No More Learning

MR. Z. The question is no doubt very com-
plicated. I am, for example, a man of meek character, and in love would be more at one with a
white or blue-grey dove than with the black Moor Othello, though he also is called a man.
GENERAL. At a certain age every sensible man
1
is at one with the white doves.
LADY. Whatever is this?
GENERAL. This pun is not for you, but only for
us with his Excellency.
POLITICIAN. Leave it alone, please, do leave it
alone. Treve de plaisanteries. Surely we are not on the stage of the Michael Theatre. I wished to
"
say that the correct noun for the adjective
Rus-
1""
White Doves is the name of a Russian religious sect
accused of immoral tendencies.
(Translator. )
? 106 SOLOVIEV
" " We are Russian sian is European. "
Europeans, as there are English, French, and German Euro-
peans. If I feel myself a European, would it not be stupid of me to argue that I am some Slavo-Russ
or Greco-Slav? I am as positively certain of being a European as I am of being a Russian. I can,
and perhaps even must, pity and protect every man,
"
Happy is he who shows mercy even to animals ; but I shall regard myself at one, of the same family, not with Zulus or Chinamen, but only with the nations and men who have created and preserved all those treasures of culture which form my spiritual food, and which afford me my
highest pleasures. Before everything else it was necessary that these chosen nations should form and
consolidate themselves, and should resist the on- slaught of the lower elements. For this, war was
necessaryandwarwasaholyenterprise. Atpresent they possess the necessary form and strength, and
there is nothing they need fear, except internal strife. Now the time has arrived for peace and the
peaceful expansion of European culture over all
as every animal too :
"
theworld. AllmustbecomeEuropeans. Theidea ""
expressedby European mustbeasall-embracing as that expressed by "man," and the idea of the
European civilised world identical with that of man- kind. In this lies the meaning of history. At first therewereonlyGreekEuropeans. Theywerefol- lowed by the Roman ones. Next there arose all kinds of others, first in the West, later in the East;
? \
-
the relative virtues or values
pean
defining
PROGRESS
107
then there came Russian Europeans ;
the ocean the American Europeans ;
come Europeans who are Turkish, Persian, Indian,
" Japanese, and possibly even Chinese. The Euro-
"
is a notion with definite contents and an ever-
expanding capacity. Note here one important distinction : every man is just as much a man as
any other. Therefore, if we take as our noun this abstract symbol, we are bound to come to the all- levelling equality, and the nation of Newton and Shakespeare will have to be valued no more highly than certain Redskins. This would be too absurd for words, and subversive of practice. But if my noun is not a man in general, not that empty space with two feet, but a man as a bearer of culture, that
is, a European, then nothing is left to support this absurduniversalequality. TheideaofaEuropean,
or what is the same, the idea of culture, possesses a
measure for
of various races, nations, individuals. A sensible policy cannot but take into account all these varia- tions in value. If it does not do so, if it, for instance, places on the same level a comparatively civilised Austria and some half-wild tribes of Herzegovina, this sort of thing will at once lead us to those stupid and dangerous adventures for which our last pillars
of Slavophilism are still longing. II y a europeen et europeen. Even after the cherished and, I hope,
not far-distant hour has struck, when Europe or the civilised world will really coincide in extent with
later
and now must
beyond
? 108 SOLOVIEV
the total population of the world, even then there will remain in the unified and pacified mankind all those natural and historically determined gradations and shades in the values of various cultures which will determine our relations with other nations.
Even in the triumphant and all-embracing kingdom of the higher culture, just as much as in the kingdom of Heaven one glory is of the sun, another glory
of the moon, yet other glories of the stars, for one star differs from another in glory this is, I believe, how it is said in the Catechism, isn't it? How much more is it necessary to guard ourselves from an all-
levelling equality in days when this object, though near, is not yet realised? At the present time, for
instance, the papers have told us of more dissensions between England and the Transvaal that the
1
Boers are even threatening England with a war. I can already see how all sorts of journalists and politicians in Russia, and most probably all over the
Continent, will take up arms against England and will cry themselves hoarse in defence of those poor and oppressed Boers. But it is the same as if our most esteemed, worthy, well-known and learned Mr.
