Page:Tolstoy - Christianity and Patriotism.djvu/75

 and extraordinary artificial methods of every sort.

If only for a time, if for one year, they should in Russia give up forcing a whole people to take the oath of allegiance to the Tsar, as is done now; should give up solemnly pronounc- ing, several times over, prayers for the Tsar at every church service; should give up cele- brating his birthday and name-day, with the ringing of church bells, illuminations, and prohibition of work; should give up displaying his portrait everywhere; should give up printing his name and that of his family, and even the place-names referring to them, in capital letters in all prayer-books, calendars, and school books; if they should give up glorifying him in special books and newspapers which exist for that purpose only; if they should give up trying men and putting them into prison for the slightest disrespectful word uttered about the Tsar—if they should give up doing all this for a time, then we should see how far it is natural to the people, the real working people, such as Prokofy, the village elder, Ivan and all the Russian peasants, to feel (as the people are assured, and all foreigners are convinced that they do) adoration for the Tsar, who by one means or another gives them up to be exploited by the landowners and the wealthy classes generally.

So much for Russia; but let them in the