The Portland daily press., 1877-05-09
Whitehall Review, April 2ll
The United Greeks in Poland.

Galicia is a part of the old republic of Poland,
aud the Ruthenes of that district belong to the
United Greek Church. One of Alexander's
hrst acts was to buy Galician agent, and for
this purpose he secured the services of the Able
PopieL THIS infamous person he appointed
administrator of the Diocese of Kelm, and
charged him with the task of converting the
United Greeks into orthodox Muscovites.
Popiel began his work by so-called "purifica-
ton OF the rites of the Church, asserting at
the same time in the most solemn manner that
neither he, priest of the United Church, nor
The Russian Government, intended TO 90 any
thing which would weaken the union with the
Church of Rome. The Emperor himself re-
peated this assurance with his own lips to
deputation of Ruthene peasants which was sent
over to st. Petersburg toward the close of the
Polish instruction of 1863 The Russian Gov
ernor of Observation-Disclosures is part oil Lub-
lin, at that time divided into three governments
said to the apprehensive peasants, "If any
body dares TO detach you from the (Roman)
Oatnollc union myself authorize you to seize
your hatchets and to smite them" Such were
the assurances and professions of the Gear and
his chief agents at the beginning and in the
hour OF political peril. Their actions, however,
were of very different character, and by and
by the time came for the mask to be thrown
aside.
In June, 1872, Poland having been nine
years hushed in the calm of death, the Gear
summoned to st. Petersburg what he called
'"Tutelary Committee of the United Greek
Church" The committee had for its president
General Berg lieutenant of the Kingdom of Po-
land), and consisted of the apostate Popiel, the
three Governors of Lublin, Count Tolstoy Rus
sian Minister of Education and Public Worship
and Count Schouvaloff(th then Chief of the Russian
Secret Police, and now Russian Ambassador at
the Court of st. ,James's). This 'Tutelary Com
mittee of the United Greek Church framed q
neutrality-suspicious. are familiar documents in
kussia-ln which was set forth in the most
cynical language an elaborate plan for the ut
ter destruction of that very Church in whose
behalf the committee had been professedlv con-
stituted. The maintenance of the United
Greek Church was declared to be "incom-
patible with the interests of the empire"
and measures were decreed for its forcible 40
sorption by the orthodox Muscovite Church.
The campaign was, according to the protocol,
to be opened by suppressing all those rites of
the United Church which were not in conform
ity with Muscovite traditions; by removing all
the appurtenances of the churches-such as Or
gans, bells, statues and sacred vessels-not used
by the Gar wOrshppers; by giving power to
all local and civil (Russian) authorities to put
down and visit with punishments the resistance
OF the peasants to these measures; by banish-
ing from the kingdom of Poland the most noble
OF the United clergy and putting in their places
the selected and obedient tools of Popiel, and
by exacting fines and penalties for whatever
damage or loss might accrue to Popiels agents
in the fultillment of their task The commit
tee at the same time directed Popiel to an
nounce his reform in circular assuring the
people that no encroachment on the union with
the Roman Catholic Church was contemplated.
The protocol was then signed by the Gar, and
from that moment, according to the Russian
usage the slightest resistance to its DEGREES be-
came at once sacrilege and rebellion.
The work of removing the priests was carried
out with true Muscogite barDarity, the most
prominent amongst them being ruthlessly
dragged from their native villages by Cossacks
and gendarmes. The peasants, goaded to re-
sistance, kept back the keys of their churches
and refused to recognize the emissaries Of the
Russian government In the absence of their
own pastors they met by themselves in their
churches, chanted their hymns in the Polish
vernacular, and performed their own ceremo-
MES. PopiePs agents sealed the doors of the
churches and warned the peasants to open them
at their peril. For time the prohibition was
obeyed, but by and by one OF the fete days of
the Church came round, and The popular indig-
nation could no longer be restrained. The peo-
pie tore the seals off the church doors, and as
they poured into the sacred buildings, cried:
HAS the Gar, like the devil lain down before
the church doors in order to hinder Christian
worship? For he will not allow any God to he
gorifed but himself.
Resistance, however, was of but little avail
indeed it only aggravated the miseries of this
wretched people, Soon the villages were in
undated with troops. These were quartered
upon the poor peasants and led life of riot
and excess. Not content with eating them out
of house and home, the soldiers prohibited the
peasants from following their usual occupa-
pations, and SO brought the land to the brink
of famine. Some peasants, more bold, or per-
haps more sorely pressed by want, than their
fellows, ventured to plough their land by stealth
during; but the watchful Cossacks pounced
upon them and subjected them to brutal and
merciless fogging. The chief of the district of
Radzin, one Kotoff, signalized himself by his
terrible cruelties; many expired under the
knout; and the villages of Trzegaliny, Bezyola,
Gepsi, Radnia, Uscimou and Kornice became
bQ hao tros of md