Martens, having entered a neighbouring shop to buy something, was suddenly subjected to a violent
"
mine ; you are a stranger here ; if you don't clear off
"
attack by a dirty shop-boy shouting :
The shop is
what time he is already tryingtostiflehim. Ofcourse,onewouldfeelpity
I will stifle or kill you !
1 The discussion took place in April, 1898. (Author. )
? PROGRESS 109
for our esteemed Mr. Martens who fell a victim to
such a rascally trick. But if this actually happened, I should certainly feel some moral satisfaction if my
esteemed friend, having properly thrashed the rascal, had sent him by way of the police court to a home for young criminals. Instead of this, how-
ever, we see various respectable people encouraging
"
a little chap like that being plucky enough to tackle
him and spurring him on.
Clever boy ! Fancy Go for him, Tommy ;
such a great hulking fellow !
we will back you up when you want it !
"
How dis- gusting this is ! Why, these Boer keepers and breeders of cattle have not brains enough to pro- claim themselves Dutchmen, with whom they are bound by blood-ties. Holland is a real nation, highly cultured, and with great merits to her credit.
But no !
nation; they want to create a country of their own. The damned rascals !
LADY. In the first place, you need not swear. And in the second, tell me what this Transvaal is like, and what kind of people live in it.
MR. Z. The people living there are a mongrel breed of Europeans and negroes; they are neither
1
white nor black; they are "bur'i" (boers).
LADY. Again a calembourl
POLITICIAN. And a very high-grade one !
MR. Z. What are the boers, such are also the
1 A
boers and brown.
words. In Russian "bur'i" means both (Translator. )
play upon
They regard themselves as a separate
? 110 SOLOVIEV
calembours. Though if you don't care for this
colour, they have there also an Orange republic. POLITICIAN. Speaking seriously, these Boers are
ofcourseEuropeans,butonlybadones. Separated from their great motherland, they have to a great extent lost their former culture. Surrounded by savages, they have become wilder and coarser them- selves. Nowtoplacethemonthesamelevelasthe English, and to go even so far as to wish them success in the struggle with England cela n'a pas de nom !
LADY. Didn't your Europeans sympathise with
the Caucasian mountaineers when
Russia in defence of their independence ?
not Russians far more civilised than Caucasians?
POLITICIAN. I would not care to enlarge upon the motives of this sympathy of Europe with the Caucasian tribesmen. The only thing I will say is that we must assimilate the general European spirit and not be influenced by the accidental stupidities ofthisorthatbrandofEuropean. Fromthebottom of my heart I regret, of course, that England, in order to pacify these conceited barbarians, will apparently be compelled to use such an obsolete and historically condemned weapon as war. But if it proves inevitable owing to the degraded state ofmindoftheseZulus ImeantosaytheseBoers,
encouraged by the foolish envy of England nursed by the Continent, I shall naturally eagerly wish that the war may end as soon as possible with the
they fought And are
? Frenchman :
jour de ma vie. "
PROGRESS 111
complete defeat of these African ruffians, so that
nobody ever hears talk of their independence again. Should they prove successful and owing to the
distance of their country from England this is not
altogether impossible it would be a triumph of barbarism over culture, and to me as a Russian,
that is, a European, the day when that happened would be a day of deep national mourning.
MR. Z. (to the General, in a low voice). Ah, how well statesmen can speak. Altogether like that
"
Ce sabre d'honneur est le plus beau
LADY. No;Ican'tagreewithyou. Whyshould
not we sympathise with these transboers? We
sympathise with William Tell, for instance, do we not?
POLITICIAN. Well, if only they had created their
own poetical legend, had inspired such artists as Schiller and Rossini, and had produced from among
themselves anybody equal to Jean Jacques Rous- seau, or any other writers or scientists then the
thing would be quite different.
