M. Maria Shakhova

Comrade Kamenev!

I have been thinking for quite some time about our conversation (with you, Stalin and Zinoviev) about Vneshtorg and the line of Krasin and Sokolnikov.

My conclusion is that Krasin is certainly right. We cannot now retreat further from the monopoly foreign trade, than what Lezhava offered and offers in his theses. Foreigners will otherwise buy up and take out everything of value.

Sokolnikov is making a gigantic mistake both here and in all his work, which will surely ruin us if the Central Committee does not correct his line in time and does not achieve the actual implementation of the corrected line. This mistake is abstraction, passion for the scheme (which Sokolnikov always sinned as a talented journalist and an addicted politician). Example: Sokolnikov proposes a draft decree on the import of food from abroad into Russia. And in passing in the decree he says: “guarantees” are especially special (that is, guarantees that the valuables exported from Russia in exchange for supposedly food will really and entirely go to food).

This is downright childish!

The whole crux of the issue is in guarantees, and Sokolnikov “puts aside” the crux, getting off with a phrase or a good wish.

What are the real guarantees?

Consider what this means:

428 V. I. LENIN

1) I want to buy for 100,000 rubles. food gold abroad. Am I depositing this amount with the State Bank as collateral?

Then red tape (if we don't "teach" Vneshtorg and Co. to stop red tape) will remain the same.

Sokolnikov's project proved that our dear, talented and most valuable comrade Sokolnikov knows nothing about the practice of trade. And he will destroy us if he is given a move.

The biggest mistake is to think that NEP put an end to terror. We will return to terror and economic terror.

Foreigners are already buying up our officials with bribes and "taking out the remnants of Russia." And they'll take it out.

Monopoly is a polite warning: my dears, the moment will come, I will hang you for this.

Foreigners, knowing that the Bolsheviks are not joking, take this seriously.

1) in no case undermine the monopoly of foreign trade;

2) to accept Lezhava's theses tomorrow;

3) immediately publish (we have lost the darkness of time) on behalf of the Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee a firm, cold, ferocious statement that we are not retreating further in the economy and that those who attempt to cheat us (or circumvent the monopoly, etc.) will meet with terror; do not use this word, but “subtly and politely hint” at this.

If this is not done through the Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, it can be done differently (my letter? This is worse!), but also quickly necessary. Then, an example for you.

Moskgubekoso offers to buy canned food (or food in general) for sovrubli. They talk to Vneshtorg for two weeks. He is against it.

Deal failed.

LETTER TO L. B. KAMENEV 429

Give rights to Gubecoso? This means “duplicating” bad Foreign Trade with bad Foreign Trade, of which 90% will buy capitalists.

The conclusion is different: to abandon the game of decrees (there was a necessary a strip of propaganda by decrees; this was necessary for the success of the revolution. It's gone).

Not a shadow of confidence in either the decrees or the institutions. Just check the practice and school for the red tape.

This is the only thing that should be done smart people. And plant for the rest ... the rest.

I would suggest: to instruct the Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee to immediately adopt the following resolution:

In view of the disgrace with red tape on a deal (such and such) on the purchase of food for sovrubls, order the State Political Administration (should be scared!) find those responsible for the red tape and imprison those working in Moskgubekoso for 6 hours and those working in Vneshtorg for 36 hours (of course, except for members of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee: after all, we have almost parliamentary immunity).

Then instruct the press to make fun of both and spit on them. For the shame here lies precisely in the fact that Muscovites (in Moscow!) did not know how to deal with red tape. For this you need to beat with a stick.

“We didn’t know how” to give telephone messages:

“Good deal. We demand a response from Vneshtorg in 3 hours. A copy to Molotov for the Central Committee, Tsyurupe and Yenukidze for the Council of People's Commissars and the All-Russian Central Executive Committee.

No response after 3 hours? The same 4 lines of complaint on the phone.

And idiots walk and talk for two weeks! For this it is necessary rot in jail rather than create exceptions. Muscovites for stupidity for 6 hours of bedbugs. Foreign traders for stupidity plus "central responsibility" for 36 hours of bedbugs.

So, and only so learn necessary. Otherwise, the Soviet workers, both local and central, will not learn. We cannot trade freely: this is the death of Russia.

We can and will learn how to convert our chinodrals into bonuses: from a transaction such and such a percentage (a fraction of a percent) is for you, and for not doing it - a prison.

430 V. I. LENIN

And change people in the NKVT. The same is true of our state trusts, where "at the head" are holy members of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee and "famous" communists, who are led by the nose by businessmen.

An order to the NKFin: either you will be able to expel these holy communists from the state trusts through the State Bank (I don’t give a loan; I sue for delay, for inefficiency, etc.) or your entire NKF and the State Bank are useless, just chatter and playing papers.

N. N. StrakhovLetter to L. N. Tolstoy, September 17, 1891// [Tolstoy L. N., Strakhov N. N.] L. N. Tolstoy - N. N. Strakhov: Complete Correspondence / Ottawa University. Slavyan. research. Group; State. Museum of Leo Tolstoy; Comp. Gromova L. D., Nikiforova T. G.; Ed. Donskov A. A. - [M.; Ottawa], 2003 . -- S. 876--879. http://feb-web.ru/feb/tolstoy/texts/selectpe/ts6/ts72876-.htm

