Page:Tolstoy - Essays and Letters.djvu/123

 NON-ACTING 107

and of truth is much about the same in the one as in the other. Consequently, to work in the name of a faith, wliether religious or scientific, is not merely a uoubtful motliod of helping humanity, but is a dangerous method wliich may do more harm than good.

To consecrate one's life to the fulfilment of duties imposed by religion — prayers, communions, alms — or, on the other hand, to devote it, as M. Zola advises, to some scientific work, is to run too great a risk : for on tlie brink of deatli one may find that the religious or scientific principle to whose service one has consecrated one's whole life was all a ridiculous error !

Even before reading the speech in which M. Zola extols work of any kind as a merit, I was always sur- prised by the opinion, especially prevalent in Western Europe, that work is a kind of virtue. It always seemed to me that only an irrational being, such as the ant of the fable, could be excused for exalting work to the rank of a virtue, and Ijoasting of it. M, Zola assures us tliat work makes men kind ; I have always observed tlie contrary. Not to speak of selfish work, aiming at the profit or fame of tlie worker, which is always bad ; self-conscious work, the pride of work, makes not only ants, but men, cruel. ^'^lO does not know those men, inaccessible to truth or to kindliness, who are always so busy that they never have time either to do good or even to ask themselves wliether their work is not harmful ? Vou say to such people, ' Your work is useless, perhaps even harmful. Here are the reasons ; pause awhile ; let us examine the matter.^ lliey will not listen to you, but scornfully reply, ' It's all very well for you, who have nothing to do, to argue, but have I time for discussions } I have worked all my life, and work does not wait ; I have to edit a daily paper, with half a million subscribers ; I have to organize the army ; I have to build the Eiffel Tower, to arrange the Chicago t^xhibition, to pierce the Isthmus of Panama, to investigate the problem of heredity, or of telepathy, or of how many times this classical author has used such and such words.'