The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-09-10
D0UKHOBORS N. G.
More About the Russian Vegetarian
Fanatics Who Have Been Colo
nized in Canada.
Civil Engineer Who 'Bossed' Them
on the Canadian Northern Re-
lates His Experiences.

Special to The Journal. i. " H..
Port Arthur, Ont, Sept. 10.--Comment-
ing on a recent ] ournal editorial on
1.-The Crazy Doukhobors,'' civil engineer
here who had a large number of these
curious fanatics at work under him a sea-
son or two ago, said: "They are absolutely
the most worthless lot of men from many
points Of view that ever came under my
charge and have had control of good
many men in railroad and other construc
ton. We were working on the new Ca
madam Northern. There were lot of the
Doukhobors engaged to work and they
came Immediately under me. In the first
place, they are the most expensive men in
the world to keep. They will eat no meat
and want only vegetables, cheese and
bread. Vegetables in the Canadian bush
on railroad construction are practically
out of the question. They are very fond
of pickles and have seen a lusty- looking
follow pour whole thirty-f1ve cent can
Of pickles into his plate and eat them all
at a sitting. They are gornnandizers In
butter and common practice is to stick
a knife into the butter, load it up with
as much as it will hold, and stuff it into
the mouth.
"You may say what you will, but veg
etarianism in railroad construction won't
work, at least with the Doukhobors. I
| have never seen men play out as they DO.
| One strong Canadian or other nationality,
| feeding on strong food. will do as much as
| two of these men. They are magnificent
| looking fellows, many of them standing six
| feet and yet they cannot. stand half as
much as some little French Canadian half
their size. They play out in a heavy piece
| Of work often times by o'clock in the
afternoon.
And then their clannishness-I don't
| know what else to call it. Here is an IL
Illustration. I had a man at work who was
| so absolutely useless that I fired him.
Along came big fellow little later and
said to me: - -
You not want him. You must keep
| him. If not whole village will 60
| "A village is q collection Of Doukhobors
who always work together, anywhere from
five to fifteen men, who evidently must
have come from the same village at home.
I told him he could take his village and
go hang. He didn't wait He took the
men and the village and they left. The
only thing to do to keep them at work was
to let the fellow come back and get along
with him the best we could.
LAS to their honesty, think they are
to be trusted. They are a very religious
lot. Really it is fine thing to hear their
big rich voices as each village gathers by
itself at O o'clock in the evening for prayer
and song. There is always a leader-the
head man Of the. village, the one who
walked out with his village when 1 dis
charged the man.. This head man car
speak English and it is through him you
must deal in hiring men. No member o.
the village will work for you unless al
do The leader has charge of the singing
and the praying. No women are among
them on such work. They are left behlnc
in the east. They spend no money anc
are very thrifty. ~
"For one thing they know how to make
bread 1 have never eaten such toothsome
bread as these fellows made out here II
the forest The loayes are all Of a uniform
size. baked with a delicious crust on tor
J. and sides. and thoroughly cooked through.
out. If the Doukhobors could build rail-
ways or carry ong farming as they car
bake bread, there, Wouldn't be any trouble
with them. a,.-s { : 80 . ~~,, .:s!;.o - -.
"The fact of the matter is, the Cana
dian government has been too good t.
these people. 1 mean by that they have
been helped far more than they deserve
far more than they are, worth as settlers
If the Canadians who have gone int(
the new west could have had half or
tenth Of the government aid Whlch ma
= been given these Russian settlers it woult
t have made a lot of difference in the de
s velopment of the region. The native set
= tiers would not have taken so much he'll
as these foreigners. They wouldn't hav
e needed SO much. But when tight time
d come and men are making a start IN
t new country, a bit of help Is a might.
r good thing; but the worst of 1t is th
e Doukhobors are the most ungrateful PEG
|. pie under the sun; they don't begin to ap
e preciate what has been done for them
e and never will. -
II see by a. late Toronto paper ina
Q they have begun hitching up their wome1
!, again to plow. The government put
r stop to that some time ago, but they hav
v evidently begun It again and will have t
f be hauled up for it. Think of peopi
= who will not eat meat, who will carry thei
+ vegetarianism so far that they Will no
- even use horses or cattle for work of an
o. :" kind. and yet will hitch their women u
:, to the pillow and make them do the wor
4 of brutes!
~ ANY way you look at it these peopl
- are undesirable. I don't believe the sec
will 10 hpf