Morning journal and courier., 1881-08-02
JolrnaI alla Galrrier.
Tuesday Morning, August 2. 1881.
Dissent in Russia.

sects That Count Their Numbers Among
 the Ni1lfona-Dangeroast to the Czar.
 From the PaIl Mall Gazette.l
 The extraordinary increase of sectarian- ism in all parts of the Russian Empire threat ems to prove more serious danger to the government than even Nihilism itself. It is very difficult to obtain trustworthy evidence as to the actual status of dissent in Russia, nor must it be forgotten that nearly all our information on the subject is furnished from official sources. But there is reason to be- heve that the number of dissidents from the national church amounts at the present mo- ment to over IA, ,00o. .O00. Many of these sects, though exposed to most cruel and un- relenting persecution, are, politically speak ing, perfectly harmless; but the same cannot be said of certain religious bodies that have sprung up in later times, and are daily mak- ing converts among the peasant class. From an interesting article in the GoEos of relating to two powerful sects-the Be- gounie, (FWanderers'' and the Neaplatel schtchikie, ('fNon-payers.") The former are to be found chiefly in the governments of Yoroslaff, Kostroma, Kazan, Niejegorod, Olonetski, and Archangel. Their fundam en- tai article of belief is that ''the Czar is Antichrist, and that his ministers and agents are wicked angels sent to execute his de- crees, to the uprooting of the people of God" As any opposition to the govern ment is impossible, and as If man would be saved he must refuse to recognize any authority, imperial or other, " the only means left to escape from Antichrist is 'tto avoid all society and to take refuge in soli- tary woods, deserts, and mountains. {" They are sworn foes to all passports and certificates of residence, and there are good grounds for believing that the vexatious manner in which the passport sys- tenn is carried out in the interior of Russia originally gave birth to this strange act. The writer tells us how in nearly every village in one of the most extensive districts of the government of OlonetsH he met with Bo- gonnie who were gladly lodged for weeks to- gether by the peasants in the so-called ''lairs'' that are constructed for the purpose in se- cret and out-of-the-way places. The sect is divided, moreover, into two great groups the "Wandarers' and the stShelterers" The Begounie-or "Hiders," as the peasants generally call them-are recruited from ev- cry part of Russia, and among their number are to be found deserters from the army and escaped convicts from Siberia, but for the most part they are natives of the northern governments. AS long ago as 1864 the po- lice began to hunt these poor sectarians from, place to place, but, owing to the sympathy invariably shown them by the peasants all attempts to arrest any of their more promi- nent leaders have been constantly frustrated. Thus Nikanor, the acknowledged chief of the Begounie, was apprehended in that year on the charge of refusing to serve as 8 soldier but, in spite of the heavy convoy that trans ported him to Nicholaieff, he succeeded in escaping, and had such confidence in the f. delity and attachment of his followers that he actually resided for months in his native village, and even when arrested notwith- standing that the police agents, Anthiemoff and Zikof, received 8 substantial reward from the government for their 'tzealous and praiseworthy service" once more effected his escape, and to tho best of our belief is still preaching and making proselytes.
 Hatred of passports, and all the worrying extortions to which the poor peasants are in consequence exposed, must be regarded as the source and origin of Begounism and the same may be said of the Neplatelschtchikie, or Non payers The sect is very numerous in the government of Perm more particularly in the mining districts Two-thirds of the
 workmen eng sed in the Seye mines are Non payers. They were first heard of as cor porate body in 1861, and their refusal, on religious grounds, to pay the taxes levied on the emancipated peasantry has since fre- quently brought on them the displeasure of the government and exposed them to no few hardships and prosecutions. Hundreds of them have been imprisoned, transported to Siberia, or forced to quit their homes for some more distant part of the en- pire But, wherever they went, they could always rely on the good feeling and secret aid of the people and escapes from prison, that would otherwise be simply miraculous, are of constant occurrence through friendl 7 connivance of the peasants. The persecution is now as hot as ever, but it is not difficult to foresee on whose side victory will ultimately declare itself. Only few months ago the chief apostle of the sect, having obstinately refused to abate one iota of his religious opinions was declared insane and put into a mad house, whence he was released only in consequence of the publicity that had acci dentally been given to his case. But still, in mad houses, sectarianism fiourisbes' and will ;T flourish till the injustices that have given rise to these extravagant forms of Professionalism are redressed. It is greater liberty in social life and in matters of opinion that is needed