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  Introduction——LeoTolstoyFromTheSlaveryofOurTimesbyLeoTolstoyPreface/Introduction\"Theythattaketheswordshallperishbythesword。\"

  NEARLYfifteenyearsagothecensusinMoscowevokedinmeaseriesofthoughtsandfeelingswhichIexpressedasbestIcouldinabookcalled’WhatMustWeDoThen。’Towardstheendoflastyear(1899)

  Ioncemorereconsideredthesamequestions,andtheconclusionstowhichIcamewerethesameasinthatbook。ButasIthinkthatduringthesetenyearsIhavereflectedonthequestionsdiscussedinWhatMustWeDoThenmorequietlyandminutelyinrelationtotheteachingsatpresentexistinganddiffusedamongus,I

  nowofferthereadernewconsiderations,leadingtothesamerepliesasbefore。Ithinktheseconsiderationsmaybeofusetopeoplewhoarehonestlytryingtoelucidatetheirpositioninsocietyandclearlytodefinethemoralobligationsflowingfromthatposition。I,therefore,publishthem。

  Thefundamentalthoughtbothofthatbookandofthisarticleistherepudiationofviolence。ThatrepudiationIlearntandunderstoodfromtheGospels,whereitismostclearlyexpressedinthewords:Itwassaidtoyou,AnEyeforanEye,……—thatis,youhavebeentaughttoopposeviolencebyviolence,butIteachyou:turntheothercheekwhenyouarestruck—thatis,sufferviolence,butdonotemployit。Iknowthattheuseofthosegreatwords—inconsequenceoftheunreflectinglypervertedinterpretationsalikeofLiberalsandofChurchmen,whoonthismatteragree—willbeareasonformostso—calledculturedpeoplenottoreadthisarticle,ortobebiassedagainstit;but,nevertheless,Iplacethosewordsastheepigraphofthiswork。

  IcannotpreventpeoplewhoconsiderthemselvesenlightenedfromconsideringtheGospelteachingtobeanobsoleteguidetolife—aguidelongoutlivedbyhumanity。

  ButIcanindicatethesourcefromwhichIdrewmyconsciousnessofatruthwhichpeopleareasyetfarfromrecognising,andwhichalonecansavemenfromtheirsufferings。

  AndthisIdo。

  11July,1900。

  THESLAVERYOFOURTIMES

  \"Yehaveheardthatitwassaid,AnEyeforanEye,andaToothforaTooth\"(Matt。v。38;Ex。xxi。24)。

  \"ButIsayuntoyou,Resistnothimthatisevil;butwhosoeversmiteththeeonthyrightcheek,turntohimtheotheralso\"(Matt。v。39)。\"Andifanymanwouldgotolawwiththee,andtakeawaythycoat,lethimhavethycloakalso\"(Matt。v。40)。\"Givetoeveryonethataskeththee;andofhimthattakethawaythygoodsaskthemnotagain\"(Lukevi。30)。\"Andasyewouldthatmenshoulddotoyou,doyealsotothemlikewise\"(Lukevi。31)。

  \"Andallthatbelievedweretogether,andhadallthingscommon\"(Actsii。44)。\"\"AndJesussaid,Whenitisevening,yesay,itwillbefairweather,fortheheavenisred\"(Matt。xvi。2)。\"Andinthemorning,Itwillbefoulweatherto—day:fortheheavenisredandlowering。Yehypocrites,yeknowhowtodiscernthefaceoftheheaven;butyecannotdiscernthesignsofthetimes\"

  (Matt。xvi。3)。

  \"Thesystemonwhichallthenationsoftheworldareactingisfoundedingrossdeception,inthedeepestignorance,oramixtureofboth;sothatundernopossi—

  blemodificationoftheprinciplesonwhichitisbasedcaniteverproducegoodtoman;onthecontrary,itspracticalresultsmusteverbetoproduceevilcontinually。\"

  —RobertOwen。

  \"Wehavemuchstudiedandmuchperfectedoflatethegreatcivilisedinventionofthedivisionoflabor,onlywegiveitafalsename。Itisnot,trulyspeaking,thelaborthatisdivided,butthemen—dividedintomeresegmentsofmen,brokenintosmallfragmentsandcrumbsoflife;

  sothatallthelittlepieceofintelligencethatisleftinamanisnotenoughtomakeapinoranail,butexhaustsitselfinmakingthepointofapinortheheadofanail。