Just now I had Hansen 2 and was talking about your letter, invaluable Lev Nikolaevich. A very nice person. About a week ago he himself came to meet me, and immediately explained to me his worship of you, Kierkegaard, Bjornson 3 , Ibsen 4 . However, when asked about Kierkegaard's teachings, he answered vaguely. Now he is very upset by your review of Ibsen. By his mercy I read two dramas: Hedda Gabler and ghosts 6. They are read with the greatest interest, but the impression is very vague - I have. A couple of days ago I was at Hansen's, drinking tea with his wife 7 - and I liked everything - a small wife, a small apartment, a small library. He wants to translate my article 8 about you into Danish. This article finally appeared without any cuts. Only the editors added a psychological study to the title, for which I reprimanded N. Ya. Grot. Yes on page 117. 6th line from the bottom instead of famous printed by mistake confessional. There is only one consequence of the appearance of the article so far - the Rector of the 9th Moscow Theological Academy sent me his brochure Conversations on the Superiority of the Orthodox Understanding of the Gospel in Comparison with the Teachings of L. Tolstoy, 2nd edition 10 . There is no letter, and I have not yet read these Conversations. Now it's your turn - I'm talking about a philosophical journal - maybe he placed my article in order to fawn over you. I told Grotto that you are giving him First step eleven ; he was very pleased and took my word that I would ask you to give them this article. And I ask very earnestly - the magazine will be of great benefit. There is something strange in this Moscow philosophy. What is it - serious or not? One thing can be said, what Govorukha noticed, that whatever it is, this philosophy, and it is generally opposed to materialism and positivism, is an important matter for us. However, I began to read Lopatin with zeal. Law of Causation and little by little he became discouraged - the book falls out of his hands. Meanwhile, Vl. Solovyov. He released national question(Issue 1, 3rd edition and Issue 2), where he also reprinted all the articles against me. His short friend relayed to me his words that in twenty-four places he softened expressions that were offensive to me. Moreover, in news 12 he published an article about questions philosophy in which he praises me very much. What do you say to that? He flirts again - however, I do not deny his kindness, combined with slyness. The main thing is that, according to all literary calculations and rules, I should certainly answer his book, write several pages of at least the most general reasoning. How do you ignore a book that has three editions? To whom and to write about it, if not me? And I don't want fear. Of my various topics, I settled on the article I started The purpose of life and above all else I think of finishing her. We parted ways with Stakheev. It's been a week since I've had an incomparable silence, and it's so good that I wouldn't look for a roommate if I only had enough money to pay one. Touchingly Stakheev spoke about the death of his wife 13 . " Last years we were so happy with her that even fear attacked us, as if something had not changed. "These, obviously, are the years when she received an inheritance from her father and stopped painfully worrying about the means of life. He knew in advance that the disease was fatal "But since he believes in immortality, he did not feel fear, he sat calmly for 30 days at the bedside of his wife and even calmly saw how she died. A few minutes after that, he fell asleep and slept for 12 or 15 hours in a row. But when he woke up, he was seized by that grief from which he is still torn. More than once a day he begins to cry and sob. Now he extols the deceased with praises - and in fact I knew many virtues in her: intelligence, directness, generosity and childlike purity. At the age of 16, we never quarreled. Now I have returned from a memorial service for Goncharov. 14 The crowd, especially young girls. He was ill for a week, first with diarrhea (he ate too many pears), and then weeks and from Petersburg sheet. I felt sad, looking at this zeal, at young faces. Here, after all, is an expression of love for enlightenment, for literature, an abstract love, a good feeling that seeks an object for itself; they bury not Goncharov, but the famous writer in general. It was only yesterday, when I visited OA Golokhvastova, that I found out that Professor Koyalovich, whom I respect very much and who is two or three years younger than me, has died. More and more I am overcome by the feeling that the earth is slipping away from under my feet, that people around me are disappearing one after another, that everything passes and only God remains. Forgive me! God bless you! During this visit, although you were twice ill in my presence, I saw that your strength was completely restored, and God forbid that this continues. My great respect to Sofya Andreevna, Tatyana Lvovna and Maria Lvovna. I will soon begin to visit Tatyana Andreevna here, which I rejoice in advance.

Your ever loyal
N. Strakhov

_________________________

1 Published for the first time. 2 Ganzen Peter Gottfridovich (Peter Emmanuel Hansen) (1846--1930) - translator, publicist, writer and teacher. Danish by nationality, accepted Russian citizenship. The author of the article "Five days in Yasnaya Polyana (In April 1890)" - "Historical Bulletin" (1917, No 1). He translated Tolstoy and Goncharov into Danish and many Scandinavian writers into Russian. 3 Bjornson Bjornstern Martinus (Bjørnstjerne Martinus Bjørnson) (1832--1910) - Norwegian writer, social and theatrical figure. 4 Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (1828--1906) -- Norwegian playwright. Both Ibsen and Bjornson are among the so-called "Four Greats" of Norwegian literature. 5 In a letter to Hansen dated September 14, 1891, Tolstoy wrote: “... I read all of his [Ibsen’s] dramas, and his poem Brand, which I had the patience to read, are all invented, false and even very badly written in the sense that all characters are unfaithful and not sustained. His reputation in Europe only proves the terrible poverty of creative power in Europe. Whether Kierkegaard and Bjornson, although they are different in the type of writing, both still have the main quality of the writer - sincerity, ardor, seriousness. Seriously think and say what they think and say ... "(PSS, T. 66, p. 45). 6 Ibsen's plays translated by P. Hansen. 7 Ganzen (nee Vasilyeva) Anna Vasilievna (1869--1936) - translator. In 1888 she married Hansen, from whom she learned Danish, and then Swedish and Norwegian. Since 1890, she helped her husband translate Scandinavian authors into Russian. 8 "Talk about Leo Tolstoy". 9 Anthony (in the world Alexey Pavlovich Khrapovitsky) (1864--1936) - a well-known church leader and writer. In 1890 he received the rank of archimandrite and rectorship, first at the St. Petersburg Theological Seminary, and a few months later - at the Moscow Theological Academy. 10 Anthony, archimandrite. Conversations about the superiority of the Orthodox understanding of the Gospel in comparison with the teachings of L. Tolstoy. Ed. 2nd (St. Petersburg, Society for the Propagation of Religious and Moral Education in the Spirit of the Orthodox Church, 1891). 11 Tolstoy's article on vegetarianism, written instead of a preface to the Russian translation of Howard Williams' The Ethics of Diet (London, 1883). It was published in the journal "Problems of Philosophy and Psychology" (1892, No. 13), pp. 109--144. 12 "News and Stock Exchange Newspaper" is a daily socio-political newspaper of a liberal direction. Published in Petersburg by O. K. Notovich (1847-1914). 13 Lyubov Konstantinovna Stakheeva. 14 Ivan Aleksandrovich Goncharov died on September 15, 1891.

