Page:Tolstoy - Essays and Letters.djvu/374

 358 ESSAYS AND LETTERS

are entangled, hypnotized, and often so situated that for you to confess the truth would mean to condemn all your former activity, the activity sometimes of several decades. I know how difficult, just for you, with the training you have had, and especially with the assurance common among you, that you are the infal- lible successors of the God-Christ — I know how difficult it will be for you to face sober realities and to confess yourselves wandering sinners, engaged in one of the worst activities a man can possibly pursue.

I know all the difficulties of your position ; but re- membering the words of the Gospels you acknowledge as divine — that God rejoices more over one sinner that repenteth than over a hundred righteous persons — 1 think that for each one of you, whatever his position may be, it should be easier to repent, and to cease to take part in what you are doing, than, not believing, to continue to do it.

M^hoever you may be : popes, cardinals, metropoli- tans, ai'chbisliops, bishops, superintendents, priests, or pastors — think of this.

If you belong to those of the clergy — of whom there are unfortunately in our days very many (and continu- ally more and more) — who see clearly how obsolete, irrational, and immoral is tlie Church teaching, but who, without believing in it, still from personal motives (for their salaries as priests or bishops) continue to preach it, do not console yourself with the supposition that your activity is justified by any utility it has for the masses of the j)eople, who do not yet understand what you understand.

Falsehood cannot be useful to anyone. Wliat you know — that falsehoods are falsehoods — could be known equally by the common man whom you have indoctri- nated, and are indoctrinating, with them, and he might be free from them. Not only might he, but for you, free himself from these falsehoods — he might find the truth which Christ has shown, and which by your doctrines you — standing between the common man and his God — have hidden away. What you are doing, you