  Now,itisagoodanddesirablething,truly,tomakemanypinsaday;butifwecouldonlyseewithwhatcrystalsandtheirpointswerepolished—sandofhumansouls—

  weshouldthinktheremightbesomelossinitalso。

  \"Menmaybebeaten,chained,tormented,yokedlikecattle,slaughteredlikesummerflies,andyetremaininonesense,andthebestsense,free。Buttosmothertheirsoulswithinthem,toblightandhewintorottingpollardsthesucklingbranchesoftheirhumanintelligence,tomakethefleshandskin……intoleathernthongstoyokemachinerywith—thisistobeslave—mastersindeed……

  Itisverilythisdegradationoftheoperativeintoamachinewhichisleadingthemassofthenationsintovain,incoherent,destructivestrugglingforafreedomofwhichtheycannotexplainthenaturetothemselves。Theiruniversaloutcryagainstwealthandagainstnobilityisnotforcedfromthemeitherbythepressureoffamineorthestingofmortifiedpride。Thesedomuchandhavedonemuchinallages;butthefoundationsofsocietywereneveryetshakenastheyareatthisday。

  \"Itisnotthatmenareill—fed,butthattheyhavenopleasureintheworkbywhichtheymaketheirbread,and,therefore,looktowealthastheonlymeansofpleasure。

  \"Itisnotthatmenarepainedbythescornoftheupperclasses,buttheycannotenduretheirown;fortheyfeelthatthekindoflabortowhichtheyarecondemnedisverilyadegradingone,andmakesthemlessthanmen。

  Neverhadtheupperclassessomuchsympathywiththelower,orcharityforthem,astheyhaveatthisday,andyetneverweretheysomuchhatedbythem。\"—From\"TheStonesofVenice,\"byJohnRuskin,Vol。II,Chap。

  VI。,Ё13—16。

  TheSlaveryofOurTimes——Ch13——LeoTolstoyFromTheSlaveryofOurTimesbyLeoTolstoyCHAPTERI。

  GOODS—PORTERSWHOWORKTHIRTY—SEVENHOURS

  CHAPTERI

  ANacquaintanceofminewhoworksontheMoscow—KurskRailwayasaweigher,inthecourseofconversationmentionedtomethatthemenwholoadthegoodsontohisscalesworkforthirty—sevenhoursonend。

  ThoughIhadfullconfidenceinthespeaker’struthfulnessIwasunabletobelievehim。Ithoughthewasmakingamistake,orexaggerating,orthatImisunderstoodsomething。

  Buttheweighernarratedtheconditionsunderwhichthisworkisdonesoexactlythattherewasnoroomleftfordoubt。Hetoldmethattherearetwohundredandfiftysuchgoods—portersattheKurskstationinMoscow。

  Theywerealldividedintogangsoffivemen,andwereonpiece—work,receivingfromoneroubletoiR。15(saytwoshillingstotwoandfourpence,orforty—eightcentstofifty—sixcents)foronethousandpoods(oversixteentons)ofgoodsreceivedordespatched。

  Theycomeinthemorning,workforadayandanightatunloadingthetrucks,andinthemorning,assoonasthenightisended,theybegintoreload,andworkonforanotherday。Sothatintwodaystheygetonenight’ssleep。

  Theirworkconsistsofunloadingandmovingbalesofseven,eight,anduptotenpoods(say252,280anduptonearly364pounds)。Twomenplacethebalesonthebacksoftheotherthreewhocarrythem。Bysuchworktheyearnlessthanaruble(twoshillings,orforty—eightcents)aday。Theyworkcontinuallywithoutholiday。

  Theaccountgivenbytheweigherwassocircumstantialthatitwasimpossibletodoubtit,but,nevertheless,I

  decidedtoverifyitwithmyowneyes,andIwenttothegoods—station。

  Findingmyacquaintanceatthegoods—station,ItoldhimthatIhadcometoseewhathehadtoldmeabout。

  \"NooneImentionittobelievesit,\"saidI。

  Withoutreplyingtome,theweighercalledtosomeoneinashed。\"Nikita,comehere。\"

  Fromthedoorappearedatall,leanworkmaninatorncoat。

  \"Whendidyoubeginwork?\"

  \"When?Yesterdaymorning。\"

  \"Andwherewereyoulastnight?\"

  \"Iwasunloading,ofcourse。\"

  \"Didyouworkduringthenight?\"askedI。

  \"Ofcourseweworked。\"

  \"Andwhendidyoubeginworkto—day?\"

  \"Webeganinthemorning—whenelseshouldwebegin?\"

  \"Andwhenwillyoufinishworking?\"

  \"Whentheyletusgo;thenweshallfinish!\"

  ThefourotherWorkmenofhisgangcameuptous。

  Theyallworetorncoatsandwerewithoutovercoats,thoughtherewereabout—2OReaumurofcold(13

  belowzero,Fahrenheit)。

  Ibegantoaskthemabouttheconditionsoftheirwork,andevidentlysurprisedthembytakinganinterestinsuchasimpleandnaturalthing(asitseemedtothem)astheirthirty—sixhourwork。

