feel, in spite of all the obstructions that have been put in its way to nullify its action; and if any would seek for strength from the primary source of power, who shall say him nay? And so although we may smile at the artlessness of this Russian evangelist in his determination to find in the Gospels the categorical imperative of self-renunciation, although we may regard with wonder the magnificent audacity of his exegetical speculations, we cannot refuse to admire a faith so sincere, so intense, and, in many respects, so elevating and so noble." Count Tolstor makes several references to a "Criticism of Dogmatic Theology" and a translation of the Four Gospels accompanied by a Concordance on which he has been laboring for a number of years. As these works are thoroughly technical and repeat much of what has already been given, and however valuable to the special student and the controversial theologian, are not likely to be of interest to the general reader, it has been decided to omit them from this edition. The pencil sketch by Repin of Count Tolstor reading is reproduced for the frontispiece, from Harper's Weekly, by the courteous permission of Harper & Brothers. MY CONFESSION INTRODUCTION TO "MY RELIGION" I CHAPTER I WAS christened and educated in the Orthodox Christian Faith; I was taught it in my childhood, and in my boyhood and youth. Nevertheless, when, at eighteen years of age, I left the university in the second year, I had discarded all belief in anything I had been taught. To judge by what I can now remember, I never had a serious belief; I merely trusted in what my elders made their profession of faith, but even this trust was very precarious. I remember once in my twelfth year, a boy, now long since dead, Volodinka M, a pupil in the gymnasium, spent a Sunday with us, and brought us the news of the last discovery in the gymnasium. This discovery was that there was no God, and that all we were taught on the subject was a mere invention (this was in 1838). I remember well how interested my elder brothers were in this news; I was admitted to their deliberations, and we all eagerly accepted the theory as something particularly attractive and possibly quite true. I remember, also, that when my elder brother, Dmitri, then at the university, with the impulsiveness natural to his character, gave himself up to a passionate faith, began to attend the church services regularly, to fast, and to lead a pure and moral life, we all of us, and some older than ourselves, never ceased to hold him up to ridicule, and for some incomprehensible reason gave him the nickname of Noah. I remember that Musin-Pushkin, then curator of the University of Kazan, having invited us to a ball, tried to persuade my brother, who had I |