RUSSIA'S JEWISH PEOPLE 93 



a Christian. Upon receiving an emphatic "yes" for 

 answer, he asked him how he could reconcile Christ's 

 teaching of love and forgiveness with his own thirst 

 for revenge ? He replied that patriotism is as necessary 

 as Christianity, and both must be cherished alike, 

 even if, at times, they are diametrically opposed to 

 each other. Striking an attitude, he added, 'In 

 church, I am a Christian, in politics I am a French 

 patriot !' : 



Together they proceeded into the fields, where they 

 came across a peasant. Tolstoy stopped him, and, 

 calling him by name, told him that his guest wanted him 

 and all the Russians to help France to fight Germany. 

 " Fight for what?" asked the peasant. "To get two 

 provinces back,' 1 answered Tolstoy, l< which France 

 lost a quarter of a century ago. ' The peasant stared 

 at the stranger, and finally, turning to Tolstoy, asked, 

 ' Is he a fool or does he think we are fools, " and away 

 he went. "Who was the wiser of the two,' Tolstoy 

 asked me," the simple-minded, simply clothed, labour- 

 bronzed, unlettered Moujik, or the well-fed, well- 

 groomed, white-skinned politician, with a silk hat, 

 long coat of latest cut, and patent-leather shoes? 

 That peasant's answer was the voice of the people; 

 the politician's was the serpent's voice. As the peas- 

 ant spoke, so think the people in their hearts, until 

 the serpent's tongue beguiles them into doing what 

 they would never think of doing were they following 

 the bidding of their conscience. 



'If patriotism is as innate as is generally claimed,' 1 

 continued Tolstoy, " why do nations go to such trouble 