  Theywereallvillagers;forthemostpartfellow—

  countrymenofmyown—fromTula;some,however,werefromArIa’,andsomefromVoro6nezh。TheylivedinMoscowinlodgings,someofthemwiththeirfamilies,butmostofthemwithout。Thosewhohavecomeherealonesendtheirearningshometothevillage。

  Theyboardwithcontractors。Theirfoodcoststhemtenrubles(say?Is。,orfivedollarspermonth)。Theyalwayseatmeat,disregardingthefasts。

  Theirworkalwayskeepsthemoccupiedmorethanhoursrunning,becauseittakesmorethanhalfanhourtogettotheirlodgingsandfromtheirlodgings,and,besides,theyareoftenkeptatworkbeyondthetimefixed。

  Payingfortheirownfood,theyearn,bysuchthirty—

  seven—hour—on—endwork,abouttwenty—fiverublesamonth。

  Tomyquestion,whytheydidsuchconvictwork,theyreplied:

  \"Whereisonetogoto?\"

  \"Butwhyworkthirty—sixhoursonend?Cannottheworkbearrangedinshifts?\"

  \"Wedowhatwe’retoldto。\"

  \"Yes;butwhydoyouagreetoit?\"

  \"Weagreebecausewehavetofeedourselves。’Ifyoudon’tlikeit—beoff!’Ifone’sevenanhourlate,onehasone’sticketshiedatone,andistoldtomarch;andtherearetenmenreadytotaketheplace。\"

  Themenwereallyoung,onlyonewassomewhatolder,perhapsaboutforty。Alltheirfaceswerelean,andhadexhausted,wearyeyes,asifthemenweredrunk。

  TheleanworkmantowhomIfirstspokestruckmeespeciallybythestrangewearinessofhislook。Iaskedhimwhetherhehadnotbeendrinkingto—day。

  \"Idon’tdrink,\"answeredhe,inthedecidedwayinwhichmenwhoreallydonotdrinkalwaysreplytothatquestion。

  \"AndIdonotsmoke,\"addedhe。

  \"Dotheothersdrink?\"askedI。

  \"Yes;itisbroughthere。\"

  \"Theworkisnotlight,andadrinkalwaysaddstoone’sstrength,\"saidtheolderworkman。

  Thisworkmanhadbeendrinkingthatday,butitwasnotintheleastnoticeable。

  AftersomemoretalkwiththeworkmenIwenttowatchthework。

  Passinglongrowsofallsortsofgoods,Icametosomeworkmenslowlypushingaloadedtruck。Ilearnedafterwardsthatthemenhavetoshuntthetrucksthem—

  selvesandtokeeptheplatformdearofsnow,withoutbeingpaidforthework。Itissostatedinthe\"Condi—

  tionsofPay。\"TheseworkmenwerejustastatteredandemaciatedasthosewithwhomIhadbeentalking。WhentheyhadmovedthetrucktoitsplaceIwentuptothemandaskedwhentheyhadbegunwork,andwhentheyhaddined。

  Iwastoldthattheyhadstartedworkatseveno’dock,andhadonlyjustdined。Theworkhadpreventedtheirbeingletoffsooner。

  \"Andwhendoyougetaway?\"

  \"Asithappens;sometimesnottillteno’clock,\"repliedthemen,asifboastingoftheirendurance。Seeingmyinterestintheirposition,theysurroundedme,and,prob—

  ablytakingmeforaninspector,severalofthemspeakingatonce,informedmeofwhatwasevidentlytheirchiefsubjectofcomplaint—namely,thattheapartmentinwhichtheycouldsometimeswarmthemselvesandsnatchanhour’ssleepbetweentheday—workandthenight—workwascrowded。Allofthemexpressedgreatdissatisfactionatthiscrowding。

  \"Theremaybeonehundredmen,andnowheretoliedown;evenundertheshelvesitiscrowded,\"saiddis—

  satisfiedvoices。\"Havealookatityourself。Itisclosehere。\"

  Theroomwascertainlynotlargeenough。Inthethirty—six—footroomaboutfortymenmightfindplacetoliedownontheshelves。

  Someofthemenenteredtheroomwithme,andtheyviedwitheachotherincomplainingofthescantinessoftheaccommodation。