Nun MARIA (ELIZAVETA SHAKHOVA)

OPEN LETTER
Count Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy *)

*) FROM THE EDITORIAL OF "Novorossiysk Telegraph": Respecting the talent of gr. L.N. T-go and understanding the religious motives of our famous artist, which forced him to write a confession and other works in which he expresses the moral torments he experienced over the resolution of certain issues affecting the mystery of the afterlife, the editors do not consider themselves entitled to refuse to print this open letter, despite its subjective nature, knowing that in the life of our colleague and Count Tolstoy there is much in common and that the frank word of the writer, perhaps, will lead Count Tolstoy on the trail to unraveling the truths he is looking for.
Ed. [Novorossiysk Telegraph]

Deeply revered, Count Lev Nikolaevich!
For a long time, for several years, with ardent sympathy, until the heart sinks, one unknown hermit in the far north, follow the internal upheaval that is taking place in your multi-talented soul, as far as it is possible in her solitude. Rumors reached my semi-reclusive cell about your "confession" going from hand to hand and arousing conflicting rumors in society. Then I read in Prince Meshchersky's "The Citizen" a "rebuke" against her by our late writer Ms. Sokhanskaya (Kokhanovskaya). Regarding, precisely, this ardent rebuke, some pious people began to contact me, from among my acquaintances, in writing, with questions, even with convictions, to speak out for or against the “denunciations” of the zealot of piety. With attention and, at the same time, with impartiality, I re-read more than once the fiery outpouring of the pious soul of our venerable writer, and - deeply thought: not over her impetuous denials of your denial, your mental ferment (in which I noticed a lot of nervous excitement, incapable of having a beneficial effect on the denounced ), but over the very nature of such fermentation. Something familiar stirred in my heart as I parsed the delusions against which the accuser armed herself. “It would not be necessary to attack a brother,” I thought, “but to help him!”

