suffering from hunger or cold succeed in enslaving him. Man, admitting that labor for bread is a law imposed on all, will consider it a strict duty not to permit the sale of bread (that is, articles of actual necessity), but will nourish, clothe, and care for each other.
I regard Bondareff's work from another point of view, which is this:
You will often hear it said that we must not be content with negative laws and commandments, that is, the rules which decide what we must not do; but we should have positive laws, which determine in a precise manner what we ought to do.
For example, Jesus Christ gave five negative commandments:[1]
1st. Never regard any one as a fool or idiot; and never be angry with any one.[2]
2d. Do not look on marriage as a mere source of pleasure. Let not the husband leave his wife, nor the wife her husband.[3]
- ↑ Tolstoï's moral law is all contained in these Gospel precepts. See, for the development of this doctrine, and his explanation of the Sermon on the Mount, his book entitled My Religion.
- ↑ "But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment; and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire." (St. Matthew, chap. v. 22.)
- ↑ "It hath been said. Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement;
But I say unto you. That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit
