Leo and Sofya Tolstoy In the last period of his life (1879 - 1910) Tolstoy wrote many stories, pamphlets, dramas and children's stories. He condemned private property, transferred his estate to his family, and tried to bring his daily existence into conformity with his convictions. He became as self sufficient as possible, living a simple life, making his own boots, sweeping out his primitive hut himself and working in the fields together with the peasants as one of them. He attracted many followers who organized colonies in which they lived according to Tolstoy's ideals. Hundreds of people from all over the world traveled to Yasnaya Polyana to see and talk with him. Many others were influenced by his writings, became his followers and exchanged letters with him. One of them, then living in Transvaal province in South Africa, was Mahatma Gandhi, then in his 30s. Tolstoy himself distrusted all organized efforts, rebuked many of his followers, saying that only individuals can find the truth, if they honestly look within themselves, but no organized movement can achieve this. In Tolstoy's view, all the educational philosophy that he had made himself knowledgeable of, had to be rejected as a thing of the past. He was convinced that these educational philosophies had contributed to the malaise that had gripped educated society. He saw educated society being inflicted with confusion, greed, chaos and loss of values. A new educational philosophy and practice was needed to cure the ills of educated society and keep the uneducated segment of the population from falling into the same confusion and chaos. Tolstoy's own struggle with morality and moral values, which he expressed in his earlier works, and most explicitly in "A Confession" lead him to the realization of the archetypal quality of this struggle. What counts for Tolstoy in education is mostly, if not exclusively, the educators own moral development, the educator's striving for perfection in every possible way, physically, socially and morally. Only out of this striving for perfection can education of children (and of humanity in general) flow. Education does not need a philosophy or theory other than this. All educational practice and methods have to flow out of this striving, constantly and continuously perfecting itself, and thereby changing and adapting. As an illustration concerning the power that lives in the stories and tales that Tolstoy wrote himself, or collected from the peasants, one examples from the vast treasure of available stories, shall be given here. These stories are striking in their simplicity and depth.
Warva and the Goldfinch
Once there lived a girl called Warya. She had a yellow goldfinch, which she kept in a cage. But the goldfinch never sang. One day Warya asked her goldfinch: 'Why do you never sing?' And the goldfinch answered: 'Let me out of the cage and let me fly through the air. Then I will sing!' Warya opened the cage and let the yellow goldfinch get out. Then the goldfinch flew through the free air and it sang all day long.
Warva and the Goldfinch
Once there lived a girl called Warya. She had a yellow goldfinch, which she kept in a cage. But the goldfinch never sang. One day Warya asked her goldfinch: 'Why do you never sing?' And the goldfinch answered: 'Let me out of the cage and let me fly through the air. Then I will sing!' Warya opened the cage and let the yellow goldfinch get out. Then the goldfinch flew through the free air and it sang all day long.