Obviously, the attacking zealot of piety herself has never been subjected to such a mental struggle, such moral languor, as you suffer to this day, our worthy respected and worthy famous chronicler! Scourging you with the sayings of St. Scriptures and exhortations to know the truth, when it is still hidden from you under the cover of spiritual ignorance, means to condemn you, and not to sympathize with you. Only God alone can remove this dense veil, shed the light of revelation on the inner vision of the perplexed, as He alone could open the eyes of the blind-born - by touching these eyes with His creative right hand. Until the mysterious miracle of the opening of the eyes of the soul takes place, it is in vain to explain by eloquence the splendor of the radiance of the sun of truth.
“Creations belong to the Creator,” one of our contemporary ascetic writers expressed. "He is their sovereign Lord and redeemer!" "To him belongs: both their salvation and the very means of their salvation."
In the history of the Christian Church, in the biographies of the saints and its glorified ascetics, there are many examples of the diversity of the ways of God's providence, in the many different types of conversion of the erring and most desperate denials of the Gospel truth. Not equal were the ways of calling the apostles of Christ themselves. The chief of them, Peter, was content with his brother's indication of the coming Messiah in order to believe in Christ. But the future "teacher of the peoples", the chosen vessel of the Holy Spirit, Paul, needed the miraculous appearance of the Lord Jesus himself, in a visual vision, with a temporary defeat of blindness, before believing. The hard-to-explain persistence of Thomas, to believe the resurrection of Christ from the dead, according to one testimony of reliable witnesses about him, was not condemned by the Lord-Seer of the Heart: on the contrary, He allowed the doubting disciple to be tangibly convinced of what his inquisitive mind, not yet illuminated by revelation, could not comprehend, and St. the church called Fomino's unbelief - blessed!
“It is inconvenient for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven,” the Savior said, when “a certain man,” boasting before him of the fulfillment of all the Old Testament commandments, walked away, having heard from him a new commandment of self-denial, which he, who possessed
an estate to many,” seemed unbearably heavy. According to some St. of the Fathers of the Eastern Church, by the word “many possessions” one should understand more than one material wealth, which stumbles, by addiction to it, the achievement of the kingdom of heaven. It is difficult, if not even more difficult, for a multi-talented person enriched with versatile knowledge to renounce the arbitrariness of his broadly developed, self-confident mind and subdue it into obedience to the spiritual law - the teachings of Christ. According to the natural concept, according to our multi-passionate human nature - pride, this is positively impossible, and depart from Christ - the Ascetic of self-denial - rich and strong in natural mind and many gifts, with sorrow, with spiritual anguish - longing for God!
O! This longing is a mental boa, in the words of ascetic writers, more fierce than all mental suffering: this is longing for the homeland, recognized by science as one of the incurable, deadly ailments, if it is impossible for the sufferer to escape from a foreign land! Such is the longing of the soul for its spiritual homeland, longing for God - the eternal beginning of eternal life. She can be deadly! At the very least, it sometimes leads to despair and determination to cease to exist. Is this state of mind familiar to you, dear man in our country? It was familiar to me, the most insignificant blade of grass, once, long ago, very long ago, green in the field of Russian literature! ..
But - yourself aside. I will touch only in part on such a message from my inner life, which can catch your attention.
Why, however, do not all gifted people feel in themselves this irresistible, dreary languor, which grows in others to the point of illness of the spirit? Isn't that why, one must conclude, why not everyone who is far from their homeland yearns for it in the same way? Others calmly get along in a foreign land, assimilate with its customs, and not only forget about their homeland, but even treat it with hostility. So it is in the state of mind: some exceptional people, although often unconsciously, are not satisfied with any benefits, revolving in a region alien to their spiritual nature. God looks down on the souls that feel such dissatisfaction with everything that is subject to their vision: these souls are especially dear to Him, as gifted from him with a great perception of divine light. He always approaches such souls, knocks on the door of their sensitive heart and patiently waits for them to sense His coming and open this mysterious door wide for Him... grace, as an arbitrary sacrifice, without coercion.
Such quiet, wonderful knocks are heard by you too, Count Lev Nikolayevich! They clearly echo in many places, through the pages of your excellent creations! They resounded even more insistently recently, in your significant dream, reprinted from the Nedelya newspaper, in No. 3496 of Novoye Vremya for November 20 AD. It was this dream that prompted me at last - already urgently - to turn to you with an open message, through the press! Your address is unknown to the hermit: yes, and I value my desire to help you too much in order to write for good luck, and risk getting my letter back, unopened.
The conclusion of your dream is especially remarkable: ... “There is a pillar in my head, and the firmness of this pillar is not subject to any doubt, despite the fact that there is nothing to stand on this pillar. Then, a loop was drawn from the pillar, somehow cunningly and simply together, and if you lie on this loop with the middle of your body and look up, then there can’t even be a question about falling. All this was new to me, and I was glad and calm. And, as if, someone says to me: "Look, remember this ...".
Your dream, count, is not the fruit of a painful fantasy: such a dream is from God: The last advice was suggestion, the voice of your Guardian Angel, the vigilant guardian of the Christian soul - until it leaves the body! But, having no right to introduce myself to you as the new Joseph the dream interpreter, I ask you to pay attention to my following autobiographical memoirs. Perhaps in them you will find something corresponding to your state of mind at a time when your soul was seized with longing for your spiritual homeland.
In my soul, this vague feeling, aching at the heart, began to manifest itself very early, from the very first years of the heyday of life, but I did not understand it. In the dark frame of a printed message, I will have to jump through all the complex circumstances
of my life, shortening my account of myself, and I will only say that it was not circumstances, but precisely this feeling that drove me to a monastery at the age of 23, due to dissatisfaction with earthly joys, much less those benefits to which I then had, if not already rights, those are very lucrative hopes. The transience, to the point of elusiveness, of earthly consolations has always poisoned my fascination with them: my soul has always lacked something, it has been looking for something more complete, essential, higher... above the ceremonial ordinances in which I was brought up. Often I yearned among worldly pleasures; - then I suddenly cut off ties with society and gave myself up to my poetic inspiration, my thoughts and dreams, eagerly read both literary and scientific works, Russian and foreign, of that time (1838-1845), confining myself to my home solitude. Some of my fame in the literary circle of that time did not flatter me much either ... Sometimes melancholy reached the point of pain. Finally, I decided to enter a monastery, hoping to satisfy the needs of my spirit in the life of a hermit. During the first year of my new beginning, I seemed to feel comforted. The thought - that I found myself in the assembly of earthly angels, my participation in the choir, as a horseman and reader, the spiritual poetry of church hymns, delighted me. It seemed to me that I was already on the eve of heaven, and as if the sky was opening up to me... My soul eagerly penetrated to the depths of the spiritual mind in the hymns of the church, the meaning of which, it seemed to me, began to become clearer to me more and more fully. In the monastery, where I spent three years of my new command, the choir of winged women was exemplary. Unfortunately, they soon deprived me of the consolation of participating in the choir and gave me the obedience of a clerk. Submitting my position mechanically, albeit in good faith, I got bored. Coming more often into contact with the society around me, I involuntarily began to look around me, and, having no real, experienced guidance in spiritual life, gradually fell into despondency. The infirmities and weaknesses of my neighbors grew in my darkened imagination to the point that I began to be tempted by them, to condemn them within myself, and to be disappointed in the hope of finding in monasticism that which attracted me to it. The rules for the church and for the cell began to seem to me one bothersome ritual, I began to be weary of them, and, by the end of the third year, my state of mind became unbearable ... Doubts surrounded my mind, not giving me peace day or night, tormenting me insomnia. .. I came to despair, to doubt in the existence of God. When I came to such a terrible conclusion, I stopped at the thought: “- If evil is widespread in the world, in this turbulent sea of ​​life, you can still get away from it, take refuge in the piers that I revered monasteries ... But here I am in the pier, and did not find the longed-for peace! .. Where and in what is salvation? Where is the God who gives peace to the souls who seek it? If there is no God, not a single day is worth living!” and - she decided to end her life - by drowning, in a deep monastery pond, and encroached on this, it was, having come, on a dark spring evening, to the intended place ... But then something supernatural happened, which you may not believe. .. However, you will agree, why would I announce this, if there was no actual confirmation of what happened to me? Approaching the pond, I suddenly heard above me a wonderful, extraordinary, inexpressible singing of the praise of God ... I did not suddenly give faith to the wonderful hearing, and, thinking that the singing was heard from the house where the wings lived, that I could accept their singing from a distance for angelic singing, in my excited state, with deep silence and transparency of fresh, evening air. I walked around the church locked under the castle, the winged building and made sure that everywhere it was deaf and no echo was heard from anywhere. And amazing! The miraculous singing fell silent as I moved away from the pond, and again resounded amazingly close above me when I returned to the path to the water... Shocked to the depths of my soul, with fear and faith in the Living God, glorified in heaven, I fell on my face , and, crouching on the ground, she cried out with all my spiritual being: “Lord, who is in heaven! Show me your salvation! Let me hear from a truly holy man the word of eternal life!
After some time, visited our monastery, at the invitation of the abbess, such a truly spiritually enlightened person, about whom, however, there were so many contradictory rumors that even shook me in trust in his spiritual dignity!
I was introduced to him as mentally ill. An experienced, insightful, profound worker and observer, himself tempted by many battles, mental and spiritual, proved capable of helping those who were tempted. He listened to my suffering confession, did not marvel at anything in it, and, after a long and deep conversation, offered me his paternal guidance, which not only eased, removed the burden from my soul, but resolved all my doubts and perplexities, giving an answer to all questions. that confused my mind, about life on earth and the afterlife. For twenty years, until the very righteous death of my spiritual benefactor-father, I constantly used his oral and written guidance: I was subjected to many temptations and sorrows, passing through the diverse trials of the many-disastrous and difficult, in our time, monastic life, but I found the longed-for peace peace of mind.
When a traveler happens to get lost in an unfamiliar, uncleared, dense forest: whether he is a nobleman, or a rich man traveling out of love for nature and lost his walk, or on a hunt, will he figure out who will show him the way out of the forest? Is it a ragged vagabond, a village shepherdess, or a hermit hiding from people in a deserted forest thicket? Wouldn't he be happy with any indication of the right path?
Count Lev Nikolaevich! Listen to the words of those tempted by such (perhaps even greater) struggles of the natural mind with the riot of preaching the gospel of Christ (although it is more limited than your undoubtedly brilliant mind). Listen to the word that comes straight from the heart, from love in Christ; get yourself all the writings of Bishop Ignatius (Bryanchaninov). The word of this ascetic theologian, from people educated, enlightened by both secular and spiritual knowledge, is alive, and after the death of the Saint, it is accessible to all who seek true, spiritual enlightenment. The works of Bishop Ignatius Bryanchaninov, both in 5 volumes and separately, according to brochures, can be purchased in St. bookstores gg. Glazunov and Tuzov, and in Moscow, with Ferapontov.
For the first acquaintance, it is useful to read the following separate pamphlets: A word about the various states of human nature, in relation to good and evil. 2nd, The Fates of God, and 3rd, The Word of Death.