  \"Evenundertheshelvesthereisnowheretoliedown,\"

  saldthey。

  Thesemen,whointwentydegreesoffrost,withoutovercoats,carryontheirbacks240poundloadsduringthirty—sixhours;whodineandsupnotwhentheyneedfood,butwhentheiroverseerallowsthemtoeat;livingaltogetherinconditionsfarworsethanthoseofdray—

  horses,itseemedstrangethatthesepeopleonlycom—

  plainedofinsufficientaccommodationintheroomwheretheywarmthemselves。Butthoughthisseemedtomestrangeatfirst,yet,enteringfurtherintotheirposition,Iunderstoodwhatafeelingoftorturethesemen,whonevergetenoughsleep,andwhoarehalf—frozen,mustexperiencewhen,insteadofrestingandbeingwarmed,theyhavetocreeponthedirtyfloorundertheshelves,andthere,inthestuffyandvitiatedair,becomestillweakerandmorebrokendown。

  Only,perhaps,inthatmiserablehourofvainattempttogetrestandsleepdotheypainfullyrealiseallthehorroroftheirlife—destroyingthirty—seven—hourwork,andthatiswhytheyarespeciallyagitatedbysuchanapparentlyinsignificantcircumstanceastheovercrowdingoftheirroom。

  Havingwatchedseveralgangsatwork,andhavingtalkedwithsomemoreofthemenandheardthesamestoryfromthemall,Idrovehome,havingconvincedmyselfthatwhatmyacquaintancehadtoldmewastrue。

  Itwastruethatformoney,onlyenoughtosubsiston,peopleconsideringthemselvesfreementhoughtitneces—

  sarytogivethemselvesuptoworksuchas,inthedaysofserfdom,notoneslave—owner,howevercruel,wouldhavesenthisslavesto。Letaloneslave—owners,notonecab—

  proprietorwouldsendhishorsestosuchwork,forhorsescostmoney,anditwouldbewasteful,byexcessive,thirty—seven—hourwork,toshortenthelifeofananimalofvalue。

  TheSlaveryofOurTimes——Ch2——LeoTolstoyFromTheSlaveryofOurTimesbyLeoTolstoyCHAPTERII。

  SOCIETY’SINDIFFERENCEWHILEMENPERISH

  Toobligementoworkforthirty—sevenhourscontinuouslywithoutsleep,besidesbeingcruelisalsouneconomical。Andyetsuchuneconomicalexpenditureofhumanlivescontinuallygoesonaroundus。

  OppositethehouseinwhichIlive1isafactoryofsilkgoods,builtwiththelatesttechnicalimprovements。

  Aboutthreethousandwomenandsevenhundredmenworkandlivethere。AsIsitinmyroomnowIheartheunceasingdinofthemachinery,andknow—forIhavebeenthere—whatthatdinmeans。Threethousandwomenstand,fortwelvehoursaday,attheloomsamidadeafeningroar;winding,unwinding,arrangingthesilkthreadstomakesilkstuffs。Allthewomen(exceptthosewhohavejustcomefromthevillages)haveanunhealthyappearance。Mostofthemleadamostintemperateandimnnorallife。Almostall,whethermarriedorunmarried,assoonasachildisborntothemsenditoffeithertothevillageortotheFoundlings’Hospital,whereeightypercent。ofthesechildrenperish。Forfearoflosingtheirplacesthemothersresumeworkthenextday,oronthethirddayaftertheirconfinement。

  Sothatduringtwentyyears,tomyknowledge,tensofthousandsofyoung,healthywomen—mothers—haveruinedandarenowruiningtheirlivesandthelivesoftheirchildreninordertoproducevelvetsandsilkstuffs。

  Imetabeggaryesterday,ayoungmanoncrutches,sturdilybuilt,butcrippled。Heusedtoworkasanavvy,withawheelbarrow,butslippedandinjuredhimselfinternally。Hespentallhehadonpeasant—womenhealersandondoctors,andhasnowforeightyearsbeenhome—

  less,begginghisbread,andcomplainingthatGoddoesnotsendhimdeath。

  Howmanysuchsacrificesoflifetherearethatweeitherknownothingof,orknowof,buthardlynotice,consideringtheminevitable!

  Iknowmenworkingattheblast—furnacesoftheTulaIronFoundrywho,tohaveoneSundayfreeeachfort—

  night,willworkfortwenty—fourhours—thatis,afterworkingalldaytheywillgoonworkingallnight。Ihaveseenthesemen。Theyalldrinkvodkatokeepuptheirenergy,andobviously,likethosegoods—portersontherailway,theyquicklyexpendnottheinterest,butthecapitaloftheirlives。

  Andwhatofthewasteoflivesamongthosewhoareemployedonadmittedlyharmfulwork—inlooking—glass,cartridge,match,sugar,tobacco,andglassfactories;inminesorasgilders?

