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this view. Sergey Ivanovitch waited serenely to speak, obviously with a
convincing reply ready.
“But,” said Sergey Ivanovitch, smiling subtly, and addressing
Karenin, “One must allow that to weigh all the advantages and disad-
vantages of classical and scientific studies is a difficult task, and the
question which form of education was to be preferred would not have
been so quickly and conclusively decided if there had not been in favor
of classical education, as you expressed it just now, its moral—disons le
mot—anti-nihilist influence.”
“Undoubtedly.”
“If it had not been for the distinctive property of anti-nihilistic
influence on the side of classical studies, we should have considered
the subject more, have weighed the arguments on both sides,” said
Sergey Ivanovitch with a subtle smile, “we should have given elbow-
room to both tendencies. But now we know that these little pills of
classical learning possess the medicinal property of anti-nihilism, and
we boldly prescribe them to our patients.... But what if they had no
such medicinal property?” he wound up humorously.
At Sergey Ivanovitch’s little pills, everyone laughed; Turovtsin in
especial roared loudly and jovially, glad at last to have found something
to laugh at, all he ever looked for in listening to conversation.
Stepan Arkadyevitch had not made a mistake in inviting Pestsov.
With Pestsov intellectual conversation never flagged for an instant.
Directly Sergey Ivanovitch had concluded the conversation with his
jest, Pestsov promptly started a new one.
“I can’t agree even,” said he, “that the government had that aim.
The government obviously is guided by abstract considerations, and
remains indifferent to the influence its measures may exercise. The
education of women, for instance, would naturally be regarded as likely
to be harmful, but the government opens schools and universities for
women.”
And the conversation at once passed to the new subject of the
education of women.
Alexey Alexandrovitch expressed the idea that the education of
women is apt to be confounded with the emancipation of women, and
that it is only so that it can be considered dangerous.
“I consider, on the contrary, that the two questions are inseparably
connected together,” said Pestsov; “it is a vicious circle. Woman is
deprived of rights from lack of education, and the lack of education
results from the absence of rights. We must not forget that the subjec-
tion of women is so complete, and dates from such ages back that we
are often unwilling to recognize the gulf that separates them from us,”
said he.
“You said rights,” said Sergey Ivanovitch, waiting till Pestsov had
finished, “meaning the right of sitting on juries, of voting, of presiding at
official meetings, the right of entering the civil service, of sitting in
parliament...”
“Undoubtedly.”
“But if women, as a rare exception, can occupy such positions, it
seems to me you are wrong in using the expression ‘rights.’ It would be
more correct to say duties. Every man will agree that in doing the duty
of a juryman, a witness, a telegraph clerk, we feel we are performing
duties. And therefore it would be correct to say that women are seek-
ing duties, and quite legitimately. And one can but sympathize with
this desire to assist in the general labor of man.”
“Quite so,” Alexey Alexandrovitch assented. “The question, I
imagine, is simply whether they are fitted for such duties.”
“They will most likely be perfectly fitted,” said Stepan Arkadyevitch,