Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-05-30

culiar Social and Financial Methods-A
Curious Specimen.
The interesting sect of "Negators" offers to
US the spectacle Of a strange religious pes
simism. The doctrines of this sect push the
idea Of nihilism and Of negation to their ex-
trenest limit The members lead a 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 punishments Let US take as 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 be
came to repudiate all ideas Of God and re-
igion, 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
tify himself or to avail himself Of legal help
for his defense, persisted in his opinions, and
continued to preach in the prison Here is a
curious specimen of his answers to the judge
obstruction:
Judge-Who are youa
Prisoner-Don't you see I'm mani Are
you blindl
What is your religioni
P.-1 have none.
What God do you believe ina
P.-I don't believe in any God. God be-
longs to you-to you people. 1t was you
who invented him. l don't want him.
J.-Do you worship the devil, then9 with
some irritation).
P.-I 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 well as the car, the
priests, and government officials. You are
all children Of the same mother. I am not
one of you, and l wish to know nothing Of
you
Each for himself, say these sectarns;
there is neither right, nor duty, nor social or
political or religious hierarchy. Man, aban-
doned to his natural instincts, without him
drance from government, will be irresistibly
impelled toward truth and equity. They
deny, without exception, all rights Of prop
erty, and recognize no form of social organ
ization. For them, marriage, the family,
social duties, do not exist they live in
fantastic world of liberty without limit, and
despise all that surrounds them.
For example, IL 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.
II should prefer to throw the money out Of
the window rather than help you to poison
yourself with tobacco" he answers to those
who ask him FOR money to indulge in that
habit II any one thanks him, he answers:
"What a stupid world You have received
what you wanted; you have eaten; well
now CO."
These sectaries are advocates Of all that is
natural; they never shave or cut their hair,
they drink no spirits and do not smoke, so as
not to spoil the natural beauty of the intel
lectt1al faculties. They dream Of life in
which each should work for himself, satisfy
Ing his wants with the productions OF the
earth, and making for himself ell 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 Shishllin was in
prison they shaved him and tried to compel
him to work; but he utterly refused, saying:
"Yon have taken me by force. did not ask
you to shut me up. So now you ought to feed
me and work for me-" 1t was of no use to
fog him, to chain him to wheelbarrow, to
shut him up in a dungeon, to give him only
bread and water; it had no effect He re-
manned immovable
These sectaries do not allow Of tho ex
change Of products or Of trade "If you
want anything and / can give It you, take
it. 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 to
men, free to choose lovers and occupations
wife by friend
A man, q woman and child were brought
before q judge, accused Of belonging to the
scot of Negators ''Ls this your wifeF asked
the judge mo, she Is not my wife" "Bl.s
You live with herm Eyes; but she is not
mine She is her own" SIS this your hus-
bandT mo; he is not my husband" an
swered the woman "But how is it, thenF'
asked the judge, astonished. 81 need him
and he needs me, that is all; but We each be-
long to ourselves" answered the woman
And this little girl, is she yoursan continues
the judge. "No. She is of our blood. but
she does not belong to Us, but to herself"
But are you mad, thenF' cried the magis-
trate, out of patience. This cloak that you
are wearing, is that yoursr" "No, 1t is not
mine," answered the sectary. 'Why do you
wear it theni' II wear it because you have
not taken it from me- This cloak was on
the back Of some one else, now it is on mine;
perhaps tomorrow it will be on yours. How
can You expect me to know TO whom it be-
longsl Nothing belongs to me but my
thought and my reason And so on.
The words faith" power" law
''usage," inspire them with profound horror.
Under no pretext do they have recourse to
the protection Of the magistrate, preferring
10 suffer with patience. To appeal to the law
FOR protection would DO TO recognize It, to /
submit to social institutions; but to submit
TO Law is TO destroy ones individuality, which
should rest for its support only on the indi-
viduai conscience and personal convictions
Il must be added thet they do not believe in
the life Of toe other world and the rewards Of (
the future Life They bold that man Is i'm
only in posterity, in behalf Of /
which he spends his moral and hysical force. I
Nineteenth Century.
4 CuriouS Finnish Myth. I