  ThereareEnglishstatisticsshowingthattheaveragelengthoflifeamongpeopleoftheupperclassesisfifty—

  fiveyears,andtheaverageoflifeamongworkingpeopleinunhealthyoccupationsistwenty—nineyears。

  Knowingthis(andwecannothelpknowingit),wewhotakeadvantageoflaborthatcostshumanlivesshould,onewouldthink(unlesswearebeasts),notbeabletoenjoyamoment’speace。Butthefactisthatwewell—to—dopeople,liberalsandhumanitarians,verysensitivetothesufferingsnotofpeopleonly,butalsoofanimals,unceasinglymakeuseofsuchlabor,andtrytobecomemoreandmorerich—thatis,totakemoreandmoreadvantageofsuchwork。Andweremainperfectlytranquil。

  Forinstance,havinglearnedofthethirty—seven—hourlaborofthegoods—porters,andoftheirbadroom,weatoncesendthereaninspector,whoreceivesagoodsalary,andweforbidpeopletoworkmorethantwelvehours,leavingtheworkmen(whoarethusdeprivedofone—thirdoftheirearnings)tofeedthemselvesasbesttheycan;

  andwecompeltherailwaycompanytoerectalargeandconvenientroomfortheworkmen。Thenwithperfectlyquietconscienceswecontinuetoreceiveanddespatchgoodsbythatrailway,andweourselvescontinuetoreceivesalaries,dividends,rentsfromhousesorfromland,etc。Havinglearnedthatthewomenandgirlsatthesilkfactory,livingfarfromtheirfamilies,ruintheirownlivesandthoseoftheirchildren,andthatalargehalfofthewasherwomenwhoironourstarchedshirts,andofthetypesetterswhoprintthebooksandpapersthatwhileawayourtime,getconsumption,weonlyshrugourshouldersandsaythatweareverysorrythingsshouldbeso,butthatwecandonothingtoalterit,andwecontinuewithtranquilconsciencestobuysilkstuffs,towearstarchedshirtsandtoreadourmorningpaper。Wearemuchconcernedaboutthehoursoftheshopassistants,andstillmoreaboutthelonghoursofourownchildrenatschool;westrictlyforbidcarterstomaketheirhorsesdragheavyloads,andweevenorganisethekillingofcattleinslaughter—houses,sothattheanimalsmayfeelitaslittleaspossible。Buthowwonderfullyblindwebecomeassoonasthequestionconcernsthosemiflionsofworkerswhoperishslowly,andoftenpainfully,allaroundus,atlaborsthefruitsofwhichweuseforourconvenienceandpleasure!

  TheSlaveryofOurTimes——Ch3——LeoTolstoyFromTheSlaveryofOurTimesbyLeoTolstoyCHAPTERIII。

  JUSTIFICATIONOFTHEEXISTINGPOSITIONBYSCIENCETHISwonderfulblindnesswhichbefallspeopleofourcirclecanonlybeexplainedbythefactthatwhenpeoplebehavebadlytheyalwaysinventaphilosophyoflifewhichrepresentstheirbadactionstobenotbadactionsatall,butmerelyresultsofunalterablelawsbeyondtheircontrol。InformertimessuchaviewoflifewasfoundinthetheorythataninscrutableandunalterablewillofGodexistedwhichforeordainedtosomemenahumblepositionandhardworkandtoothersanexaltedpositionandtheenjoymentofthegoodthingsoflife。

  Onthisthemeanenormousquantityofbookswerewrittenandaninnumerablequantityofsermonspreached。Thethemewasworkedupfromeverypossibleside。ItwasdemonstratedthatGodcreateddifferentsortsofpeople—slavesandmasters;andthatbothshouldbesatisfiedwiththeirposition。Itwasfurtherdemon—stratedthatitwouldbebetterfortheslavesinthenextworld;andafterwardsitwasshownthatalthoughtheslaveswereslavesandoughttoremainsuch,yettheirconditionwouldnotbebadifthemasterswouldbekindtothem。Thentheverylastexplanation,aftertheemancipationoftheslaves,wasthatwealthisentrustedbyGodtosomepeopleinorderthattheymayusepartofitingoodworks,andsothereisnoharminsomepeople’sbeingrichandotherspoor。

  Theseexplanationssatisfiedtherichandthepoor(especiallytherich)foralongtime。Butthedaycamewhentheseexplanationsbecameunsatisfactory,especiallytothepoor,whobegantounderstandtheirposition。Thenfreshexplanationswereneeded。Andjustatthepropertimetheywereproduced。Thesenewexplana—tionscameintheformofscience——politicaleconomy:whichdeclaredthatithaddiscoveredthelawswhichregulatedivisionoflaborandofthedistributionoftheproductsoflaboramongmen。Theselaws,accordingtothatscience,arethatthedivisionoflaborandtheenjoymentofitsproductsdependonsupplyanddemand,andcapital,rent,wagesoflabor,values,profits,etc。;ingeneral,onunalterablelawsgoverningman’seconomicactivities。

