The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1900-02-02
HUMAN SACRIFICES.


MODERN RELIGIOUS FANATICS WHO
BELIEVE IN THEM.
Many Peculiar sects In the Old
World. Particularly In Russia,
Whose Members Kill and Cruelty
That Salvation May BE Attained.
That human sacrifices have been
made even in the nineteenth century,
and by protesting Christians, too, is
brought out by The American Journal |
of Sociology in a striking article:
The Convulsionists, a sect existing in |
Paris about 1850, were wont to cruelty |
members Of their order, in emulation
of the crucifixion of the Saviour, in the
belief that the souls of the surviving
members would be saved by the sacri-
fees of their fellows. In 1917 the
"Paschelians," an Austrian sect, MUIR
dered a man, his wife and daughter
under the delusion that the trio, who
refused to go with the fanatics, were
possessed of the devil. On the follow
ing day they crucified one of their own
number, a girl of 10 years. who had
suffered herself for the death, in imi-
tation of the death of the Saviour, in
order to save the souls Of her fellow
believers.
In 1923 the leader of Pietistic Cir
Gle in Switzerland. after having dis
patched her sister, who gave her life
as a means of saving the souls of her
relatives. was crucified by her follow
ers at her own command in order that
she might die. rise again after three
days and restore to life the sister she
had slain. In 1865 two mothers, ad-
herents of the "Holy Men," slew their
sick children. believing them to be vic
tins of demoniacal possession. In
1876 a Hungarian miller, belonging to
the "Nazarenes," killed his son as an
offering for his own sins after the
fashion of Abraham. In 1870. in Ir-
kutsk. Russia, one of the "Schismat-
les" convinced himself by prayer and
fasting and much Scripture reading
that to save his soul he must be cruel
fed. Accordingly he attempted self
crucifixion and succeeded so far as
permit.
In 1880. in the government Of Perm,
Russia. peasant killed his child as
an Offering for sin and buried the body
in an ant hill. Likewise, in the gov
eminent Of Vladimir, another peasant
killed both his children in due Abra
hamic form. and while the babies ble6
under the fathers knife the devou'
mother celebrated the service by read
ing aloud selected portions of the TWEEN
ty-second chapter of Genesis. In 1854
in the government Of Tambov. Russia
peasant. convinced that to save hi
soul man must have a sin to repen
of, killed a neighbor with an Ak in or
der to satisfy this highly imperative
condition.
1t is a part of the creed Of the "Wan
derers," a Russian sect, that ant
Christ rules in high places: there an
that accordingly good men must hav
naught to do with governmental al
fairs of any sort In conformity wit
this belief man murdered in variou
ingenious ways 25 men, women an
children, including his own wife an
babies, in order to free them from til
danger of losing their souls by suffe1
ing the communicating contact of th
government census taker. This occu
red in 1897.
The "Den:ers." another quite int
esting Russian sect, believe that ev
taints all earthly good and that tt
only escape is death. In 1925 60 {
these men, strong in the faith, aft
having murdered their wives and chi
dren, permitted themselves to be p1
to death, one by one, by their leader
The "Scourgers," who also form
widespread and influential sect in Ru
STA, in obedience to the behests Of the
"sayiors," are in the habit of indul
ing in human sacrifices, cannibalist
feasts, erotic dances and other lev
procedures as an extremely eficacio
method Of keeping the hand of e'
from off their immortal souls. So t
'sMuckers' of Konigsberg and the c.
ebrants of the black mass in Paris s
ford further examples Of the use Of
ritual of erotism, coupled with pre-
tice Of the most abandoned and {
scene behavior, to promote the eterI
welfare of the soul.