The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-07-18
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CENSUS IN RURAL RUSSIA.
Officers Distracted Because They Ara
ReHexed Emfssaries OF Satan.

The July number of Free Russia, the or
gan of the English Society OF Friends OF
Russian Freedom, treats Of a variety of
subjects of much interest to Russians
abroad and to others who watch the de-
velopments of events in the great empire Oh
the Gar.
The taking of the census, the paper says,
caused much alarm and anger among the
rural populations Of that enormous empire:
The pessimists talked with subdued rage OF
the increase of taxes, of the increase OF
actual CONSUMPTION and OF enforced colonl-
cation of the Amour provinces ana SIBERIA
generally. AS TO the optimists, they talked
louder than ever of land endowment, that
ineradicable ides- of the Russian peasant.
The paper goes on to say: in the PenZa
province the Tartar population of thirty
one villages refused point Etank TO take
part in the census, suspectlng the govern
ment intended to violate their religious I'D
erty. So persistent and energetic were
these disturbances that troops were calIed
TO put them down. Disturbances OF the
same character on larger scale broke out
in the Kazan province Here the troops
were called in four districts. AS an Illus
tration of the character of these riots we
may give a few particulars oil what TOOK
place in the district of Christopol.
ION being informed that the local Chou
washes, who were heathens, beneVed the
census meant they were to be torclbly pap
tiZed the district commander OF the To-
cality came to the village and ordered a
village meeting to be called. Very soon
the house at which the official stopped was
surrounded by a crowd, the leader OF Wnch
cried out, Why have they come? Away
with themr Then entering the house, the
leader began to abuse the district com
mander and to threaten him at the lat
ter's order the intruder was 1mmedl-
ately turned out, and the outer door polte9
from inside. An assault then began ana
when the bolt gave way about twenty
Chouvashes attacked the official who, to-
gether with the owner of the house, climbed
onto bench. The district COMMANDER was
dragged down with threats and shouts, a
rain of blows showered on him, and his
overcoat torn from him; he was then
pushed out, and only with dltlculty con-
trived to escape in his sleigh"
These were some of the difficulties that
attended the taking of the census among
the heather part of the population; ana
among the dissenters from the Russian
Orthodox there were other troubles. Be
sides the apprehensions of forcible CONVEX
sion to Orthodoxy" the paper goes on to
say, for which the Russian sectarians
have as much reason as the non-ChrlstanS
of the empire, they had other reasons Tor
looking with more suspicion on the coming
census 1t is well known that great many
Russian sectS believe the coming OF anti
Christ has already taken place in Russia;
and that all official symbols, such as sigma
lures, official forms, stamps, and uniforms,
are the seal of Antichrist No wonder that
to these sectarians the census appeared IN
the light of the anti-Christ wanting to reg
lister his adherents-in other words, TO
stamp the genuine Christians with his seal.
"Conseu1entlv we learn that throughout
Russia ali the sectarians tried more or less
to avoid the census. On some occasions
this led to comical incidents, but on others
1t LED TO SldIbll1S 1dCbS, Which, liON 44lAi
uuently assumed the character of tragedies
One of the Russian weelSlieS informs us
that a Siberian sect, on hearing OF tue APP
Droach of the census takers, built two arkS
and left all, together with some of their be-
longings. sailing along the mighty Siberian
rivers till they came to the region OF the
Vassugan lakes, which are situated be-
tween the oh and Irish rivers, in a very
wild and rough country, known only to the
nomadic aborigines. These people fed from
the nets of anti-Christ, as they called the
census"
In European Russia, where the sectarians
could not escape. their religious frenzy
the burying and walling up alive of men
and women who preferred fearful death
to the sin of being registered as the adher-
ents of anti-Christ
Some of these sectarians, as the Douk-
hobortsi believe that it is sinful to take up
arms, and positively refuse to serve as sol
diers Such persons the government mas
resolved to exile to the Yakoutsk province
for a period of eighteen years.
Free Russia says the exhibition to be
opened this month at KieV will be hardly
as splendid as was the government eXhibi-
ton at Mini Novgorod last year, as it is
a private affair. 1t is expected, however
that it will be far more popular and more
useful Admission will be very cheap, and
the managing committee is doing every
thing possible to attract the peasantry and
a series of meetings of agriculturistS will
be held. One of the Russian papers urges
the discussion of several special questions
among them the subject of the injury done
agriculture by the protective duties on ag-
ricuItural machinery, which raise prices 80
per cent. Another question suggested is
agricultural education for women and the
opening to them of every career that edu-
cation opens to men.