LADY. But all that kind of thing happens after-
wards; at first the Swiss themselves were shepherds
liketheBoers. Buttakeothernations. Werethe
Americans, when they rose against the English to
win independence, in any way distinguished in cul- ture? It is true they were not "bur'i"; they were
"
red-skinned," and used to strip off each other's scalps according to Captain Mayne
perhaps a little
? 112 SOLOVIEV
Reid. And yet even Lafayette sympathised with them, and was right, because now, for instance, in
Chicago they have managed not only to unite all the religious bodies, but they have made an exhibition
of them into the bargain. Nobody has ever seen such a thing before. Paris also wanted to gather
together all its religions for the coming exhibition, but nothing came of it, as you doubtless know. One
abbe, Victor Charbonnell, strove particularly hard
for this union of religion. He wrote a few letters
even to me he was so nice. Only all the religions
refused to join. Even the Great Rabbi declared :
"
For religion we have the Bible, and an exhibition has nothing to do with it. " Poor Charbonnell was in such despair that he renounced Christ and pub- lished in the papers that he had retired from the
service of religion and had a profound respect for Renan. Heendedalsoverybadly. Accordingto somebody who wrote to me, he either got married or took to drink. Then our Nepliuev also tried, and
he was disappointed in all religions. He wrote to me once he was such an idealist to the effect that
he relied only on a united mankind. But how can you show a united mankind at a Paris exhibition?
I think this merely a fancy. However, the Ameri- cans managed their business very well indeed.
Each creed sent them a clergyman. A Catholic
bishop was made chairman. He read them the
""
Pater noster in English, and the Buddhist and
Chinese priest idol-worshippers replied to him
? PROGRESS 118
"
We do not wish evil to anybody, and ask only for one thing : keep your missionaries as far from our coun-
tries as you possibly can. Because your religion is
exceedingly good for you, and if you do not observe it, it is not our fault; whilst our religion is the best
for us. " And it finished so well that there was not
even a single fight ! Everybody wondered. Now you see how good the Americans have become !
Perhaps the modern Africans will in time be like thesesameAmericans. Whoknows?
POLITICIAN. Everything is possible, of course. Even the veriest gutter-snipe may later become a scientist. But before this happens you should for his own benefit give him more than one good hiding.
with all courtesy :
Oh, yes ! All right, sir !
LADY. What language !
encanaillez. And this is all from Monte Carlo !
Quiest-cequevousfrequentezlahas? Lesfamilies descroupierssansdoute. Well,thatconcernsno-
body but yourself. I would only ask you to prune your political wisdom a little bit, as you keep us fromourdinner. Itistimewefinished.
POLITICIAN. I really wanted to sum up what I have said to put head and tail together.
LADY. I have no faith in you. You will never finishofyourownaccord. Letmehelpyoutoex-
plainyourthought. Youwantedtosay,didn'tyou, that times have changed; that before there were
God and war, but now, instead of God, culture and
peace.
Isn't it so?
Decidement vous vous
i
? 114 SOLOVIEV
POLITICIAN. Well, I think it is near enough.
Now what God is I do not know, nor can I explain. But I feel it all the same. As to your culture, I have not even a feeling for it. Will you then explain to me in a few words what
it is?
POLITICIAN. What are the elements of culture,
what it embraces you know yourself : it includes all the treasures of human thought and genius which have been created by the chosen spirits of the chosen nations.
""
LADY. But these chosen spirits and their crea-
tions differ alarmingly. You have, for instance, Voltaire and Rousseau and Madonna, and Nana, and Alfred De Musset and Bishop Philaret. How can you throw all these into one heap and set up this
heap for yourself in place of God?
POLITICIAN. I was also going to say that we need
not worry ourselves about culture as an historical
LADY. Good!
It has been created, it is existing, and let
treasury.
us thank God for the fact.
