Anna Karenina (Dole)/Part Seven/Chapter 3
CHAPTER III
During his present stay in Moscow Levin had once more come into intimate relationship with his old university friend, Professor Katavasof, whom he had not seen since the time of his marriage. Katavasof was agreeable to him because of the clearness and simplicity of his philosophy. Levin thought that the clearness of his philosophy arose from the poverty of his nature, while Katavasof thought that the incoherence of Levin's ideas arose from a lack of mental discipline. But Katavasof's lucidity was agreeable to Levin, and Levin's fecundity of undisciplined ideas was agreeable to Katavasof, and they both liked to meet and discuss together.
Levin had read several passages from his treatise to Katavasof, who had liked them. The evening before Katavasof, happening to meet Levin at a public lecture, told him that the celebrated scholar, Professor Metrof, whose article had pleased Levin, was in Moscow, and was greatly interested in what he had heard of Levin's work. He was to be at Katavasof's house the next day at eleven o'clock, and would be delighted to make Levin's acquaintance.
"Delighted to see you, batyushka," said Katavasof, receiving Levin in his reception-room. "I heard the bell, and wondered if it could be time And now what do you think of the Montenegrins? It looks to me like war."
"What makes you think so?" asked Levin.
Katavasof in a few words told him the latest news, and then, taking him into his library, introduced him to a short, thick-set, and very pleasant-looking man: it was Metrof. The conversation for a short time turned on politics, and on the views held by the high authorities in Petersburg in regard to the recent elections. Metrof, in regard to this, quoted some significant words spoken by the emperor and one of the ministers, which he had heard from a reliable source. Katavasof had heard from an equally reliable source that the emperor had said something quite different. Levin tried to imagine to himself the conditions in which the words in either case might have been said, and the conversation on this theme came to an end.
"Well! here is the gentleman who is writing a book on the natural condition of the laborer in relation to the soil," said Katavasof. "I am not a specialist, but it pleases me as a naturalist that he does not consider the human race outside of zoölogical laws, but recognizes man's dependence on his environment, and seeks to find in this dependence the laws of his development."
"That's very interesting," said Metrof .
"I began simply to write a book on rural economy," [1] said Levin, reddening;" but in studying the principal instrument, the laborer, I arrived at a decidedly unexpected conclusion, in spite of myself."
And Levin expatiated on his ideas, trying the ground carefully as he did so, for he knew that Metrof had written an article against the current views on political economy; and how far he could hope for sympathy in his new views, he did not know, and could not tell from the scholar's calm, intellectual face.
"How, in your opinion, does the Russian laborer differ from that of other peoples?" asked Metrof. "Is it from the point of view which you call zoological? or from that of the material conditions in which he finds himself?"
This way of putting the question proved to Levin how widely their opinions diverged; nevertheless, he continued to set forth his theory, which was based on the idea that the Russian people could not have the same relation to the soil as the other European nations; and to prove this position, he hastened to add that, in his opinion, the Russian people feels instinctively predestined to populate the immense uncultivated tracts stretching toward the East.
"It is easy to be mistaken about the general destiny of a people, by forming premature conclusions," said Metrof, interrupting Levin; "and the situation of the laborer will always depend on his relation to land and capital."
And, without giving Levin time to reply, he began to explain the peculiarity of his own views. Levin did not understand, because he did not try to understand, in what consisted the peculiarity of his views; he saw that Metrof, like all the rest, notwithstanding his article, in which he refuted the teachings of the economists, looked on the condition of the Russian people from the standpoint of capital, wages, and rent, though he was obliged to confess that for the eastern and by far the greater part of Russia, there was no such thing as rent; that for nine-tenths of Russia's eighty millions, wages consisted in a bare subsistence, and the capital did not yet exist, except as it was represented by the most primitive tools. Although Metrof differed from other political economists, in many ways he regarded the laborer from this point of view, and he had a new theory as to wages, which he demonstrated at length.
Levin listened with some disgust, and tried to reply. He wanted to interrupt Metrof, in order to express his own opinions, which he felt deserved to be heard at far greater length. But, finally recognizing that they looked on the subject from such a radically opposite standpoint that they could never understand each other, he no longer tried to refute him, he let Metrof talk, and only listened. Though he was not at all interested in what he said, nevertheless he experienced a certain pleasure in listening to him. He was flattered that such a learned man would condescend to give him the benefit of his thoughts, sometimes by a hint pointing to a complete phase of the subject, and showing him so much deference as to one thoroughly versed in the subject. He ascribed this to his own merits; he did not know that Metrof, having talked this over with all his own intimates on this subject, was glad to have a new auditor; and, moreover, that he liked to talk with any one on the subjects that occupied him, so as to elucidate certain points for his own benefit.
"We shall be late," remarked Katavasof, consulting his watch as soon as Metrof had concluded his argument. "Yes! there is a special session to-day of the 'Society of Friends'[2] in honor of the semi-centennial of Svintitch," he added, in reply to Levin's question. "We meet at the house of Piotr Ivanuitch; I promised to speak on his work in zoology. Come with us; it will be interesting."
"Yes, it is high time," said Metrof. "Come with us, and then afterward, if you like, come home with me. I should greatly like to hear your work."
"It is only a sketch, not worth much; but I should like to go with you to the session."
"What is that, batyushka? Have you heard? He gave a special opinion," said Katavasof, who was putting on his dress-coat in the next room.
And the talk turned on the university question.
The university question was a very important topic this winter in Moscow. Three old professors in the council would not accept the opinion of the younger ones; the younger ones expressed a special opinion. This opinion, according to some, was dreadful, according to others was the simplest and most righteous of opinions, and the professors were divided into two parties.
The one to which Katavasof belonged saw in the opposition dastardly violation of faith, and deception; the other side charged their opponents with childishness and lack of confidence in the authorities.
Levin, although he was not connected with the university, had heard and talked much during his stay in Moscow regarding this affair, and had his own opinion regarding it. So he took part in the conversation, which was continued even after they had got out into the street, and until they had all three reached the buildings of the old university.
The session had already begun. Six men were sitting around a table covered with a cloth; and one of them, nearly doubled up over a manuscript, was reading something. Katavasof and Metrof took their places at the table. Levin sat down in an unoccupied chair near a student, and asked him in a low voice what they were reading. The student, looking angrily at Levin, replied:—
"The biography."
Levin did not care much for the savant's biography, still he could not help listening, and he learned various interesting particulars of the life of the celebrated man.
When the reader came to an end, the chairman congratulated him, and then read some verses which had been sent to him in honor of the occasion by the poet Mient, of whose work he spoke eulogistically. Then Katavasof read in his loud, harsh voice a sketch of the work of Svintitch. When Katavasof had finished, Levin looked at his watch and found that it was already two o'clock; he realized that he should lose the concert if he should read his treatise to Metrof, and, moreover, he no longer cared to do it.
During the reading of the papers he had come to a conclusion regarding the conversation he had just had. It was clear to his own mind that, though Metrof's ideas very likely had some value, yet his own ideas also had value, and that ideas could be made clear and profitable only when every person should work separately in his chosen path, but that the communication of these ideas was perfectly profitless.
And, having decided to decline Metrof's invitation. Levin at the end of the session went up to him. Metrof introduced Levin to the chairman, with whom he was talking about the political news. Thereupon Metrof told the chairman what he had already told Levin, and Levin made the same remarks as he had made that morning, but for the sake of variety he also told his new theory which had just come into his mind. After this the conversation again turned on the university question. As Levin had already heard as much as he cared to about this, he made haste to tell Metrof that he regretted that he could not accept his invitation, bade him good-by, and hastened to Lvof's.