Page:Tolstoy - Demands of Love and Reason.djvu/28

 AND REAS0N. 25 ... been refuted by me in my writings with all the care that is in my power. As to being angry with you, I cannot be, because I love you. And, for the same reason, I should very much like to help you in your present depressing and dangerous position. I refer to your desire to hypnotize yourself into the faith of the Church. This is very dangerous, because by such hypnotism a man loses that most valuable human possession— his reason. To begin from the beginning. I commenced this letter before receiving yours, but your letter has called forth in me a still greater desire and sense of my duty to try to help you — and, I will frankly confess, not you alone, but many others also who find themselves in, or are falling into, a similar position. I am speaking of sincere and guileless men who adopt these or other convictions, not for the purpose of justifying their privileged position, but solely because they see in them the truth. A wealthy and grand lady of the Court once said to me, speaking of faith, that she believed " as a peasant woman believes," and evidently thought she had said something very clever and very deep— so distinguished a personage, and yet condescending to believe " as a peasant woman believes." In point of fact, what she said was not only foolish, but utterly untrue.

A wealthy and grand lady of the Court once said to me, speaking of faith, that she believed " as a peasant woman believes," and evidently thought she had said something very clever and rery deep— so distinguished a personage, and yet condescending to believe " as a peasant woman belioves." In point of fact, what she said was not only foolish, but utterly untrue.