M[ohahina] Maria. [Elizaveta Shakhova]

Publication by M.A. Biryukova.

From publishers:

Nun Maria - in the world Elizaveta Nikitichna Shakhova (1822 - 1899) - Russian spiritual writer and poetess. "An autobiographical sketch of the writer Elizaveta Shakhova - nun Maria (1822-1899)" and her bibliography were published in the "Yearbook of the Manuscript Department of the Pushkin House for 2002" (publication by E. M. Aksenenko; pp. 344 - 365).

I received your magazine Indian Opinion and was glad to know everything that is written there about the "non-resisting". And I wanted to tell you the thoughts that this reading aroused in me.

The longer I live, and especially now, when I vividly feel the nearness of death, I want to tell others what I feel so especially vividly and which, in my opinion, is of great importance, namely, what is called "non-resistance", but that in essence there is nothing else than the teaching of love, not perverted by false interpretations. The fact that love, that is, the striving for the unity of human souls, and the activity resulting from this striving, is the highest and only law of human life, every person feels and knows in the depths of his soul (as we see it most clearly in children), knows, until he is entangled in the false teachings of the world. This law was proclaimed by all, both Indian and Chinese and Jewish, Greek, Roman sages of the world.

I think that it was expressed most clearly by Christ, who even directly said that this alone is the whole law and the prophets. But not enough of this, foreseeing the perversion to which this law is and can be subjected, he directly pointed out the danger of perverting it, which is characteristic of people who live by worldly interests, namely, that they allow themselves to defend these interests by force, that is, as he said: “Blows to answer blows, to take back the appropriated objects by force,” etc. etc.

He knew how everyone must know this. reasonable person that the use of violence is incompatible with love as the fundamental law of life, that as soon as violence is allowed, in whatever cases, the insufficiency of the law of love is recognized and therefore the law itself is denied. The entire Christian civilization, so brilliant in appearance, grew up on this obvious and strange, sometimes conscious, mostly unconscious, misunderstanding and contradiction.

In essence, as soon as opposition to love was allowed, there was no longer and could not be love as the law of life, and if there was no law of love, then there was no law except violence, that is, the power of the strongest. This is how Christian humanity lived in the 19th century. True, at all times people have been guided by violence alone in the arrangement of their lives. The difference between the life of Christian peoples and all others lies only in the fact that in the Christian world the law of love was expressed so clearly and definitely, as it was not expressed in any other religious teaching, and that the people of the Christian world solemnly accepted this law and at the same time allowed themselves violence and built their lives on violence.

And therefore the whole life of Christian peoples is a complete contradiction between what they profess and what they build their lives on: the contradiction between love, recognized as the law of life, and violence, recognized even as a necessity in different types, as the power of rulers, courts and troops, recognized and praised. This contradiction grew with the development of the people of Christendom and in recent times reached the last level.

The question now stands, obviously, as follows: one of two things: either to admit that we do not recognize any religious and moral teachings and are guided in the organization of our life by the power of the strong alone, or that all our taxes, judicial and police, collected by violence institutions and, most importantly, the troops must be destroyed.

This spring, at an examination of the law of God at one of the women's institutes in Moscow, the teacher of the law, and then the bishop who was present, asked the maidens about the commandments, and especially about the sixth. To the correct answer about the commandment, the bishop usually asked another question: “Is murder always forbidden by the law of God?” .

However, when one of these unfortunate girls (what I am telling is not an invention, but a fact conveyed to me by an eyewitness) was asked the same usual question in response to her answer: “Is murder always a sin?”, she, agitated and blushing, resolutely she replied that she always did, and she answered all the usual sophisms of the bishop with a resolute conviction that murder is always forbidden and that murder is forbidden in the Old Testament, and not only murder, but also any evil against a brother is forbidden by Christ. And, despite all his greatness and the art of eloquence, the bishop fell silent, and the girl left victorious.