We may, perhaps, hope that there will be other Shakespeares and Newtons,
but this problem is not within our power and pre- sents no practical interest. There is, however, an-
other side to culture, a practical one, or if you like a moral one, and this is what in private life we call
politeness, civility. To the superficial eye it may appear unimportant, but it has an enormous and
singular significance for the simple reason that it is the only quality which can be universal and obliga-
? PROGRESS 115
tory : it is impossible to demand from anybody either the highest virtue, or the highest intellect or
genius. Butitispossibleandnecessarytodemand from everybody politeness. It is that minimum of
reasonableness and morality which allows men to
liveliketruehumanbeings. Ofcourse,politeness is not all culture, but it is a necessary condition of
every form of cultured conduct, just as knowledge
of reading and writing, though not the sum total of education, is a necessary condition to it. Politeness
is cultured conduct, a Vusage de tout le monde. And we are actually able to see how it spreads from
private relationships amongst people of the same class to social relationships amongst different
classes, and so to political or international relation- ships. Some of us can surely still remember how in our youth people of our class were allowed to treat the lower classes without any civility at all.
Whereas at present a necessary and even compul-
sory politeness has overstepped this class boundary, and is now on the way to overstep international
boundaries as well.
LADY. Do, please, speak briefly. I see what you
are driving at. It is that peaceful politics amongst the 'States is the same as politeness amongst indi-
viduals, isn't it?
POLITICIAN. You are quite correct. It is evi-
"" denced in the very words politeness and
"
politics," which obviously are closely related to
eachother.
Aremarkablethingisthatnospecial I2
? 116 SOLOVIEV
feelings are necessary for this, no such goodwill, aswastonopurposementionedbytheGeneral. If
I do not fall upon anybody and do not furiously bite his head, this does not mean that I have any good- will towards that person. On the contrary, I may nurse in my soul the most rancorous feelings, but as a cultured man I cannot but feel repulsion at
biting anybody, and, what is more important, I understand full well that the result of it will be
anything but savoury, whilst if I abstain from it and treat this man in a polite manner, I shall lose
nothing and gain much. Similarly, whatever may be the antipathies existing between two nations, if they have reached a certain level of culture they will never come to voles de fait, that is, to war, and for the patent reason that, in the first place, the real
war not that portrayed in poetry and pictures, but asactuallyexperienced withallthosecorpses,foul
wounds, crowds of rough and filthy men, the stoppage of the normal order of life, destruction of
useful buildings and institutions, of bridges, rail- ways,telegraphs thatathingsohorridasthismust
be positively repulsive to a civilised nation, just as it is repulsive to us to see knocked-out eyes, broken
jaws,andbitten-offnoses. Inthesecondplace,at a certain stage of development, the nation under- stands how profitable it is to be civil to other nations and how damaging to its own interests it will be if it fights them. Here you, of course, have a number of gradations : the fist is more cultured than the
? PROGRESS 117
teeth, the stick is more cultured than the fist, and the symbolical slap in the face is even more cultured still. Similarly, wars also can be conducted in a more or less savage way ; the European wars of the nineteenth century more resemble a formal duel
between two respectable persons than a fight be- tweentwodrunkenlabourers. Buteventhisisonly
a transitional stage. Note that even the duel is out of fashion in advanced countries. Whereas back- ward Russia mourns her two greatest poets who have fallen in a duel; in more civilised France the duel
has long ago changed into a bloodless offering to a
"
bad and effete tradition.
qu'on riest -plus en vie" M. De-la-Palliss would say, and I am sure we shall still see with you how duels together with war will be relegated for ever to the archives of history. A compromise cannot last long here. Real culture requires that every kind of fighting between men and nations should
be, entirely abolished. Anyhow, peaceful politics are the measure and the outward sign of the progress
of culture. This is why, however anxious I am to please the worthy General, I still stand by my state-
ment that the literary agitation against war is a welcomeandsatisfyingfact. Thisagitationnotonly precedes, but actually expedites the final solution of a problem long since ripened. With all its peculiarities and exaggerations, this campaign
acquires importance by its emphasising in the public consciousness the main line of historical progress
Quand on est mort c'est
? 118 SOLOVIEV
A peaceful, that is, civil, i. e. , universally profitable settlement of all international relations and con-
flicts such is the fundamental principle of sound politics for civilised mankind. Ah? (to Mr. Z. )
You want to say something ?
