Tolstoy and Bryan

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In Chautauqua lectures and writings the American reaffirmed throughout his life Tolstoy’s creed of love and service. Cataloging Information: Names: William Jennings Bryan, Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy, Tsar Nicholas II, William Howard Taft, Woodrow Wilson, Charles Darwin, Clarence Darrow Place Names: Yasnaya Polyana, Russia; Dayton and Chattanooga, Tennessee Bryan’s Speeches and Books Discussed: The Prince of Peace; The Value of an Ideal; The Price of the Soul; The First Commandment; The Message from Bethlehem; Under Other Flags: Travels, Lectures, Speeches; The Old World and Its Ways Keywords: William Jennings Bryan, Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy, The Commoner, “cooling-off” treaty, League of Nations, Scopes Trial, Charles Darwin, Clarence Darrow, Chautauqua Photographs / Images: Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy (William Jennings Bryan, The Old World and Its Ways, 1907); Bryan, Tolstoy, and William Jennings Bryan Jr at Yasnaya Polyana (William Jennings Bryan, Under Other Flags: Travels, Lectures, Speeches, 1904); Bryan in front of The Commoner office in Lincoln, 1908; Secretary of State Bryan signing one of his “cooling-off” treaties with representatives of France, Great Britain, Spain, and China, September 15, 1914; Clarence S Darrow This article is about a Russi Seek·the tr ~ th and you will find unity."s American and about a Tolstoycpnsidered the laws of nations its interpretation. The meeting; • . to be capri~ioUs and a form of mental Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy and ~illiam slavery whencbmpared with "the Jennings Bryan, between aristo~i~{ ' single, eternal, truthful and general law statesman, was in Imperial Ru~siaJ ofGbd."p Tolstoy, then , preached a spiri young world of the open AmehcanMid: tual anarchist ethic. His philosophy was west encountered, for a mom~ nt ; the~· an ethos of nonresistance and love that old world of the Russian forests . wigtti@ ~""By'! Kenneth C Wenzer could equally move an impassioned be history of the spiritual influence of the liever, a secular radical, and even an ar Sage of Yasnaya Polyana as master on dent mainstream religious believer seek The Great Commoner as disciple. Only Tolstoy by now was a gigantic figure, an ing cures to the ills of society. the Bible was more important as spiri embodied moral conscience with many Bryan was among the many en tual inspiration for Bryan. For twenty followers. Admirers throughout the thralled by Tolstoy's appeal. For Bryan, five years, in Bryan's preaching and world sought his guidance, from the Tolstoy was "the intellectual giant of politics, in speech, in the written word, young Indian Mohandas Gandhi, then in Russia, the moral titan of Europe and and even over the airwaves, the Nebras South Africa, to the German poet Ranier the world's most conspicuous exponent kan came to personify the ideals of mil Maria Rilke. Tolstoy found his eternal of the doctrine of love."7 Evidence of lions of Americans; he also familiarized truths in the moral purity of Jesus' teach Bryan's attraction to Tolstoy's teachings them with the name of Tolstoy. ings, but it was a Jesus shorn of divinity can be found in the first issue of The Somewhat liberated from political and dogma. Commoner, which featured a scathing worries after his second presidential bid Tolstoy reinterpreted the Gospels, es quotation from Tolstoy condemning the in 1900, Bryan now had more time to pecially the Sermon on the Mount, as a imperialistic aggression of a hypocriti devote to other concerns, including message of human unity in love and cal, liberty-preaching American govern 8 spiritual values. For twenty-two years his nonviolence. 1 Love,he thought was a ment, backed by commercial forces. newspaper, The Commoner, reached way station between an earthly paradise The fourth issue praised Tolstoy's doc out to homes across the nation. The and a spiritual eternity. Tolstoy sought trine of love, brotherhood, and nonresis Commoner afforded an excellent ve the moral regeneration and perfection tance, and the fifteenth extolled him as hicle for a crusade for the passage of of man through an inward transforma a "heroic figure" and "one of the great positive legislation for a better govern tion.2 The eternal was to be sought in est men in history." A few weeks later, ment guided by a beneficent God. In the uncoerced ethical