyeminentartists，mainlyRussianandFrench。Hewasamanofsomeeducation，possessedalargelibrary，lovedtoentertainscientificmenandtoaidscientificeffort，andmanagedtokeepongoodtermswithhismorefanaticalcoreligionistsononesideandwiththegovernmentontheother，sothatinemergencieshewasanefficientpeacemakerbetweenthem。Wefoundhimakindly，gentleoldman，withlong，whitehairandbeard，andheshoweduswithevidentpleasuretheprincipalstatuesandpictures，severaloftheformerbeingbyAntokolski，thegreatestcontemporaryRussiansculptor。Inthesumptuousdining—room，inwhichperhapsahundredpersonscouldsitattable，hedrewourattentiontosomefinepicturesofItalianscenesbySmieradsky，and，afterpassingthroughtheotherrooms，tookusintoacabinetfurnishedwiththerarestthingstobefoundintheOrientalbazaars。Finally，heconductedusintohisprivatechapel，where，ontheiconostas，——thescreenwhich，inaccordancewiththeGreekritual，standsbeforethealtar，——thesacredimagesoftheSaviourandvarioussaintswererepresentedsomewhatdifferentlyfromthoseintheRusso—GreekChurch，especiallyinthattheyextendedtwofingersinsteadofthree。TothisdifferenceI
calledhisattention，andheatoncebeganexplainingit。Soonhegrewwarm，andfinallyfervid。Saidhe:"Whydowemakethesignofthecross？WedoittocommemoratethecrucifixionofourblessedLord。Whatiscommemoratedatthecrucifixion？Thesacrificeofhistwonatures——thedivineandthehuman。Howdowemakethesign？Wemakeitwithtwofingers，thus"——accompaniedbyagesture。"Whatdoesthisrepresent？Itrepresentswhatreallyoccurred:thesacrificeofthedivineandthehumannatureofourLord。HowdotheOrthodoxmakeit？"Herehisvoicebegantorise。
"Theymakeitwiththreefingers"——andnowhisindignationburstallbounds，andwithatremendousgestureandalmostascreamofwrathhedeclared:"andeverytimetheymakeittheycrucifyafresheveryoneofthethreepersonsoftheholyandundividedTrinity。"
Theoldman’svoice，sogentleatfirst，hadsteadilyrisenduringthiscatechismofhis，inwhichhepropoundedthequestionsandrecitedtheanswers，untilthislastutterancecamewithanoutcryofhorror。Thebeginningofthiscatechismwasgivenmuchafterthemannerofaboyrecitingmechanicallytheponsasinorum，buttheendwaslikethetestimonyofanancientprophetagainstthesinswhichdoomedIsrael。
ThislastburstwasevidentlytoomuchforTolstoi。Hesaidnotawordinreply，butseemedwrappedinoverpoweringthought，andanxioustobreakaway。WewalkedoutwiththeoldRaskolnik，andatthedoorIthankedhimforhiskindness;buteventhere，andallthewaydownthelongwalkthroughthepark，Tolstoiremainedsilent。Aswecameintotheroadhesuddenlyturnedtomeandsaidalmostfiercely，"Thatmanisahypocrite;hecan’tbelievethat;heisashrewd，long—headedman;howcanhebelievesuchtrash？Impossible！"AtthisIremindedhimofTheodoreParker’sdistinctionbetweenmenwhobelieveandmenwho"believethattheybelieve，"andsaidthatpossiblyourRaskolnikwasoneofthelatter。Thischangedthesubject。HesaidthathehadreadParker’sbiography，andlikeditallsaveonething，whichwasthathegaveapistoltoafugitiveslaveandadvisedhimtodefendhimself。ThisTolstoicondemnedonthegroundthatwearenottoresistevil。ItoldhimoftheadviceIhadgiventoDobroluboff，averywinningRussianstudentatCornellUniversity，whenhewasreturningtoRussiatopractisehisprofessionasanengineer。ThatadvicewasthatheshouldbearinmindBuckle’sideaastotheagencyofrailwaysandtelegraphsinextendingbettercivilization，anddevotehimselftohisprofessionofengineering，withthecertaintythatitsultimateresultwouldbetoaidintheenlightenmentoftheempire;butnever，onanyaccount，toconspireagainstthegovernment;