MR. Z. Oh, it's nothing. It is only about your
recent remark that peaceful politics is the symptom
of progress. It reminds me that in Tourguenev's
Smoke some person, speaking just as reasonably, "
says Progress is a symptom. " Don't you think,
then, that peaceful politics becomes a symptom of a
symptom ?
POLITICIAN. Well, what of it? Of course, every-
thing is relative. But what is your idea after all ?
MR. Z. My idea is that if peaceful politics is
merely a shadow of a shadow, is it worth while to
discuss it so long ? Itself and all that shadowy pro-
gress? Wouldn't it be much better to say frankly
to mankind what Father Barsanophius said to the
old " You are old, you are feeble, and lady :
pious
you will never be any better. "
LADY. Well, it's now too late to talk about this.
(To the Politician. ) But you see what a practical
joke this politico-politeness of yours has played on
you.
POLITICIAN. What is that?
LADY. Simply that your visit to Monte Carlo, or -par euphemisme, to Nice will have to be put off to-morrow !
POLITICIAN. Why will it?
? PROGRESS 119
LADY. Because these gentlemen here want to
replytoyou. Andasyouhavebeenspeakingwith such prolixity as to leave no time for their replies,
they are entitled to do so to-morrow. And surely, at a time when a company of cultured people is busy
refuting your arguments, you would scarcely permit yourself to indulge in more or less forbidden
pleasures in the company of uneducated croupiers and their families? This would be a comble of
impoliteness. Andwhatwouldbeleftthenofyour
"obligatory minimum of morality"?
POLITICIAN. If that is the case, I must put off for
one day my visit to Nice. I am interested myself to hear what can be said against my axioms.
LADY. That's splendid ! Now I think everybody is really very hungry, and but for the culture you preach would have long ago made a dash for the
dining-room.
POLITICIAN. II me semble du reste que la culture
et Vart culinaire se marient ires bien ensemble.
LADY. Oh, oh ! this!
I must not listen to stuff like
(Here all the rest, exchanging feeble witticisms, hastily followed the lady of the house to the dinner
awaiting them. )
? Ill
THIRD DISCUSSION Audiatur et tertia para
? THE THIRD DISCUSSION Audiatur et tertia pars
THIS time, in accordance with the general wish, we met in the garden earlier than usual, so that we might have leisure to finish the discussion. Some- how all were in a more serious mood than yesterday.
POLITICIAN (to Mr. Z. ). I believe you wanted to
make some statement about what I said last after-
noon, did you not?
MR. Z. Yes. It has to do with your definition
thatpeacefulpoliticsisasymptomofprogress. It brought to my mind the words of a character in
Tourguenev's Smoke, that "progress is a symp- tom. " I don't know what that character meant
exactly, but the literal meaning of these words is
perfectly true. Progress is certainly a symptom.
POLITICIAN. A symptom of what?
"
MR. Z. It is a pleasure to talk with clever
1
That is just the question to which I have been leading. I believe that progress a visible
and accelerated progress is always a symptom of the end.
POLITICIAN. I can understand that if we take,
for instance, creeping paralysis. Its progress is a symptomoftheend. Butwhyshouldthe,progress
people. "
1 A Russian
proverb. (Translator. )
? 124 SOLOVIEV
of culture and cultured life always be a symptom of the end?
MR. Z. It is not so obvious, no doubt, as in the case of paralysis, but it is so all the same.
POLITICIAN. That you are certain of it is quite
clear, but it is not clear to me at all what it is you
are so certain of. And, to begin with, encouraged
by your praise, I will again put you that simple question of mine which seemed to you so clever.
You say, "a symptom of the end. " The end of
what, I ask you?
MR. Z. Naturally the end of what we have been
talking about. As you remember, we have been discussing the history of mankind, and that his- torical "process" which has doubtless been going
on at an ever-increasing rate, and which I am certain is nearing its end.