goodness of The Commoner lamented Tsar Nicholas 3 this, Bryan was reflective of a particular people, especially the toiling peasant. II's failure to respond to Tolstoy's appeal and recurrent variety of reformism, relat Transcendent perfection can follow to end tyranny and religious persecu ing progressive change to the reassertion from a simple life and the renunciation tion and to create happiness for the Rus of old virtues that reformers thought to of desire and of ego, from reaching out sian people.9 be under siege. from self and family to all humanity, all Desirous of seeing the Old World, 4 Bryan took inspiration from the Rus living creatures, the universe, and God. Bryan and his son William Jr. steamed sian nobleman Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy. "The world," Tolstoy taught, "is a huge off for Europe in late 1903.10 Despite temple in which light falls in the center. meetings with the British prime minister Kenneth C. Wenzer of Bowie, Maryland, is the All people who love light strive towards and the pope the prospect of meeting academic researcher for the Henry George it. .. Unity is attained only . .. when Tolstoy was more exciting. Traveling Foundation ofAmerica, a historian, and inventor [one] seeks not unity, but the truth .... across Europe, Bryan reached Russia. 140 Tolstoy and Bryan The Great Commoner, well enough light mare whose back bent like an arc known internationally in his own right, when he climbed up on her." 15 received an audience with Nicholas II. At this time Tolstoy was penning an Bryan boldly reminded the Tsar of All introduction to a biography of William the Russians of his promise to give a de Lloyd Garrison. He told of Bryan's play gree of self-government and free speech ing Devil's Advocate to Tolstoy's doc to his people. Nicholas diplomatically trine of nonresistance. Bryan asked responded that plans were being car whether force was not permissible for ried out for democratization and ex the sake of saving a child from a male pressed his continued friendship for the factor. The Russian responded that dur United States. I I ing his life he never met such a monster, But what was a mere emperor or but pope compared to the Sage of Yasnaya I have not seen ... the ending of one, but Polyana! At 1 A. M. on December 3 of millions of robbers, who have violated Bryan, his son, a correspondent, and a children, women, grown-ups, the elderly and all working people in the name of the translator stepped down from a mail permittable right of force . ... When I said train at Tula and immediately pro this, my dear interlocutor in his own quick ceeded to a hotel in piercing winter peculiar way of understanding, did not give me an argument, but smiling, recog· weather. At daybreak, they reached 16 Tolstoy's residence after a hazardous nized my reasoning with satisfaction . journey in a closed landau over a tortur Bryan actually cancelled another ap ous road. At Yasnaya Polyana the entou pointment with the Tsar to stay longer rage was escorted on a short tour of a with Tolstoy and did not leave until 11 peasant village. The contrast with P.M. Promising that he would someday American life amazed the Nebraskan. return with his wife, Mary, Bryan ex Afterwards Tolstoy, in peasant garb, claimed that this was "the most wonder greeted his guests. Bryan was described ful day in my life." Shortly thereafter, by one Russian eyewitness as c1ean Tolstoy wrote, shaven, affable, and energetic, but com With all my heart I wish you success in posed and resonant "like a bird singing your attempts to destroy the trusts and to on a branch." He won Tolstoy's immedi aid the laborers to enjoy the fruits of their toil; but I think that these are not the ma ate Iiking.12 Having expected to meet a jor goals in your life. The most important narrow politician, Tolstoy found "a thing is to know the will of God , i.e., to thoughtful serious man ... animated by know what He wishes, so th at we can ful· very lofty aspirations." It was odd, rumi fill it. I think that you are doing this and I wish you the greatest luck.17 nated Tolstoy, that "he can give his heart to political activity." 13 Tolstoy's words must have resonated Tolstoy never deviated from his powerfully with Bryan's deeply felt reli morning exercises, but a prolonged and gious convictions for this meeting with lively conversation in English about the the novelist was a watershed in his life.

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