THE BEGINNINGS 25young daughter. The only close friend who belonged to the higher
classes and who was most nearly Speransky's "bureaucratic" equal,
was Senator A. A. Stolypin, a wealthy landowner from the province
of Penza and son-in-law of the well known and influential member
of the Council of State, Admira1! Count Mordvinov.
Only in this circle did Speransky feel quite at ease and relaxed.
Leo Tolstoy, who did not think very highly of Speransky (as of any
"great man") has given an exaggerated, caricatured, and unfriendly
picture of Speransky's household in War and Peace (Vol. II, Part 3,
Ch. X.VIII). But Tolstoy'S psychological intuition pointed out a very
basic feature of Speransky's personality, even in this overdrawn
characterization. Compared to the dignitaries and government per-
sonalities with whom Speransky came into contact in his official capacity,
his personal friends make a poor impression indeed, both intellectually
and socially, with the possible exception of A. Stolypin. One cannot
escape the feeling that there is something a trifle unsavory in his relations
to his intimate acquaintances. Many great men have found pleasure and
relaxation in associating with people of much lower social, economic, and
even intellectual status than they. Some prominent men who had risen
to high eminence from the lowest classes of society often preferred the
social contact of their former equals. In all these cases, however, the main
reason for these "unequal" associations was that they provided a welcome
sentiment of freedom and informality to men who were hemmed in
by their high position. Peter the Great, Andrew Jackson and others
liked the company of sailors, merchants, farmers, frontier-soldiers,
because they could be free and uninhibited with these simple people,
while they had to guard and disguise their thoughts and sentiments in
their public life. In Speransky's case, however, his friends dit not perform
this genuinely "liberating" function. In their mid&t Speransky felt not so
much free and their equal as their superior, and could indulge his
love for sarcasm at their expense. Perhaps he needed this kind of
relief after spending his days with aristocratic high officials and
dignitaries who were well above him in social status. But could he
really feel exhilaratingly free amidst these intimate friends? Hardly,
for how could he feel free in the midst of cringing and flattering
individuals of much lower intellectual powers than he? Speransky's
friends are overly servile, too humbly devoted to him, though no doubt
sincerely so, and to see Speransky in their company makes an unpleasant
impression on the observer; an impression which Tolstoy has masterfully
conveyed in his description of Prince Andrei's visit to the State
Secretary's home. And apparently conscious of the situation, Speransky