New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-11-14
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY.
MISSION OF THE EVANGELICAL ALLIANCE
TO RUSSIA.

rp ,<fu APPOINTED To MEMORlAIIIE THE
GAR IL BEHALF OF RELIGIOUS fREEpoM'
The Executive Committee of the Evangelical
.r,pco met Yesterday afternoon at their Office No 81
House. and adopted the report of tie dcputation
- Ru..t, in behalf OF religious liberty, with vote OF
thanks 10 the members of the dcputaon for the mor
snt they had rendered. II WIS resolved to gave
the dcp"'atiou pNhic reception, after the "rTlN Oh
the Grand bake Alexis when the subject Of religious
liberty in Rn,sia and Turkey viii he brought before the
rullic \ committee also appointed to report l"
IN. next meeting the General C0'fcr'nc" "l al th'
Alliances t. I've held IN NcwNork in l'3 Tho report "'
the dcputaon, prepared ty rrof. fAlp Sc"""' o''I'
iary. follows:
riir rvANGELICAL ALLIANCE AND RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
The Evangelical Alliance, consisting OF Christians OF
different ngiiouatc~ AMI cIccds, was founded In Lon
don $50, for the express purpose of promoting RELIGIOUS
liberty and Christian union on the basis OF that liberty
True to object it has every proper occasion inter
coded IN behalf Of prosecuted ChristnS, without re-
trrrtci it, share toward the recent advances OF thc
rITdlIEry Tac release o. the MadiA in TUSCANY of
atlluorO>, Carrdsrn, AMI their icI"WpilSohtrs IN
,Tiyic meeting. for devotion the abolition Of the
ii, ain penalty for ape stacy flun M"hamm dhslh ~ inc
m sweden a:ain,t Roman Catholics ana Proesants not
m"ngin TO- de- IhcIaT M e bor r, Of me AI
anrc aud dcpualion COMPOST 81 "nfm oh nnG
~; un',I Is purely phdntropic and religious motives
AITTAIs FROM ABROAD.
The >ic,t Of religions persecution in Russia first
hroue' the notice of the American Alliance by IN ap
peal from Switz Hand, dated March, 1870 bearing the
signatures OF than 2OO wcllknown Christian men,
such -, the late Count de Gasparn Adricn de Navilc,
ca Bard. Dr. lombard I. de RouGemont Count de
Fourta. ri. Schattcr, NJ Zllwcgcr, Prof. Chappuis,
And ether, from Geneva. Ncuchatc Lausanne Vcvey.
Basel b7nc, Zrtn St Gall. and Appcn2". describing
Professionals in the Russian provinces of ~
vona. E>thona, and COurHnd. and asking for
al Christian SYMPATHY and for active
tcrccSSion I'm their behalf. Similar appeals were re-
ccycd during the last year. from mcmbors and friends
If the Evangelical Alliances Holland, France Ger
many and England, we'll from other persons who.
This 0rgarza' ion a. the only efficient organ for
pressing tn sentiments OF the Christian world ON thS
europe expressed decided wish that the American Al,
t"nld not he suspected of any political motives and was
most likely I" make III impression upon tht RUSSIAN
Fiaij, strong petitions we're sent in from American
MISSIONARIES in Turkey C"npainn- with other mission
arcs in Elst Of tie religious Intolerance OF Russian
int We might sec for them II possible the same free
dom IN missionary labor and the distribution Of me
scriptures which they now enjoy under Mohummcd'n
rIE-EcrTroN IN THE BALTIC PROVINCES.