  Soon,onthisthemeasmanybooksandpamphletswerewrittenandlecturesdeliveredastherehadbeentreatiseswrittenandreligioussermonspreachedontheformertheme,andstillunceasinglymountainsofpamphletsandbooksarebeingwrittenandlecturesarebeingdelivered;andallthesebooksandlecturesareascloudyandunintelligibleasthetheologicaltreatisesandthesermons,andthey,too,likethetheologicaltreatises,fullyachievetheirappointedpurpose—thatis,theygivesuchanexplanationoftheexistingorderofthingsasjustifiessomepeopleintranquillyrefrainingfromlaborandinutilisingthelaborofothers。

  Thefactthat,fortheinvestigationsofthispseudo—

  science,nottheconditionofthepeopleinthewholeworldthroughallhistorictimewastakentoshowthegeneralorderofthings,butonlytheconditionofpeopleinasmallcountry,inmostexceptionalcircumstances—

  EnglandattheendoftheEighteenthandthebeginningoftheNineteenthCenturies—thisfactdidnotintheleasthindertheacceptanceasvalidoftheresulttowhichtheinvestigatorsarrived;anymorethanasimilaracceptanceisnowhinderedbytheendlessdisputesanddisagreementsamongthosewhostudythatscienceandarequiteunabletoagreeastothemeaningofrent,surplusvalue,profits,etc。Onlytheonefundamentalpositionofthatscienceisacknowledgedbyall—namely,thattherelationsamongmenareconditioned,notbywhatpeopleconsiderrightorwrong,butbywhatisadvantageousforthosewhooccupyanadvantageousposition。

  Itisadmittedasanundoubtedtruththatifinsocietymanythievesandrobbershavesprungupwhotakefromthelaborersthefruitsoftheirlabor,thishappensnotbecausethethievesandrobbershaveactedbadly,butbecausesucharetheinevitableeconomiclaws,whichcanonlybealteredslowlybyanevolutionaryprocessindicatedbyscience;

  andtherefore,accordingtotheguidanceofscience,peoplebelongingtotheclassofrobbers,thievesorreceiversofstolengoodsmayquietlycontinuetoutilisethethingsobtainedbytheftsandrobbery。

  Thoughthemajorityofpeopleinourworlddonotknowthedetailsofthesetranquilisingscientificexplanationsanymorethantheyformerlyknewthedetailsofthetheologicalexplanationswhichjustifiedtheirposition,yettheyallknowthatanexplanationexists;

  thatscientificmen,wisemen,haveprovedconvincingly,andcontinuetoprove,thattheexistingorderofthingsiswhatitoughttobe,andthat,therefore,wemaylivequietlyinthisorderofthingswithoutourselves’

  tryingtoalterit。

  OnlyinthiswaycanIexplaintheamazingblindnessofgoodpeopleinoursocietywhosincerelydesirethewelfareofanimals,butyetwithquietconsciencesdevourthelivesoftheirbrothermen。TheSlaveryofOurTimes——Ch4——LeoTolstoyFromTheSlaveryofOurTimesbyLeoTolstoyCHAPTERIV。

  THEASSERTIONOFECONOMICSCIENCETHATRURAL

  LABORERSMUSTENTERTHEFACTORYSYSTEM

  THEtheorythatitisGod’swillthatsomepeopleshouldownotherssatisfiedpeopleforaverylongtime。

  Butthattheory,byjustifyingcruelty,causedsuchcrueltyasevokedresistance,andproduceddoubtsastothetruthofthetheory。

  Sonowwiththetheorythataneconomicevolutionisprogressing,guidedbyinevitablelaws,inconsequenceofwhichsomepeoplemustcollectcapital,andothersmustlaboralltheirlivestoincreasethosecapitals,preparingthemselvesmeanwhileforthepromisedcommunalisationofthemeansofproduction;thistheory,causingsomepeopletobeyetmorecrueltoothers,alsobegins(especiallyamongcommonpeoplenotstupefiedbyscience)toevokecertaindoubts。

