Salt Lake Tribune | 1910-11-28 | Page 12 | Pays Tribute to Count Leo Tolstol

WS TRIBUTE TO COUNT LEO TOLSTOI The Rev. Mr. Bowerman Says Though Dead, He Yet'' Will Speak. The Rev. Louis S. l.owcrman, pastor of tho Immanuel Baptiot church, paid tribute to tho late Count Tolstoi in a forceful way Sunday evening. After giving giv-ing a history of Tolstoi's life, including his schooling and war record, from birth until hia excommunication vby the holy synod In 1301, on account or his beliefs, the llcv. Mr. Boworman spoke as folio fol-io wa; "In regard to (he wonderful literary ability of the man there can be no question. ques-tion. While not or tho bold, realistic school, his pen pictures revealed tho naked truth, for It was the truth he was ever trying to . make others see. The great change in his life, as he describes de-scribes it. camo in the year IS73. 'My Religion' Is well worth any man's reading. read-ing. You may not accept It all, but It will make you think. The change he oftr-n calls 'his conversion,' 'loving Iho things he hated and hating the things he loved.' It changed his ideals of life and tho world. "The fc-iTinon on the Mount camo to be the ideal for Tol.stol. and ho bogun to try to' live literally Us precepts. Tho great polula for him were charity flove), simplicity, humility, and non-reslHtancc. The la.sl he seemed to push to an nxlrcnic view, lie believed tho llfo or Jesus to be practical for every man. ami, if fully lived up lo I hero would not need to bo tho organized state, church and society as we now bavtr them. Neither would thoro need to be the courts, the armies, navies or ware. "To understand the man, we must understand un-derstand his environment. Russia Is not America we must look from the Russian standpoint. Most of the criticismsupon him fall because of this. We must remember re-member the oligarchy', the benurocracy. tho state church, rich and powerful, dead in the tradltlona and theology of thu dark ages.- careless and Indifferent as regarded' regard-ed' tho peasantry, many of the bLshopa and priests utterly unlit for their work. "Against all the sham and hypocrisy Tolstol'u soul was crying out. It was a cry for the simple and the humble. Tho elemental In tho poor was ever standing before him in conlrast with the show and the vanity of the upper classes, "The life and teachings of the man were a constant arraignment of the practical prac-tical hearllessness of the church of his youth. Under the circumstances wo do not wonder at the severe denunciation, studied In the light of conditions in Russia, Rus-sia, Tolstoi stands before tho world as a sago, the lover of the peasantry,. lils soul ycarplng for the simple and tho humble.' As such he profoundly has affected af-fected the life of Russia and bas wielded wield-ed a tremendous influence In Eurone. This will tell yet more and more In tho coming years. " 'Being dead he will yet speak.' "