Mountain Home bulletin. (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1888-1889, 1888-08-18
RUSSIAN FANATICS.
A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF AN INTER.
eST.NG RELIGIOUS SECT,

Tho Idea os Nihilism Pushed to the Ex.
treme i.imit-Some Strange Beliefs-Pe-
cuIiar Social and Financial Msthods-A
Curious Specimen.
The interesting sect Of "Negatorsn offers to |
us the spectacle Of a strange religious pes
slmisn The doctrines Of this sect push the
idea of nihilism and Of negation to their ex
trernest limit The members lead life of
vagabondage, and pass the larger portion Of
their existence in prison The government
thinks their doctrines dangerous to public
safety, and subjects them to the most rigor.
GUS punshments Let US take type OF
this sect a certain merchant named Shishkin.
In his search for truth he four times changed
his sect, and finally became persuaded that
all religion was error and lying He addicted
himself to the study of the sacred Scriptures,
and thought he perceived that they were not
in accord with human nature, and then he
came to repudiate all ideas OF God and re-
iigion as well as all human institutions. all
authority, government and society. He was
promptly arrested and imprisoned and all
his property confiscated He refused to JUS
tfy himself or to avail himself Of legal help
for his defense, persisted in his opinions, and
continued to preach in the prison Here is
1 tuI sOuS okNSihiCu VI LIE stuoWcIo w Ouo Juu6e
/ d'instruction:
Judge-Who are youl
Prisoner-Dont you see I'm a mani Are
you blindf
What is your religionl
P.-l have none
What God do you believe int
P.-l don't believe in any God God be-
longs to you-to you people. 1t was you
who invented him. don't want him.
J.-Do you worship the devil. theni with
some irritation).
P.-l worship neither God nor devil, be.
cause have no need of prayer The devil
is also an invention Of yours. God and the
devil are yours, as we'll as the czar, the
priests, and government officials. You are
all children of the same mother. I am not
one Of you. and wish to know nothing Of
you
Each for himself, say these sectaI1es;
there is neither right, nor duty. nor social or
political or religious hierarchy. Man, aban-
doned TO his natural instincts, without him
'irance from government, will be irresistibly
iinpelled toward truth and equity They
deny, without exception, all rights of prop
erty, and recognize no form Of social organ
iZalion, For them, marriage, the family,
social duties, do not exist, they live in q
fantastic world of liberty without limit, and
desplse all that surrounds them
For example, If any one asked Shishkin for
anything whatever, he would give it them at
once. only it absolutely must be something
useful, food, clothes, or money for vital
needs, etc. But he would not give half
penny for tobacco, wine, or such like things
81 should prefer to throw the money out of
the window rather than help you to poison
yourself with tobacco" he answers to those
Fnr ff,t ,lfya in, Aknk
habit. II any one thanks him, he answers:
what stupid wordl You have received
what you wanted, you have eaten; well
now go"
These sectaries are advocates Of all that is
natural. they never shave cut their hair
, they drink no spirits and do not smoke, SO as
, not to spoil the natural beauty Of the intel.
iectual faculties. They dream OF a life in
which each should work for himself, satisfy,
ing his wants with the productions of the
earth, and making for himself all necessary
articles What is over ought to be given to
those who are in want They entertain a
profound hatred for all compulsory work
under all forms They never go into service
even If threatened with death, and they EN-
, ploy no servants When Shishkin was in
prison they shaved him and tried to comp,
him to work, but he utterly refused, saying
~ w oa'nob iiO " iOISea ulu uOU uSh
you to shut me up So now you ought to feed
x'e and work for me-" 1t was Of no use tt
dog him, to chain him to a wheelbarrow, t.,
! shut him up in dungeon, to give him onl,
bread and water; it had no effect He re
manned inmovable
These sectaries do not allow of tho ex
J change OF products or of trade. ''lf yo,
want anything and | can give it you, take
1t When in my turn want anything, you
will give it me-" They preach free love and
do not recognize marriage They consider
women to be independent beings, equal t,
men, free to choose lovers and occupation,
!, according to taste They replace the WORD
wife by friend
man, woman and a child were brought
tefore a judge, accused OF belonging to the
sect of Negators Ills this your wifeT asked
the judge mo, she is not my wife," "But
, YOU live with herr' .Yes; but she is no,
. nine She is her own." "Is this your hus
oandF' "No, he is not my husband" an
! Swered the woman "But how Is it, then r.
: ked the judge, astonished II need him
and he needs me, that is all but we each be
,,ng to ourselves" answered the woman
And this little girl, is she yoursF' continues
= he judge mo. She Is of our blood, but
'lie does not belong to US, but to herself '
Bat are you mad, thenr cried the magis,
rate, out OF patience. 'This cloak that you
ire wearing, is that yoursf" mo, 1t is not
nlne." answered the sectary. "Why do you
year it thenr ~ wear it because you have
: not taken it from me- This cloak was on
, ne back Of some one else, now 1t is on mine
Q Z rhaps tomorrow it will be on yours How
8 IN you expect me to know to whom it be-
ongs, Nothing belongs to me but my
e lought and my reason" And SO on
The words "faith," "power," 'law, y
Q usage" inspire them with profound horror.
Under no pretext do they have recourse to
, the protection Of the magistrate, preferring
to suffer with patience. To appeal to the law
7 for protection would be to recognize it, to
submit to social institutions; but to submit
0 to law is to destroy ones individuality, which
. should rest for its support only on the indi-
s vIdual conscience and personal convictions
1t must be added that they do not believe in
the life Of the other world and the rewards OF
: the future life. They hold that man is i'm.
: mortalized only in posterity, in behalf Of
which he spends his moral and physical force,
: Nineteenth Century.
|
a Curious Finnish Myth.
Dawn and twilight are only rarely made
dvinities among untutored peoples Bat
they are personfied in curious Esthonian
| myth among the Firms Il is related in this