  Forinstance,youseegoods—portersdestroyingtheirlivesbythirty—sevenhours’labor,orwomeninfactories,orlaundresses,ortypesetters,orallthosemillionsofpeoplewholiveinhard,unnaturalconditionsofmonotonous,stupefying,slavishtoil,andyounaturallyask,Whathasbroughtthesepeopletosuchastate?Andhowaretheytobedeliveredfromit?Andsciencerepliesthatthesepeopleareinthisconditionbecausetherailwaybelongstothiscompany,thesilkfactorytothatgentle—

  man,andallthefoundries,factories,typographies,andlaundriestocapitalists,andthatthisstateofthingswillcomerightbywork—peopleformingunions,co—operativesocieties,strikes,andtakingpartingovernment,andmoreandmoreswayingthemastersandthegovernmenttilltheworkersfirstobtainshorterhoursandincreasedwages,andfinallyallthemeansofproductionwillpassintotheirhands,andthenallwillbewell。

  Meanwhile,allisgoingonasitshouldgo,andthereisnoneedtoalteranything。

  Thisanswermustseemtoanunlearnedman,andparticularlytoourRussianfolk,verysurprising。Inthefirstplace,neitherinrelationtothegoods—porters,northefactorywomen,norallthemillionsofotherlaborerssufferingfromheavy,unhealthy,stupefyinglabordoesthepossessionofthemeansofproductionbycapitalistsexplainanything。Theagriculturalmeansofproductionofthosemenwhoarenowworkingattherailwayhavenotbeenseizedbycapitalists:theyhaveland,andhorses,andplows,andharrows,andallthatisnecessarytotilltheground;alsothesewomenworkingatthefactoryarenotonlynotforcedtoitbybeingdeprivedoftheirimplementsofproduction,but,onthecontrary,theyhave(forthemostpartagainstthewishoftheeldermembersoftheirfamilies)leftthehomeswheretheirworkwasmuchwanted,andwheretheyhadimplementsofproduction。

  Millionsofwork—peopleinRussiaandinothercountriesareinlikecase。Sothatthecauseofthemiserablepositionoftheworkerscannotbefoundintheseizureofthemeansofproductionbycapitalists。Thecausemustlieinthatwhichdrivesthemfromthevillages。That,inthefirstplace。Secondly,theemancipationoftheworkersfromthisstateofthings(eveninthatdistantfutureinwhichsciencepromisesthemliberty)canbeaccomplishedneitherbyshorteningthehoursoflabor,norbyincreasingwages,norbythepromisedcommunalisationofthemeansofproduction。

  Allthatcannotimprovetheirposition,forthemiseryofthelaborer’sposition—alikeontherailway,inthesilkfactoryandineveryotherfactoryorworkshopconsistsnotinthelongerorshorterhoursofwork(agriculturistssometimesworkeighteenhoursaday,andasmuchasthirty—sixhoursonend,andconsidertheirliveshappyones),nordoesitconsistinthelowrateofwages,norinthefactthattherailwayorthefactoryisnottheirs,butitconsistsinthefactthattheyareobligedtoworkinharmful,unnaturalconditionsoftendangerousanddestructivetolife,andtoliveabarrack4ifeintowns—alifefulloftemptationsandimmorality—andtodocompulsorylaboratanother’sbidding。

  Latterlythehoursoflaborhavediminishedandtherateofwageshasincreased;butthisdiminutionofthehoursoflaborandthisincreaseinwageshavenotimprovedthepositionoftheworker,ifonetakesintoaccountnottheirmoreluxurioushabits—watcheswithchains,silkkerchiefs,tobacco,vodka,beef,beer,etc。—

  buttheirtruewelfare—thatis,theirhealthandmorality,andchieflytheirfreedom。

  AtthesilkfactorywithwhichIamacquainted,twentyyearsagotheworkwaschieflydonebymen,whoworkedfourteenhoursaday,earnedonanaveragefifteenrublesamonth,andsentthemoneyforthemostparttotheirfamiliesinthevillages。Nownearlyalltheworkisdonebywomenworkingelevenhours,someofwhomearnasmuchastwenty—fiverublesamonth(overfifteenrublesontheaverage),andforthemostpartnotsendingithome,butspendalltheyearnherechieflyondress,drunkennessandvice。Thediminutionofthehoursofworkmerelyincreasesthetimetheyspendinthetaverns。

  Thesamethingishappening,toagreaterorlesserextent,atallthefactoriesandworks。Everywhere,notwithstandingthediminutionofthehoursoflaborandtheincreaseofwages,thehealthoftheoperativesisworsethanthatofcountryworkers,theaveragedurationoflifeisshorter,andmoralityissacrificed,ascannotbutoccurwhenpeoplearetornfromthoseconditionswhichmostconducetomorality—familylife,andfree,healthy,variedandintelligibleagriculturalwork。