Yes, we can talk in our newspapers about the successes of aviation, about complex diplomatic relations, about various clubs, discoveries, alliances of all kinds, so-called works of art, and hush up what this girl said; but this cannot be hushed up, because it feels more or less vaguely, but every person in the Christian world feels it. Socialism, communism, anarchism, the Salvation Army, increasing crime, unemployment of the population, increasing insane luxury of the rich and poverty of the poor, a terribly increasing number of suicides - all these are signs of an internal contradiction that must and cannot be resolved. And, of course, it is permitted in the sense of recognizing the law of love and denying all violence. And therefore, your activity in the Transvaal, as it seems to us at the end of the world, is the most central, the most important of all the things that are now being done in the world and in which not only the peoples of Christianity, but the whole world will inevitably take part.

I think you will be pleased to know that in Russia, too, this activity is rapidly developing in the form of refusals from military service, which are becoming more and more every year. No matter how insignificant the number of your people who “do not resist”, we have in Russia the number of those who refuse, both of them can safely say that God is with them. And God is more powerful than people.

In the recognition of Christianity, even in the perverted form in which it is professed among Christian peoples, and in the recognition at the same time of the need for troops and weapons for killing on the largest scale in wars, there is such a clear, blatant contradiction that it must inevitably sooner or later, probably very soon, one will discover and destroy either the recognition of the Christian religion, which is necessary for the maintenance of power, or the existence of the army and any violence supported by it, which is no less necessary for power.

This contradiction is felt by all governments, both your British and our Russian, and out of a natural sense of self-preservation is pursued by these governments more vigorously, as we see in Russia, and as is evident from the articles in your journal, than any other anti-government activity. Governments know what their main danger lies in, and vigilantly guard in this matter not only their own interests, but also the question: "To be or not to be?"

With perfect respect, Leo Tolstoy.

