The Helena independent., 1892-07-07
THE sTUNDISTS.
One Of tho Objects of the Persocutions In
the Russian Empire.

One Of tho Objects Of ths Perssouti0ns In
the Russian Empire.
The mama Etundist II little Sepsllsnt.
u IL ~ ssnaeless 40 the words Quaker,
Methodist and other terms that have come
TO popularly designate varying forms OF
Christian worship. says Poultney Bigelow
IN Harper's Magazine. 6tunde IL the Ger
man word for period Of instruction, and
OF itself hints at this puritan community.
Over large part Of southern Russia ass to
be found isolated colonies OF Lutheran
Germans, whose fathers were attracted into
the country during the last century by the
promise not merely Of land. but of local
liberty 40 we'll. They rapidly made an oasis
of culture In the desert OF Russia ssrfdom.
and the traveller who suddenly stumbles
upon German village In Russia recognizes
1t Immediately BY the cleanliness Of ths
streets, the substantial character Of the
houses. and. above all BY the intslliRsnt
character of abe people.
It 10 . crime in Russia for protestant TO
read the Bible to an orthodox; Il is crime
for Russian to give up being orthodox; y
is even crime for Protestant conRreRa-
tion to allow an orthodox Russian TO be
present. When left Russia. in the fall of
1891, eighty Protestant clergymen were
.,ss olsrsd parties 70 the crime O preaching the
Tho Russian psasantry in general are dis
posed to hate Germans. az all shiftless peo-
Die dislike those that are thrifty and sue
cessful. Butamongat these were many upon
whom German example made deep i'm
preston. Some Of them began to inquire
into the secret Of German success. and. as
we may readily believe, received all possi-
BILE encouragement from their Lutheran
fellow subjsct.; They began TO feel
o. nha,.n
read and write. They noted the fact that
Germans worked hard six days in the week,
kept away from the brandy bottle. and sent
their children to school.
When tho Russian peasant got thus Tar
he could not stop there. He noticed thss
the German clergy man did not get drunk,
did not 90 about In dirty clothes repeating
incoherent words, but that he read to his
people from the Bible. and encouraged
them to read that book at home.
At this point the peasant ceased to be
read the Bible in secret, to unto in prayer
with othe.s, and to ignore church festivals.
he became an object of active persecution
on the part of the clergy.
Twenty years ago there were known to be
there are probably 25O.OO0, although II IL
impossible to be certain on such point.
The bulk Of them are scattered between the
Black sea and Poland. though their Puritan
doctrine finds an echo In every province OF
the empire.
They are vital Christian force, and are
doing vastly more to revolutionize Russia
than the nihiliste. They are spreading pop
ular education amongst tho class that needs
il most, and are starting inquiry in the
minds OF people whose fathers never ques-
toned the divinity Of tho oZar.
The Russian government could afford to
ignore these people for many years, espeo-
ially as the police reported them as uni
formly industrious, honest. sober and
prompt in the payment of taxes. The
church, however. had to protect itself, for
Stundists held one doctrine that could
never be forRiven-denial of orthodoxy.
Non conforming peasants were dragged
from their homes, charged with heresy.
looked in Jail, fogged. tortured. sent to die
loathsome deaths in pestilential mines-all
to no purpose. The Russian suffers cheer
fully for his religion, and in the record of
the clerical courts it is rare to learn of q
victim betraying friend.
The same loyalty that makes the Russian
soldier march for days on bad food, that
makes him reckless of danger. and that
keeps him on his sentry beat until he
freezes to dsath-this loyalty comes out
with equal force when he meets judicial
torture at the hands of the orthodox clergy.
The Russian government ia fighting
Stundists and Skoptzi with the same we'll
worn weapons Of old-fashioped persecu-
lions, and no one who knows Russia need
be surprised that Protestantsm is making
~noruoouo ot ri1oa in conaannanco