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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