tellinghimthathemightbesurethathecoulddofarmorefortheadvancementofRussianthoughtbybuildingrailwaysthanbyenteringintoanyconspiracieswhatever。Tolstoisaidtheadvicewasgood，butthathewouldalsohaveadvisedtheyoungmantospeakouthisideas，whatevertheymightbe。Hesaidthatonlyinthiswaycouldanyadvanceeverbemade;thatonemainobstacleinhumanprogressisthesuppressionoftherealthoughtsofmen。
Iansweredthatallthishadafinesound;thatitmightdoforCountTolstoi;butthatayoung，scholarlyengineerfollowingitwouldsoonfindhimselfinaplacewherehecouldnotpromulgatehisideas，——guardedbyCossacksinsomeremoteSiberianmine。
Hespokeofyoungprofessorsintheuniversities，oftheirdifficulties，andoftherisktotheirpositionsiftheyspokeoutatall。IaskedhimiftherewasanyliberalityorbreadthofthoughtintheRusso—GreekChurch。Heansweredthatoccasionallyapriesthadtriedtounitebroaderthoughtwithorthodoxdogma，butthateverysuchattempthadprovedfutile。
FromParkerwepassedtoLowell，andIagaintriedtofindifhereallyknewanythingofLowell’swritings。Heevidentlyknewverylittle，andaskedmewhatLowellhadwritten。Hethensaidthathehadnolikingforverse，andheacquiescedinCarlyle’ssayingthatnobodyhadeversaidanythinginversewhichcouldnothavebeenbettersaidinprose。
Adayortwolater，onanotherofourwalks，Iaskedhimhowandwhen，inhisopinion，adecidedadvanceinRussianlibertyandcivilizationwouldbemade。Heansweredthathethoughtitwouldcomesoon，andwithgreatpower。Onmyexpressingtheopinionthatsuchprogresswouldbetheresultofalongevolutionaryprocess，withaseriesofactionsandreactions，asheretoforeinRussianhistory，hedissented，andsaidthatthechangeforthebetterwouldcomesoon，suddenly，andwithgreatforce。
Aswepassedalongthestreetshewas，asduringourpreviouswalks，approachedbymanybeggars，toeachofwhomhegaveaslongashismoneylasted。Hesaidthathewasaccustomedtotakeaprovisionofcoppermoneywithhimforthispurposeonhiswalks，sinceheregardeditasadutytogivewhenasked，andhewentontosaythathecarriedtheideasofarthatevenifheknewthemanwantedthemoneytobuybrandyhewouldgiveittohim;butheaddedthathewoulddoallinhispowertoinducethemantoworkandtoceasedrinking。Idemurredstronglytoallthis，andextendedtheargumentwhichIhadmadeduringourpreviouswalk，tellinghimthatbysuchgivinghedidtwowrongs:
first，tothebeggarhimself，sinceitledhimtocringeandlieinordertoobtainasafavorthatwhich，ifhedidhisdutyinworking，hecouldclaimasaright;and，secondly，tosocietybyencouragingsuchamultitudetopreyuponitwhomightbegivingitaidandstrength;andIagaincalledhisattentiontothehordesofsturdybeggarsinMoscow。Heansweredthattheresultsofouractionsinsuchcasesarenotthemainthing，butthecultivationofproperfeelingsinthegiverisfirsttobeconsidered。
Ithenaskedhimabouthismanuallabor。Hesaidthathishabitwastoriseearlyandreadorwriteuntilnoon，thentotakehisluncheonandashortsleep，andafterthattoworkinhisgardenorfields。Hethoughtthisgoodforhimoneveryaccount，andhereinwefullyagreed。
