The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-11-10
QUAKERS FROM RUSSIA
PROJECT TO COLONIZE 10000 DoUK-
HOBORTSI IN THIS COUNTRY.
They Are TOIstOi's Flock of Persecu-
ted NOnbeIIigerents Who Decline
to Fight for Russia.
New York Sun.

colonlze mere ten thousand of the peculiar
Russian sect, the Doukhobortsi, is to take
definite shape now. following the arrival
here yesterday of Mr.. Mode, the rich En-
glishman, who has become known by rea-
son of his residence for some time recently
with Count Leo Tolstoi whom he greatly
admires. Mr.. Mode went Immediately upon
his arrival to the residence of former AS
semblyman Ernest H. Crosby, at Rhinebeck.
who is one of the leading men on this side
OF the Atlantic in the enterprise Associ-
ated with Mr.. Crosby are William Dean
Howells, William Lloyd Garrison, of Bos-
ton; the Rev. Dr. George Dana Boardman.
OF Philadelphia; Jane Adams, of Hull
House. Chicago; n. o. Nelson, of St Louis;
Bolton Hall and ]. N. Seligman. This com
mittee was organized three weeks ago in
Philadelphia. Mr. Seligman is it's treasurer.
The committees purpose is to raise the nee
essary money to import the Doukhobortsi
and establish them on farm land in the
West. The committees work will be carried
on conformity with the efforts of interested
people in England. and the plan of opera
tons will be formulated after conference
with Mr.. Mode, who is familiar both with
what is being done in England and what
has been accomplished in Russia under the
direction of Tolsto
1t is Tolstoi who has at last secured the
Russian governments permission for the
Doukhobortsi to emigrate, after they have
been victims of nearly a century of inef-
fectual persecution. That permission has
only lately been granted and it may be
availed of only within two years of the date
of issue. When it was granted Count Toll
stoi wrote to a New York man, who, it is
understood, is Mr.. Crosby, conveying the
information and suggesting that something
be done toward assisting, or rather en-
aiding, the DoukhObortSi to take advantage
of the Cars graciousness Correspondence
followed between various interested people
in the United States, England and Russia,
with the result of the formation of the COM
mfttee already named.
WILL NOT. BEAR ARMS.
When it is said that the Doukhobortsi are
a sort of differentiated Quakers, who
among a multiplicity of curious tenets, hold
so firmly to the belief that force against
men is wrong that they will die rather than
bear arms, it will readily be understood why
they are obnoxious to the Russian govern
ment. Their characteristics and their his
tory are of peculiar interest. The origin of
the sect has been traced to an English
Quaker. His followers first became known
to the inquisitorial imperial police in 1885,
when they were found at Moochnaya, in
the"province of Taurida, near the Caspian
sea. They do not believe in a. personal God
but they believe that God is in the soul,
IS the soul of every man. Strange to say,
they do not believe that God is in the soul
at the birth of the human infant, but that
the child is born soulless matter, the soul
entering the body between the sixth and the
fifteenth year, and that the soul is faith
ful image of God. They have strangely
modified the idea of the Trinity, and pro-
claim that in the memory is God the
Father. in the reason God the Son, and in
the will God the Holy Ghost. Christ's mis-
sion of redemption is abrogated in their be-
lief that Adams fall was merely an his
torical fact, that 1t was his own individual
trouble and entailed no load of sin upon
those who have come after him. They as
sert that each man rises or falls by his own
acts They admit the existence of Christ
as good man only They believe in
body nor the destruction of the visible
world, but hold that the physical nature
will exist forever, the difference between
now and the future being that the good will
overcome the sinners eventually and possess
the world to themselves. That is their
They consider themselves the only true
worshippers of God, and the rest of man
they promulgated comprehensive idea of
their true church, which they say is COM
posed of all those whom God himself has
called from among the world and ordained
to walk in the path of light These chosen
ones cannot be recognized by any peculiar
sign, nor are they associated with any out
ward religion, but among them are included
men of all religions, all races and all
tongues. So one may be of the church and
perhaps hot suspect II, II would seem, II one
have not wonderful spiritual insight. The
name of the sect, translated into English,
is Champions OF the Spirits They accept
the whole of the Scriptures, but hold the
Old and the New Testaments merely to pre-
figure, in some spiritual way, the mysteries
which are accomplished in the soul of every
faithful man.
THEIR PERSECUTION.
Their respect for man, as such, is so great
that they deny even the authority of father
over child, and they regard the subjugation
of men by force as sacrilege. In their eyes
the Russian government is, Of course, an
abomination, but they are not revolution
lists. On the contrary, they are the most
peaceful citizens of Russia. They pay their
taxes scrupulousy. They don't even use
harsh language.
Upon discovering them, the police de-
clared them criminals because heretics
Their systematic persecution began under
Paul 1, who issued a ukase Aug. 2S, 1893,
banishing them all to the Siberian mines
for life, they to be there set at the hardest
work and the chains never to be removed
from their hands and legs. This was done
that they might feel sharply, in their own
bodies that there are authorities on earth,
established by God, for the defense of the
good and the chastisement of villains like
There were at that time Is, 900 of the Douk-
hobortsi. Under Alexander l this persecu-
ton ceased. He permitted them to have, in
Siberia their own farms which they made
to flourish. He then ordered that they be
enrolled in the army, and decreed that any
unqualified should be sent to the worst
mines of Siberia, those of Nerchinsk. They
did not decline to perform the peaceful
duties required in the service, but refused
absolutely to bear arms. They were, never
theleSs, placed in the Caucasian corps then
engaged in permanent war with the Circas-
sian tribe. When face to face with the
enemy they refused to march or to handle
arms, and the most awful corporal punish
manfE failed n make them do
then sent to the Nerchinsk mines.
The sect grew in spite of everything and
between 1910 and 1860 there We're never less
than $4,000 of them, it is said In 1860 they
were allowed to return to Russia, but per-
mitted to live only in the poorest parts
along the eastern frontier. They were
driven from section to section every six
duced until now there are only about 10000
of them. Tolstoi has been championing
them for the past five years, and six weeks
ago got the Cars permission for them to
leave the country, provided that they do so
within two years. The Doukhobortsi are
poor, and admirers of Tolstoi and lovers of
liberty in England and America got to-
gether, as has been said and determined to
give TO them all possible help. The COM
mittee before named will appeal for funds
after the details of their plan shall have
been decided upon. 1t is proposed If ex-
igencies arise, to colonZe the people in the
island of Cypress pending the raising of
sufficient funds to bring them to this coun-
try. There Is q small colony of the Douk-
hobortsi near London now.
Ernest H. Crosby has lately published
booklet containing his reflections on the
late Spanish war. in which the radical ideas
expressed show him to have almost as great