Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1895-02-07
CENSORSHIP IN RUSSIA.
Very Irksome 20 the Cars Subjects and
20 Foreigners as We'll.

censorship of the Holy Synod, which
watches over religious matters and
tries to prevent the publication or in
PRODUCTION into the country of books or
printed matter likely TO injure the in
terests of the Orthodox Greek Church.
This censorship Is the most stupid OF
all. II has list Of condemned books
something analogous TO the index Of
the Pope of Rome, and such authors as
John Stuart Mill and Herbert Spencer
and, of course, Darwin, are included
in IL.
Some years ago French scientist
published Monogram on mushrooms
in which he maintained that all mush-
rooms were poisonous This book was
prohibited by the censor Of the Holy
Synod on the ground that, as mush-
rooms were the staple food of the Rus
sian peasantry during the numerous
fasts of the church, II would be detri-
mental TO the best interests Of religion
TO publish anything that might bring
this article of food into discredit.
There is also a censorship of books
and of the press, a foreign censorship
and a censorship of the foreign press.
The police also exercise n censorship
over placards, theaters, handbills, etc.
All these different censorships have to
keep up large and expensive staff so
that the attempt to muzzle and shut
down public opinion costs the Russian
government n pretty penny.
The press censorship is arbitrary and
peculiar. Most papers are allowed TO
print what they like without control,
but IL they print anything that dis
pleases the government they are noti-
fed of the fact and receive what is
called a first warming. This warning
may be accompanied with suspension
for n definite period--a week a month,
or year. That. of course, means a
heavy fine, for a paper that is unable
TO earn any money on the capital 1t
has invested for a given time loses
heavily. II has to keep up its staff, al
though il can not do any business Its
expenses go on, but its receipts are
stopped. Then advertisers lose conf
dence Ia paper that is warned. After
a paper has been warned three times 1t
may no longer appear. Thus the Golos
has ceased to be. Yet such is the ire
pressibility of the newspaper man in
Russia that it is safe to say that there
is not big Russian paper published at
the present day which has not had its
second warning.
Some papers may not be printed
without previously submitting all their
proofs for the approval of the censor.
This causes delay and is of course very
irlssome. There is daily paper in
Tiflis which appears only twice year,
owing to the distance of Tinis from the
central censorship at St. Petersburg,
TO which every number of the paper
must be submitted before it can be
published.
Under the book and theatrical cen
sorship the Russian literary man, be
he journalist or author. has been com.
PEELED to invent style of his own--a
style in which more is meant than
meets the eye, which his reader under
stands perfectly, but which the censor
is too stupid to perceive. Dramatic
and art criticism, book reviews, and
articles on travel and social customs
are the disguises under which the Rus
sian publicist presents his political
opinions.
The foreign book censorship is the
most absurd and ridiculous. While OBJ.
jectional books are ruthlessly confis.
Gated, the public which wants to read
them-and it is of necessity limited
can always get them, because in the
interests of science and knowledge
certain people are exempted from the
tf,ve nf thn nIs.s
all professors are excluded, all gov.
ernors of provinces, all senators, q
number of officials and numerous 9th.
ers. Consequently n very large mum.
Der of people who are not among these
privileged mortals are sure TO know
somebody who is and can get their
books through him.
The foreign censor has particularly
pleasant Office. lie is generally a man
of taste and refinement, and can fill
his library with the best of the forbid
den books, If he will, and hang his
walls with the most charming prohib-
tied prints. Very often, when he takes
a fancy 10 an etching or a book, he
promptly confiscates and keeps il.
Very different is the fate Of the for
eign newspaper censor. His is dull
and dreary life of routine and India
ink. The foreign press censorship is a
department of the post Office, and
thereby hangs a tale.
Theoretically no foreign newspapers
are admitted into Russia. The only
person who is entitled by law to re-
ceive foreign periodicals is his majesty
the emperor. lie has what is called his
list. by great graciousness his majes-
ty has made a present Of this list TO the
country. People may subscribe
through the post Office and obtain the
papers on the imperial list, but no 9TH
ers, and foreign paper that presumes
too much on the liberation of his maj
esty is likely TO be struck from the list.
The London Daily Telegraph, for in.
stance, met this fate years ago, and
since then copies of that paper can not
be obtained in Russia, nor is the paper
allowed 10 have a correspondent there.
II has one, all the same, but his posi-.
tion is secret and risky.
As soon as a foreign paper crosses
the Russian frontier its troubles begin.
All the foreign papers that are sent 20
Russia must enter that country through
81. Petersburg. the window, as Peter
the Great called il, for Russia to look
out OF at Europe. When the papers
get on the Russian train they are
sorted and arranged by a staff on
board, who lay aside a sample Of each
for the censor's eyes. when they ar
rive at the general post Office in ST.
Petersburg the censOr's work begins,
lie reads through the samples carefully
and marks the objectiOnal passages
which are then obliterated by means
of India ink OF course, even ccnsori
are human, and occasionally something
escapes their watchful eyes. Then
they have a warm time OF II. On thG
whole, however, they do their wGrh
most efficiently. Y. World. -