There are few cases in the history of cases when stupidity would be so obvious as in the case of the excommunication of Leo Tolstoy from the church. This was recognized even by the opponents of the great writer. L.N. Tolstoy was forced to write response letter to the decision of the synod of April 4, 1901, and to the letters he received on this occasion.
“At first I did not want to respond to the decision of the synod about me. But this decision caused a lot of letters in which correspondents unknown to me - some scold me for rejecting what I do not reject, others exhort me to believe in something that I have not ceased to believe, still others express with me unanimity, which hardly exists in reality, and sympathy, to which I hardly have a right; and I decided to answer both the decision itself, pointing out what is unjust in it, and appeals to me by my unknown correspondents.
The resolution of the synod in general has many shortcomings. It is illegal or deliberately ambiguous; it is arbitrary, unfounded, untrue and, moreover, contains slander and incitement to bad feelings and actions.
It is illegal or deliberately ambiguous - because if it wants to be an excommunication, then it does not satisfy those church rules by which such an excommunication can be pronounced; if it is a declaration that he who does not believe in the Church and its dogmas does not belong to it, then this is self-evident, and such a declaration can have no other purpose than that, without being in essence of excommunication, it would appear as such, which, in fact, happened, because it was understood that way.
It is arbitrary, because it accuses me alone of disbelief in all the points written out in the resolution, while not only many, but almost all educated people in Russia share such disbelief and constantly expressed and express it both in conversations, and in reading, and in brochures, and books.
It is unfounded, because the main reason for its appearance is the great dissemination of my false teaching that corrupts people, while I am well aware that there are hardly a hundred people who share my views, and my writings on religion, circulated due to censorship, are so insignificant that the majority of people who read the resolution of the synod, do not have the slightest idea of ​​what I have written about religion, as can be seen from the letters I received.
It contains a clear falsehood, asserting that unsuccessful attempts of enlightenment were made on the part of the church regarding me, while nothing of the kind ever happened.
It is what in legal language is called slander, since it contains statements that are deliberately unfair and tend to harm me.
It is, finally, an incitement to bad feelings and deeds, since, as it should have been expected, it caused anger and hatred towards me in unenlightened people, reaching even threats of murder and expressed in the letters I received. “Now you are anathema and you will go through death into eternal torment and die like a dog ... you are anathema, old devil ... damn it,” writes one. Another reproaches the government for the fact that I am not yet imprisoned in a monastery, and fills the letter with curses. The third writes: “If the government does not remove you, we ourselves will silence you”; the letter ends with curses. “In order to destroy the scoundrel you,” writes the fourth, I will find the means ...” Obscene curses follow. I also notice signs of the same anger after the decision of the synod when I meet with some people. On the very day of February 25, when the decree was published, I, walking along the square, heard the words addressed to me: “Here is the devil, in the form of a man,” and if the crowd had been composed differently, it is very possible that I would have been beaten, how they beat, several years ago, a man at the Panteleimon chapel. I think that they were treated quite humanely compared to what was done to Christ.
So the decision of the synod is generally very bad; the fact that at the end of the decree it says that the persons who signed it pray that I will become like them does not make it better.
This is so in general, but in particular the ruling is unfair in the following. The ruling says: " known to the world the writer, Russian by birth, Orthodox by baptism and upbringing, Count Tolstoy, in the seduction of his proud mind, boldly rebelled against the Lord and against his Christ and his holy heritage, clearly before all he renounced the mother who nurtured and raised him, the Orthodox Church.
The fact that I renounced the church that calls itself Orthodox is absolutely fair. But I renounced it, not because I rebelled against the Lord, but, on the contrary, only because I wanted to serve him with all the strength of my soul. Before renouncing the church and unity with the people, which was inexpressibly dear to me, I, having some signs of doubting the correctness of the church, devoted several years to researching theoretically and practically the teachings of the church: theoretically - I re-read everything I could, about the teachings of the church, studied and critically analyzed dogmatic theology; in practice, he strictly followed, for more than a year, all the prescriptions of the church, observing all fasts and visits to all church services. And I became convinced that the teaching of the Church is theoretically an insidious and harmful lie, while in practice it is a collection of the grossest superstitions and sorcery, which completely hides the whole meaning of Christian teaching. Note. L.N. Tolstoy: “One has only to read the breviary and follow those rites that are performed by the Orthodox clergy without ceasing and are considered Christian worship to see that all these rites are nothing but various tricks of witchcraft, adapted to all possible occasions of life . In order for the child, if he dies, to go to heaven, you need to have time to anoint him with oil and redeem him with the pronunciation of certain words; in order for the woman in childbirth to cease to be unclean, it is necessary to utter certain spells; so that there is success in business or a peaceful life in a new house, in order for the journey to be safe, in order to be cured of an illness, in order to alleviate the situation of the deceased in the next world, for all this in a known place and for certain offerings says Priest.
And I really renounced the church. I stopped performing her rites and wrote in my will to my relatives that when I die, they would not allow church servants to see me and my dead body would be removed as soon as possible, without any spells and prayers over it, as they remove any nasty and unnecessary thing so that it does not interfere with the living. During the time of Leo Tolstoy there was no crematorium. Today it is, in order, from the point of view of hygiene, to get rid of this unnecessary and nasty thing (ash), so as not to spread microbes when decomposing in the city. At present, the territory where the dead are buried is growing at a catastrophic pace and scale, where they build entire family crypts of marble and memorial complexes that will stand for centuries, occupying the territory so necessary for the living.
The same as it is said that I “dedicated my literary activity and the talent given to me from God, to the dissemination among the people of teachings that are contrary to Christ and the church,” etc. That I “in my writings and letters, in the multitude scattered by me as well as by my students, all over the world, especially within the borders of our dear fatherland, preach with the zeal of a fanatic the overthrow of all dogmas Orthodox Church and the very essence of the Christian faith,” then this is unfair. I never cared about spreading my teachings. True, I myself expressed in my writings my understanding of the teachings of Christ and did not hide these writings from people who wanted to get acquainted with him, but I never published them myself; told people about how I understand the teachings of Christ, only when they asked me about it. To such people I said what I thought, and gave, if I had them, my books.
Then it is said that I “reject God, in the holy trinity of the glorious creator and providence of the universe, I deny the Lord Jesus Christ, the God-man, the redeemer and savior of the world, who suffered for us for the sake of people and ours for the sake of salvation and rose from the dead, I deny the seedless conception according to humanity of Christ the Lord and virginity before Christmas and after the birth of the Most Pure Mother of God. The fact that I reject the incomprehensible trinity and the fable about the fall of the first man, which has no meaning in our time, the blasphemous story of God, who was born of a virgin, who redeems the human race, is completely fair. God - spirit, God - love, the only God - the beginning of everything, not only I do not reject, but I do not recognize anything really existing, except God, and I see the whole meaning of life only in the fulfillment of the will of God, expressed in Christian teaching.
It is also said: "does not recognize the afterlife and bribes." If we understand life after death in the sense of the second coming, hell with eternal torment, devils, and paradise - permanent bliss, then it is quite fair that I do not recognize such an afterlife; but I acknowledge eternal life and retribution here and everywhere, now and always, to such an extent that, standing on the edge of the grave in my years, I often have to make efforts not to desire carnal death, that is, birth to a new life, and I believe that every good deed increases the true good of my eternal life, and every evil deed reduces it.
It is also said that I reject all sacraments. This is absolutely fair. I consider all the sacraments base, rude, inconsistent with the concept of God and Christian teaching, witchcraft and, moreover, a violation of the most direct instructions of the Gospel. In infant baptism, I see a clear perversion of all the meaning that baptism could have for adults who consciously accept Christianity (this is recognized today by the church itself); in the performance of the sacrament of marriage over people who were obviously united before, and in the permission of divorces and in the consecration of divorced marriages, I see a direct violation of both the meaning and the letter of the gospel teaching. In the periodic forgiveness of sins at confession, I see a harmful deception that only encourages immorality and destroys the fear of sinning.
