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this he afterwards finished, and it was published under the
title of ‘The Fruits of Civilisation.’”
The play was performed three times; once was in Yasnaja
Poljana, and a second time in the town of Tula, the Count’s
eldest daughter, Tatiana, playing the part of Tanja (the
heroine being named after her). The third time it was played
by a company of aristocratic amateurs at Tarskoje Selo, the
summer residence of the Tsar, in the presence of sixteen
grand dukes and duchesses, and other high dignitaries,
numbering about 250 persons—of course, “for a benevolent
purpose.” It was a great success. The high-born audience
laughed, and applauded the biting satire, the point of which
was directed against their own society! What a grotesque
scene! On the Emperor’s private stage, the victory of the
people is represented by members of the highest aristocracy!
But who in these circles thinks of this bitter self-mockery?
Pungent means are required to amuse persons enervated by
idleness, epicurism, and licentiousness—so they laugh at the
amusing surface, without being touched by the author’s deep
pain and sympathy with the oppressed, that throbs through the
whole piece.
By this time we saw through the storm a long row of what
looked like snow-covered mounds. It was the village of Pinki.
Approaching nearer, we found that the mounds were peasants’
huts, half buried in the deep snow-drifts. The village looked
poor and desolate in the extreme. No smoke was rising from
any of the huts, every other one of which was roofless. No
living body was seen about; all appeared to be ruin and death.
We stopped at one of the izbas, in which the Count had
opened a school and eating-room. For some time after our
entrance we could see nothing distinctly, but our feet told us
that the naked soil served as floor. When our eyes grew
accustomed to the gloom we saw a number of benches, and
standing between them about thirty children, silently looking at
us. The teacher, an intelligent young man, approached and
saluted us. In one corner were a couple of elderly people.
From the neighbourhood of the oven came heavy breathing and
coughing, and, lying on top of it, we saw three children,
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