China and the West

Letters from Leo Tolstoy to Vladimir Grigoryevich Chertkov (Nov.)
"I have been rereading Lao Tzu and now have begun reading Legge, the volume containing Mo Ti. I should like to write a book about Chinese wisdom, and particularly a discussion about human nature being good, and human nature being evil, and that people must be either egoistic individualists, or must be loving. All this is very interesting and important to me, and I should like to make it accessible to all and to write about it. Please send me, if you do not need them, the remaining books of Legge and Pauthier, provided you have them." [Legge Mencius ; Pauthier Lao Tzu].
"I wrote you about the Chinese, asking you to send me Legge and Pauthier, and wanted to do this work. But now it is clear to me that it should be done by you, and that you will do it easily and beautifully. The work consists of translating Legge's two volumes on Confucius and Mencius, with all his investigations into the lives of these sages and of the philosophers contemporaneous and close to them. (I do not remember about the book of Confucius, but in Mencius there is an account of these philosophers, among them Mo Ti, which is extremely interesting as well as important.) Mencus himself is also exceptionally interesting. If you could manage and introduction for this book (it mus be written as a single book: 'Chinese sages', that would be fine. But if not, then simply a translation of Legge – omitting only some of the overly dogmatic Christian remarks – would be one of the best books for the intellectual 'Posrednik'. Firstly, because for most of the reading public all this is completely new ; secondly, the subjects discussed are the most important ones in the world and are treated with seriousness ; and thirdly, many highly moral ideas are beautifully espressed. So as soon as you tell me that you agree, I shall send you all I have. As for Budha, finish it up. You have made an excellent beginning and should not dig too deeply with the plow. Le mieux est l'ennemi du bien."
"I still want to look through the books on Chinese wisdom in order to work out a plan more clearly. As soon as I finish this one of these days, I shall send them to you. A marvelous work."