The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1901-08-24

Landlords. nowhere 10 there 50 much
cruel persecution as in the districts in
which these special regulations are in
force. It is owing to them that capital
punishment is coming more and more
into use, and that the authorities are,
to an increasing extent, having recourse
to that demoralizing punishment which,
forbidden by God, is the greatest Of
human crimes, which is contrary to
the Christian spirit Of the Russian peo-
pie, and which was previously unknown
in our jurisprudence.
Thirdly, education and teaching
should be free from all obstacles.
II. No differences should be made
between people Of different social sta
lions with regard to facilities for educa-
ton, and books which are allowed to
be read by others should not be forbid
den to the common people.
-. Teachers in schools should not be
prevented from giving instructions in
the language spoken by their pupils,
and it Is supremely important that
"3. All persons who have not been
deprived of their civil rights, and who
are desirious of undertaking education
al work, should be permitted to conduct
schools Of all grades.
1T is important that the education,
training, and teaching of the young
should be freed from all restrictions
which now hamper them, because it is
by means of these restrictions that the
laboring classes are kept in a state of
ignorance, and it is this ignorance
which at present serves the government
as an excuse for placing these obstacles
in the way Of education. The enamel.
patton Of the working classes from
government interference in these mat
ters would enable the people to acquire
far more quickly the education which
they really need; instead Of that which
is forced upon them. To permit private
persons to open and conduct schools
would put stop to the continual agi-
tation among the young men who are
dissatisfied with the arrangements in
the establishments in which they at
present pursue their studies. If there
were no difficulty in the way of estab-
fishing private schools, both for the
lower and higher courses of instruction,
the Russian students who are dissatis-
fed with the order of things in the
government educational institutions
would leave them for the private estab.
lishments which answered their re-
| quirements.
'Fourthly. all restrictions on relig-
ious liberty must be abolished.
Il. All laws should be repealed
which provide punishment for any
withdrawal from the established
church.
20. The establishment and the OPEN
ing of chapels and churches for the Old
Believers, and house of prayer for
Baptists, Molokani, Stundists, and 9TH
err sectarians should be freely per-
mitted.
20. Permission should be given TO-;
holding religious meetings, and for
preaching all forms of belief, except
| those which teach men to commit I'M
natural crimes, such as castration,
! murder, and suicide, and
"a. Persons Of different religious be-
liefs should be allowed to bring up their
children in. the form of faith which
| they believe to be the true one.
THE abolition Of all restraint on re-
| ligious freedom is absolutely necessary,
because it is universally admitted-and
the fact is attested by history and
| science-that religious persecution does
| not produce the effect desired by those
who practice it. On the contrary, it
| only strengthens that which the per-
| secutors seek to destroy. Moreover, the
interference Of the authorities in re-
ligtous matters produces hypocricy,
which is 50 strongly condemned by
Christ as the worst and most pernicious
of vices, and'it prevents the attainment
Of that unity which is the highest good,
| both for the Individual and the COM
muntty at large. This unity can never
be attained by using violent means to
compel people to observe the outward
forms of a religion which has once been
adopted and is regarded as infallible;
1t can only be attained by the unfetter-
ed progress Of humanity in it's search
after the truth.
These are the very modest and prac-
ticle desires Of the majority Of Russian
society. The application Of the meas
ures above described would undoubted-
ly pacify the people and save them
from terrible suffering. It would also