1896 г. Октября 17 или 18. Я. П.
Dear friend,
I have got the book packet and yesterday your letter. To day I received the «Freedom».1 I was very glad to read, what you write about Anarchists. I thought always, that they must be onesided Christian, as are socialists and communists.
Sutaieff,2 of whom I think you have heard, a peasant with radical Christian views, when he was asked, how they will manage so sustain the Christian life and what they will oppose to agressive violence, answered with greatest conviction, that we, christians, have something, which is stronger, than the armies of the whole world, and to which nothing can resist, — it is christian love. You can find his «moyen» not sufficient, but he has a system and is consequent in proposing his «moyen», because he believes in it. But I never heard from any socialist, communist or anarchist an explanation, how the communistic or socialistic system will work, why will the egoistic men cease to be egoistic, and what will prompt them to sustain a system, which, will not be advantageous for them personally, and never could comprehend, what advantage will have anarchy over the existing state of things, or how could anarchy be founded and last, if the hearts of men are not changed, if men have not accepted the Christian point of view. The «Gospel in brief»3 I have looked through, and it seems to me to be a very good translation. I thank you heartely for the preface and for your book «The ...4 I have began to read Carpenter’s book5 and find it very good. Please give him my thanks for sending it. I have read only the first article — Civilisation. The Epilogue of Maude’s book is excellent.6 I never thought that he was so firm and radical, going to the last conclusions. I admire and envy you in your manual work. It is one of the first conditions for a good life. I try again to work and hope not to abandone it now, as I did it after my illness.7 «The coming of the end» will appear in Paris, in the