OnourreturnthroughtheKremlin，passingtheheapsandrowsofcannontakenfromtheFrenchin1812，IaskedhimifhestilladheredtothelowopinionofNapoleonexpressedin"WarandPeace。"Hesaidthathedid，andmorethaneversincehehadrecentlyreadabookonNapoleon’srelationstowomenwhichshowedthathetookthelowestpossibleviewofwomankind。IthenaskedhimifhestilldeniedNapoleon’smilitarygenius。Heansweredthathecertainlydid;thathedidnotbelieveintheexistenceofanysuchthingasmilitarygenius;thathehadneverbeenabletounderstandwhatismeantbytheterm。Iasked，"HowthendoyouaccountfortheamazingseriesofNapoleon’ssuccesses？"Heanswered，"Bycircumstances。"Irejoinedthatsuchanexplanationhadthemerit，atleast，ofbeingshortandeasy。
Hethenwentontosaythatbattlesarewonbyforceofcircumstances，bychance，byluck;andhequotedSuvarofftothiseffect。HelikedLanfrey’s"HistoryofNapoleon"andTaine’sbookontheEmpire，evidentlybecausebotharedenunciatoryofmenandthingshedislikes，butsaidthathedidnotbelieveinThiers。
WecamefinallyundertheshadeofthegreattowerandintothegatewaythroughwhichNapoleonenteredtheKremlin;andtherewepartedwithaheartygood—bye。
Thequestionhasbeenaskedme，atvarioustimessince，whether，inmyopinion，Tolstoiisreallysincere;andallusionhasbeenmadetoabookpublishedbyaladywhoclaimstohavebeenincloserelationswithhisfamily，whichwouldseemtorevealatheatricalelementinhiswholelife。Tothismyanswerhasalwaysbeen，andstillis，thatIbelievehimtobeoneofthemostsincereanddevotedmenalive，amanofgreatgeniusand，atthesametime，ofverydeepsympathywithhisfellow—creatures。
Outofthischaracterofhiscomehistheoriesofartandliterature;and，despitetheirfaults，theyseemtomemoreprofoundandfar—reachingthananyputforthbyanyothermaninourtime。
Thereisinthem，forthecurrentcantregardingartandliterature，asound，sturdy，heartycontemptwhichbracesandstrengthensonewhoreadsorlistenstohim。Itdoesonegoodtohearhisquietsarcasmsagainstthewholefin—de—sieclebusiness——the"impressionism，"the"sensationalism，"thevaguefutilitiesofeverysort，the"greatpoets"wallowinginthemudofParis，the"greatmusicians"makingnighthideousinGermanconcert—halls，the"greatpainters"ofvariouscountriesmixingtheircolorswithasmuchfilthasthepolicewillallow。Hiskeenthrustsattheseincarnationsoffollyandobscenityinthelastquarterofthenineteenthcentury，andespeciallyatthosewhoseektohidethepovertyoftheirideasintheobscurityoftheirphrases，encourageonetothinkthatinthenextgenerationthedayofsuchpretenderswillbedone。Hisprophesyingagainst"artforart’ssake";hisdenunciationofartwhichsimplyministerstosensualpleasure;hisridiculeofartwhichcanbediscernedonlyby"peopleofculture";hisloveforartwhichhasasense，notonlyofitspower，butofitsobligations，whichputsitselfattheserviceofgreatandworthyideas，whichappealstomenasmen——inthisheisoneofthebestteachersofhistimeandoffuturetimes。
Yetherecomeinhisunfortunatelimitations。Fromhissubstitutionsofassertionforinference，andfromtheinadequacyofhisviewregardingsundrygrowthsinart，literature，andscience，arisesendlessconfusion。
ForwhowillnotbeskepticalastothevalueofanycriticismbyamanwhopourscontemptoverthepicturesofPuvisdeChavannes，stigmatizesoneofBeethoven’spurestcreati...完整阅读请扫描二维码下载丁香书院APP免费看：