LADY. C'est la fin du monde, n'est-ce pas ? The
argument is becoming a most extraordinary one ! GENERAL. At last we have got to the most
interesting subject.
PRINCE. You will not, of course, forget Anti-
Christ either.
MR. Z. Certainly not. He takes the most
prominent place in what I have to say.
PRINCE (to Lady). Pardon me, please. I am
now exceedingly busy on very urgent matters. I am very anxious to hear the discussion on this most
fascinating subject, but, I am sorry to say, I must return home.
? THE END OF HISTORY 125
GENERAL. Return home? And what about whist ?
POLITICIAN. I had a presentiment from the very first day that some villainy or other was being pre- pared. Where religion is involved, never expect anygood. Tantumreligiopotuitsuaderemalorum.
PRINCE. No villainy is about to be perpetrated. I will try to come back at nine o'clock, but now I
positively have no time.
LADY. Why this sudden urgency ?
Howis it that you didn't inform us of those important matters before? No, I refuse to believe you. Candidly, it
is Anti-Christ that has scared you, isn't it?
PRINCE. I heard so frequently yesterday that
politeness is everything, that under the spell of this theory I have ventured for the sake of politeness
to tell a lie.
Now I see that I am wrong, and I
tell you frankly that though I am busy with many important matters, I am leaving this discussion mainly because I consider it a sheer waste of time to discuss things which can be of interest only to Papooses and such like.
POLITICIAN. Your very polite sin is now expiated, it seems.
LADY. Why get cross? If we are stupid, en- lighten us. Take me, for instance. You see, I am not cross with you for having been called a Papoose. Why, even Papooses may have correct ideas. God makes infants wise. But if it is so difficult for you to hear about Anti-Christ, we'll agree on this : Your
? 126 SOLOVIEV
villa is only a few steps from here. You go home to your work now, and towards the end of the discussion come back after Anti-Christ. . . .
PRINCE. Very well. I will come, with pleasure. (AfterthePrincehadleftthecompany. ) GENERAL
(laughing). 1
" The cat knows whose meat he's eaten
up. "
LADY. What, you think our Prince is an Anti-
Christ?
GENERAL. Well, not personally, not he per-
sonally ; as that.
it will be a long time before he gets as far But he is on the right track, all the same.
As
heard, my little ones, that Anti-Christ is coming, and there are many Anti-Christs now. " So, one of these "many . . . "
it is said in the Gospel of St. John :
LADY. One
against one's wish. God will not punish him for that. He simply has been led astray. He knows that he will not discover his own gunpowder, whilst wearing a fashionable coat is an honour after all. It is only as if one were transferred from the Army to the Guards. For a big General it makes no difference, but for a small officer it is very flattering.
may
find oneself
amongst
POLITICIAN. The psychology is very sound. Yet I am unable to see why he should have become so angrywjienAnti-Christwasmentioned. Takeme, for instance. I have no faith whatever in things mystical, and so it does not annoy me. On the
1 ARussian
proverb. (Translator. )
" You have
the " " many
? THE END OF HISTORY 127
contrary, it rather excites my curiosity from a
general human standpoint : I know that for many it is something very serious ; it is clear, then, that in this matter some side of human nature has found
its expression, a side which is possibly atrophied in my consciousness, but which does not cease to pre-
serve its objective interest even for me. I, for
instance, am a very bad judge of paintings : I cannot draw even a straight line or a circle, nor am I able to perceive what is bad and what is good in the works of painters. Yet I am interested in the
art of painting from the standpoint of general education and general aesthetics.
LADY. It is difficult to be offended at such a harm- less thing as art. But religion, for instance, you hate with all your heart, and only just now you quoted some Latin curse against it.
gloomy-intolerant utterances of the companion who
has just left us. Still, religious ideas -per se interest
me very much amongst others this idea of the
"
Anti-Christ. " Unfortunately, all I have been able
to read on this subject is confined to the book by Renan, and he considers the question only in relation to historical evidence, which in his opinion pointsindubitablytoNero.