The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1890-11-20
THE IRON HEEL OF RUSSIA,
The Baptists Mobbed aud Exilod,
A Primitive People at the Mercy OF the
Polioe'-'Not All hihiliata,


(ff0m fiee hnaslAl
fT Ia known that, IN the South OF
Russia there exists an important and
perseeuted religious sect
called by the cOlloQuial name OF Stun
dists, II numbers nowadays several
million OF adheranta, and ID spreading
with wonderful rapidlty' Being en-
tirely q popular movement II Ia one OF
the most remarkable signs OF the In
telleetual awakening OF the Russian
MASSES
The religious doctrine of the stundiats
ia much akin 10 that Of the German
Baptists, but II differs In some essen
tial points from that OF the Lutherana
proper, who, IN Russia at least, have
shown themselves rather hostile TO the
new sect, The Stundlata baptiae only
grQwnup people, re'baptialng those TO
whom this sacrament was admins
tered in babyhood Instead OF the
communion they have simply "the
breaking Of the bread" accompanied
with singing Of hymns, The wedding
ceremony exists, but is very plain one,
Both communion and baptism are
viewed by stundlats not as sacramente,
but as eaperformed In commemora'
tiOn OF Christ, and for u closer union
with Him." They consider the Rons
as 40 better than pictures, and do not
keep them In their houses They reoog'
Mise only the Lords Prayer. Az their
meeting they sing hymns OF their own
composition aud psalms, Aa 70
prayers, they are lett TO the personal
inspiration OF the believers,
Aa regards their moral code, suffice
II to say that II ia prohibited among
them 10 III use even dumb creatures, !
saw once girl of eight, u Stundlat, who
rushed into the house aud told ua, with
an appearance of great distress, that
she could not restrain her little brother
IA boy three years 0d--ifQm throwing
stones az u dog The Slundiata, IKE all
Rulhenlana, hold land ~ private prop
erly, not IN common, Ike the great
Russians
with the assistance Of one South
Russian Bishop, Nicanor, and u couple
Of paid scrbes, he (PobendOn0aeil) con
cOCted against these inoitenaive people
the accusation Of beirg traitors 10 the
Russian T2arp, aud the country emlsaa'
riea OF Prince Bismarck and the Ger
man Lutheranlam. such was the pur.
port Of the famous "Letter from sim
feropol," published IN the Moscow Ga
zette, which, after Katholl's death, be-
came the organ Of Pobeudonoszeii,
The grounds for these sweeping &C
CusatlOnB we're 40 ioll0ws;-O This
sect was founded by German Luther
ans residing In Southern Russia; (O the
StundIsta have IN their houses the por-
traits of the Emperor William and OF
Prince Bismarck instead OF the T2ara
(3) they are wont TO shave their boards
| In order to look like Germans,
IL must be observed that all the
| Ruthenlans are won't 10 shave theiI
boards, the orthodox as well as sectar-
lans. As TO the obnoxious portraits
being comparatively educated people
who read the newspapers, they may
have portraits OF men OF prominence In
European politics, AS 10 the inlluenc,
OF the German Prolestants (BaptiBti
and not Lutherans,) II was quite fortui
tous and disappeared after the llrst few
years, the sect becoming thoroughly
national,
The prosecutions were resolved upon
aud they broke out everywhere For
merly, PObedonosZeif acted with NOR,
moderation than the late Count Tolstoi
sending TO the Stundists his mission
aries TO convert them. Now the mis-
sionarles are substituted by the rura
constables. know positively that th
Stundists are arrested, put In chaini
kept IN prison, and exiled by admins
tratiye order TO Siberia and the Cauca
sus IN much greater numbers than M
der Tolstol. The police break into III
houses Of the brethren, disperse thei
assemblies, and incite against them tn
orthodox mob,
What will be the result Of these pei
secutionsY II can be but one; the vic
or spread Of the sect, the increased 2eI
Of lts prosalytes, and the introductio
into the doctrine Of the sect of the p,
litical element which is now total
ahuanN