  Itisverypossiblytruethat,assomeeconomistsassert,withshorterhoursoflabor,morepay,andimprovedsanitaryconditionsinmillsandfactories,thehealthoftheworkersandtheirmoralityimproveincomparisonwiththeformerconditionoffactoryworkers。Itispossiblealsothatlatterly,andinsomeplaces,thepositionofthefactoryhandsisbetterinexternalconditionsthanthepositionofthecountrypopulation。Butthisisso(andonlyinsomeplaces)becausethegovernmentandsociety,influencedbytheaffirmationofscience,doallthatispossibletoimprovethepositionofthefactorypopulationattheexpenseofthecountrypopulation。

  Iftheconditionofthefactory—workersinsomeplacesis(thoughonlyinexternals)betterthanthatofcountrypeople,itonlyshowsthatonecan,byallkindsofrestrictions,renderlifemiserableinwhatshouldbethebestexternalconditions,andthatthereisnopositionsounnaturalandbadthatmenmaynotadaptthemselvestoitiftheyremaininitforsomegenerations。

  Themiseryofthepositionofafactoryhand,andingeneralofatown—worker,doesnotconsistinhislonghoursandsmallpay,butinthefactthatheisdeprivedofthenaturalconditionsoflifeintouchwithnature,isdeprivedoffreedom,iscompelledtocompulsoryandmonotonoustoilatanotherman’swill。

  And,therefore,thereplytothequestions,whyfactoryandtownworkersareinamiserablecondition,andhowtoimprovetheircondition,cannotbethatthisarisesbecausecapitalistshavepossessedthemselvesofthemeansofproduction,andthattheworkers’conditionwillbeimprovedbydiminishingtheirhoursofwork,increasingtheirwages,andcommunalisingthemeansofproduction。

  Thereplytothesequestionsmustconsistinindicatingthecauseswhichhavedeprivedtheworkersofthenaturalconditionsoflifeintouchwithnature,andhavedriventhemintofactorybondage,andinindicatingmeanstofreetheworkersfromthenecessityofforegoingafree,countrylife,andgoingintoslaveryatthefactories。

  And,therefore,thequestionwhytown—workersareinamiserableconditionincludes,firstofall,thequestion,Whatreasonshavedriventhemfromthevillages,wheretheyandtheirancestorshavelivedandmightlive,where,inRussia,peoplesuchastheydonowlive?and,Whatitisthatdroveandcontinuestodrivethemagainsttheirwilltothefactoriesandworks?

  Ifthereareworkmen,asinEngland,Belgium,orGermany,whoforsomegenerationshavelivedbyfactorywork,eventheylivesonotattheirownfreewill,butbecausetheirfathers,grandfathers,andgreat—grandfatherswere,insomeway,compelledtoexchangetheagriculturallifewhichtheylovedforlifewhichseemedtothemhard,intownsandinfactories。First,thecountrypeopleweredeprivedoftheirlandbyviolence,saysKarlMarx,wereevictedandbroughttovagabondage,andthen,bycruellaws,theyweretorturedwithpincers,withred—hotirons,andwerewhipped,tomakethemsubmittotheconditionofbeinghiredlaborers。

  ITherefore,thequestionhowtofreetheworkersfromtheirmiserablepositionshould,onewouldthink,naturallyleadtothequestionhowtoremovethosecauseswhichhavealreadydrivensome,andarenowdrivingorthreateningtodrive,therestofthepeasantsfromthepositionwhichtheyconsideredandconsidergood,andhavedrivenandaredrivingthemtoapositionwhichtheyconsiderbad。

  Economicscience,althoughitindicatesinpassingthecausesthatdrovethepeasantsfromthevillages,doesnotconcernitselfwiththequestionhowtoremovethesecauses,butdirectsallitsattentiontotheimprovementoftheworker’spositionintheexistingfactoriesandworks,assuming,asitwere,thattheworker’spositionatthesefactoriesandworkshopsissomethingunalterable,some—

  thingwhichmustatallcostsbemaintainedforthosewhoarealreadyinthefactories,andmustabsorbthosewhohavenotyetleftthevillagesorabandonedagriculturalwork。

  Moreover,economicscienceissosurethatallthepeasantshaveinevitablytobecomefactoryoperativesintowns,thatthoughallthesagesandallthepoetsoftheworldhavealwaysplacedtheidealofhumanhappinessintheconditionsofagriculturalwork;thoughalltheworkerswhosehabitsareunpervertedhavealwayspreferred,andstillprefer,agriculturallabortoanyother;

  thoughfactoryworkisalwaysunhealthyandmonotonous,whileagricultureisthemosthealthyandvaried;

  thoughagriculturalworkisfree—thatis,thepeasantalternatestoilandrestathisownwill—whilefactorywork,evenifthefactorybelongstotheworkmen,isalwaysenforced,independenceonthemachines;

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