Tie Baltic provinces of Russia which originally re
Iorgrd to Sweden and Poland and mostly inhabited
by Germans. Let's and E>thOnidns protesting the Lu
thcran creed coded Russia under special glaran
tees that Protestant religion civil rights, ana n>ti
tutlons ,hold not be intcrfcred with But under the
iiIs,ifcauon was begun. which has given rise
to aa s%Tf snac "qs Fcra aSg G"nd ct
ia stated nearly 100000 Let's ana E>thoui-
ISIS and undcr tie pressure of great pull
lc dstrro1 seduced into the Orthodox Grace Russian
will undcT threat Of numerous Prosecutions even penal
VIOLENCE agalNt CONSCIENCE are charged upon RUSSIAN
pest and OH ia~ Moved by repeated appeals for JUS
enlightened ad Dcralminded nonarcl->cnt one of his
aides Gen. Bohlin,k now Minister Of Public Works to
the RI g q a
1- Commissioner in his report to the Emperor which
dated Apu Is 1894 and was first published (unoticalyl
by Baron Won Book, in January, 1867. and repeatedly
since IN the Russian and other languages fully confirms
the facts of official fraud and concludes with the follow
& a n y t S II any aS .ay Ss S
With Orhoior cgymcn and Onhoi"I Peasu's have given IN the
c,ye con,s;"n that OF e Hs .1es5 o. onoI TS% are
S0 F ibS1s bys not cSy never in 16ci hearts been 0thI
stryn in Their ,rfce religious
far possible The ns aud ceremonies OF the LuiherI
YOu Ia, been painful to me Orthodox
witness with eyes tn ahlscmep
Soi The s@SePe word, q tss aEbp who sdre,s YOUR
n c wy. Ne l dn WHICH, according to the CONVICTION Of their
,hr sincere e1ae'son' Of teI ns 6a,s made up
ooSs t'' 2 npgd tHo'S to csrso!y should
AZ the same time Count Bobrinsk told the peasants in
5S Sn n be- Sfn TINT hS GseE 6Go4 could
not return to Luthcranism; and that the children of
Greek rite. They heard that communication with deep
implOrcd again, their knees. TO present TO your
Majesty thrir hope Of your Imperial mercy
TIE PENAL LAWS OF RUssL..
This last declaration Of Count BObrnsi reveals the
core Of the difficulty. Russia still has her statute
hook those intocrant penal laws under which only
the Luthcrans and MOravians of the Baltic Provinces,
but all whoSs>cnt from the Russian State Church in
any part OF the immense empire must more less suffer
II well known how bitterly the Roman Catholics Of
Poland complain Of persecution under the operation OF
such laws. similar laws once dlsgraced the statute
books OF Episcopal England Lutheran sweden Puritan
New England not to speak OF Roman Catholic countries
rent OF modern progress and genuine Christian spirit
In Russia no one can be legally converted except to
the Orthodox Eastern Greek Church Hence, other
and to propagate their faith What is allowed to the
Greek Church her exclusive right, is denounced and
oihcTs Secession from the GRECO RUSSIAN Church as
strictly prohibited. and punished by ConfscatOu of
pnral punishment, and transportation for life to
Siberia; while conversion TO that church is officially
RACES when one parent belongs the Greek Church.
must baptized and brought up in that Church. though
quenty the Uecenty, however, by order OF the
present Emperor. the law about mixed marriages has
becn suspended for the Baltic PrOvnces) The Russian
Government, indeed supports Protestant and Roman
Catholic churches and on that account claims to lie toll
Grant and il l. freely admitted that the Greek Church
Russia is fIee from the tribunals OF InQusOn and
bloody prosecutions which disgrace the history Of
other countries Nevertheless, according TO the Russian
code OF laws. il s to-day punishable crime
any Russian subject who is member of the Greek
Church to become Protestant or Roman Catholic.
Tie whole civilized world calls this violation Of the
sacred right OF conscience.
We quote n few OF these intOlerant laws from the
CnmiDa Cote of Russia, Vol. XIV:
Ar lwlOvet cude1vCr, b? preaching writing TO ssdu
~ In puuh" The with the loss Of Of bic special nights
Imprisonment yea thu rI
ts'or'stoa for r to TobOsk TOm Sbera with imprisonment
~rsrer who by bring up children in
- 91oqi VESiG on, c w,o nave h[n o.pi'" &C.
Of to Two