In unction, as well as in chrismation, I see methods of crude witchcraft, as well as in the veneration of icons and relics, as well as in all those rites, prayers, spells with which the breviary is filled. In communion I see the deification of the flesh and the perversion of Christian teaching. In the priesthood, besides the obvious preparation for deceit, I see a direct violation of the words of Christ - directly forbidding anyone to be called teachers, fathers, mentors (Matt. XX111, 8-10).
It is said, finally, as the last and highest degree my guilt, that I, "swearing at the most sacred objects of faith, did not shudder to mock the most sacred of the sacraments - the Eucharist." The fact that I did not shudder to describe simply and objectively what the priest does to prepare this so-called sacrament is completely just; but the fact that this so-called sacrament is something sacred, and that it is blasphemy to describe it simply as it is done, is perfectly true. It is not blasphemy to call a partition a partition, not an iconostasis, and a cup a cup, not a chalice, etc., but the most terrible, unceasing, outrageous blasphemy lies in the fact that people, using all possible means of deception and hypnotization - assure children and simple-minded people that if you cut pieces of bread in a certain way and while pronouncing certain words and put them in wine, then God enters into these pieces; and that the one in whose name a living piece is taken out will be healthy; in the name of whom such a piece is taken out of the deceased, then it will be better for him in the next world; and that whoever eats this piece, God himself will enter into him.
After all, it's terrible!
Perhaps these rituals have already been changed today. I don't know about it.
No matter how anyone understands the person of Christ, his teaching, which destroys the evil of the world and so simply, easily, undoubtedly gives good to people, if only they do not pervert it, this teaching is all hidden, everything is converted into a crude sorcery of bathing, anointing with oil, body movements, incantations, swallowing pieces, etc., so that nothing remains of the teaching. And if when any person tries to remind people that not in these sorceries, not in prayers, masses, candles, icons - the teachings of Christ, but in the fact that people love each other, do not repay evil for evil, do not judge, do not kill each other, then a groan of indignation will rise from those who benefit from these deceptions, and these people speak loudly, with incomprehensible audacity in churches, print in books, newspapers, catechisms, that Christ never forbade, an oath (oath), never forbade murder (executions, wars), that the doctrine of non-resistance to evil with satanic cunning was invented by the enemies of Christ. (Written out from the speech of Ambrose, Bishop of Kharkov - approx. LN Tolstoy).
What is terrible, most importantly, is that people who benefit from this deceive not only adults, but, having the power to do so, also children, the very ones about whom Christ said that woe to the one who deceives them. It is terrible that these people, for their own small gains, do such a terrible evil, hiding from people the truth revealed by Christ and giving them a blessing that is not balanced even in a thousandth part by the benefit they receive from it. They act like that robber who kills a whole family, 5-6 people, in order to take away an old coat and 40 kopecks. of money. They would gladly give him all the clothes and all the money, if only he would not kill them. But he cannot do otherwise. It is the same with religious deceivers. One could agree 10 times better, in the greatest luxury, to support them, if only they would not ruin people with their deceit. But they cannot do otherwise. This is something terrible. And therefore it is not only possible, but also necessary, to expose their deceptions. If there is anything sacred, it is by no means what they call a sacrament, but precisely this obligation to expose their religious deception when you see it.
When people, no matter how many there are, no matter how old their superstition and no matter how powerful they are, in the name of that God by whom I live, and that teaching of Christ, which gave life to me and can give it to all people, preaching gross sorcery, I cannot see it calmly. And if I call by name what they do, then I do only what I must, which I cannot help but do if I believe in God and Christian teaching. If, instead of being horrified at their blasphemy, they call the denunciation of their deceit blasphemy, then this only proves the strength of their deception and should only increase the efforts of people who believe in God and in the teaching of Christ, in order to destroy this deception that hides from people true God.
About Christ, who drove the bulls, sheep and sellers out of the temple, they should have said that he was blaspheming. If he came now and saw what is being done in his name in the church, then with even greater and more legitimate anger he would probably throw away all these terrible antimensions, and spears, and crosses, and bowls, and candles, and icons, and all that by means of which they, conjuring, hide God and his teaching from people.
So this is what is fair and what is unfair in the decision of the synod about me. I don't really believe what they say they believe. But I believe in a lot of things that they want people to believe that I don't believe.
I believe in the following: I believe in God, whom I understand as Spirit, as love, as the beginning of everything. I believe that he is in me and I am in him. I believe that the will of God is most clearly, most understandably expressed in the teachings of the man Christ, whom I consider to be the greatest blasphemy to understand God and whom to pray to. I believe that the true good of a person is in the fulfillment of the will of God, and his will is that people love each other and, as a result, do to others as they want to be done to them, as it is said in the Gospel that in this is all the law and the prophets. I believe that the meaning of the life of each individual person is therefore only in increasing love in oneself; that this increase in love leads an individual person in this life to greater and greater good, gives after death the greater good, the more love there is in a person, and at the same time, and more than anything else, contributes to the establishment of the kingdom of God in the world, that is, such a system a life in which discord, deceit and violence that now reign will be replaced by free consent, truth and brotherly love of people among themselves. I believe that there is only one way to succeed in love: prayer, - not public prayer in churches, expressly forbidden by Christ (Matt. V1, 5 - 13), and prayer, the model of which was given to us by Christ, is solitary, consisting in the restoration and strengthening in one's consciousness of the meaning of one's life and one's dependence only on the will of God. Prayer is hindered even by the noise of the ticking of the clock, especially the noise of the crowd and various church chants.
Offend, upset or seduce someone, interfere with something and someone, or do not like these beliefs of mine - I can change them just as little as my body. I need to live alone, and die alone (and very soon), and therefore I cannot believe in any other way than as I believe, preparing to go to that God from whom I came. I do not say that my faith was one undoubted truth for all time, but I do not see another - simpler, clearer and meeting all the requirements of my mind and heart; if I recognize one, I will immediately accept it, because God needs nothing but the truth. But I can’t return to what I just came out of with such suffering, just as a flying bird cannot enter the shell of the egg from which it came out.
"He who begins by loving Christianity more than the truth will very soon love his church or sect more than Christianity, and end up loving himself (his peace of mind) more than anything," said Coleridge.
I started in reverse. I began by loving my Orthodox faith more than my calmness, then I loved Christianity more than my church, but now I love the truth more than anything in the world. And until now, the truth coincides for me with Christianity, as I understand it. And I profess this Christianity; and in the faith in which I profess it, I live calmly and joyfully, and calmly and joyfully approach death.
April 4, 1901.
Moscow.
It's hard to add anything. But more than a hundred years have passed and during this time there have been no changes for the better, but on the contrary, the decline in morals continues. Let me give you a few examples that are relevant today. I once lived in the village of Shcherbinka. There, the papists built a Catholic church, where the locals went to pray. To attract more people They were given free clothes brought from abroad. Here, one visitor to these prayers said that when some special music or special sound was played, people began to sway from side to side. And another neighbor said that at these sounds God himself moved into him and he felt such bliss that is difficult to describe. Another case, when I was traveling on a train to Abkhazia to rest, my neighbor turned out to be a student of the theological academy (here are the milestones on the path of life), to whom I asked me an exciting question: “Why in our churches many prayers are read in the Old Church Slavonic language, which is hindered modern people understand the meaning of many words and thoughts. To which he replied: “If we go to modern language, then the sound will change. Noticed? Again, a sound that has been honed over the centuries. It turns out that sound is more important than the meaning of words. Hypnotic sound. All the books of the sages say that a person should never fall under the influence of hypnosis,which destroys our will and turns us into humble sheep. Nature has given man the mind and will, which protect him from many troubles. And we can quit our bad habits only by using our will, and not under the influence of hypnosis. Do not visit the offices of various "healers" who destroy your will and, moreover, due to this hypnosis, they are still engaged in various love spells and lapels. I think "suicide bombers" appear under hypnosis.