The Portland daily press., 1900-09-18


he sees it, to avoid giving offense. An
icon shop is to be seen wherever one
turns and some of these sacred pictures
are of great value, being of gold and in
laid with gems. The Greek church dis
cards scuIptured images and claims that
to bow before them as the Romans do is !
idolatry. 1t however adopts pictures in
fat surface and It's devotees PROSTATE
themselves before them with forehead in
the dust, and kiss the Golfers containing
the relics of holy persons. The command
they say is 'Ihou shalt not make into
thyself any craven image but the rest
Of it is NOR the likeness OF anything
that is in heavens above nor in the earth
beneath. Thou shalt not bow down thy
self, etc.," they ignore just how they
escape the dilemma by discarding the
first part of the command only, is my S.
terry which the reason cannot explain.
But Russian win readily do it. He
win say the church forbids bowling be-
fore images of any kind and as the Ro
mans do so, we say they are idolaters. F"
But you reply, 1.-THE Bible command is
quite as explicit regarding Hkenesses,
which your looms are, why then do you
bow before them?' why" he Will say
with shrug OF the shoulders, "that is
sanctioned by our church." OF course
no more is 10 be said. Strange to say,
the Roman and Greek Catholics In Rus
sia, there are but few of the former, alb
hor each other, though the difference be-
tween them appear to an outsider to be
of little Importance. The curse of Rus
sia is of1iciaIism. Could some of our Inn
practicable reformers live In Russia for
awhile, they would get valuable lesson
in the government ownership of public
utilities, which they now SO strenuously
clamor for and the attainment of which
they foundiy dream would destroy what
they often wrongly denominate "monop-
oily" and which Is perhaps only enter
prise in a special field and wholly subject
to the laws of competition, which latter
even some of the "more advanced con-
denim as vicious, contending that COM
petition destroys character. In Russia, the
government is para mount and lndiVidu
alism and competition are put in the back
ground. One Illustration viii serve to
gage in advance sleeping accommodations
in the Wagon-lits, or sleeping cars and
applied to the principal Office. A tele-
gram was sent to the head official and
a reply received the next day that there
was nothing to be had. I then applied
for compartments in the government
cars, as there are two kinds In every
train, the latter being considered inferior.
Impossible, I was informed. The prospect
of fifty hour journey without sleeping
accommodations was unpleasant. Zip
the guard, said a friend land you win
probably be all right" A liberal douceur
settled the question without difficuIty
and thereafter things went fairly we'll.
You can get nothing in Russia Without
feeling somebody and this is the result
of officialism. In Russia Tsar is at
the head, nominally, of railway establish
ments. In America 1t would be worse
tsar the party boss, and his numberless
officials would grow fat on the spells
they would wiring from travellers, or
travellers would suffer from neglect as In
Russia. Private ownership open to oom-
petition is what we want in America to
secure the best results, as long as human
nature is as it Is. II everybody was an
angel 1t might be different. Let us avoid
Russian methods, and not listen to the
vague theories OF doctrinaires. Russia
has population roughly speaking of 140, =
900, 600, about double that of the United
States. have heard such startling es-
Inmates of the number of persons who
draw their living from the public treasury
that dare not repeat them for fear OF
being charged with exaggeration. The
number OF officials however, is immen Sc,
and as the larger the number the more
stability they give to the government, 1t
is considered good policy to increase the
numbers as much as possible. This Of
course Increases the burdens of the pro-
ducing class, and occasions discomfort.
Russia has not only large army, but
most effective one, and she takes great
pride in 1t and considers it invinoible. In
fact, Russia is an armed camp, and her
people believe that the sword of Jehovah
is stretched over it for protection What
cannot such an army accomplish The
countless battle scenes in the palaces of
the Tsar show what 1t has already
achieved, and prophetic voices are not
uncertain as to It's future, but Russia
has its elements of weakness. Try as she
viii she cannot unite the various peoples
who are now under her sway. Her people
speak over fifty dialects and languages
and she is making a supreme effort to
bring them all to discard their native
tongues and adopt the Russian. Espec-
tally among the Firms, Hungarians and
Poles Is she laboring to this end and 1t is
said succeeding quite we'll but, as a gen.
tleman Of Polish birth said to me: "They
may teach the Poles Russian, but they
cannot make Russians OF them" Here is
where Russia win fail. Strive as she viii,