Heppner gazette. [volume] (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912, 1904-06-30
REMARKABLE SECT
Russians in Manitoba Who Are Pos
sessed of a Strange Craze.
Refuse to Use Lower Animals for Any
Purpose and Place All the Bur-
den. Of Labor Upon tn eir
Men and WOmen.

Strange fancies sometimes take pos
session of religious sects, but the
strangest of all is probably the dis
tressing mania that has enthralled
5000 hussian Doukhoborsti, who have
located in western Manitoba, says a
special to the New York Times from
| Yorktown Manitoba. In the Swan
river district the government is appre-
hensive for the remarkable craze that
has taken possession Of those colon
lists. A visit to the community showed
| that the sights. scenes and the horror
depicted were almost beyond concep-
| tion.
1t is we'll known that the Doukhobor-
sti are adverse to shedding blood. This
| is the reason why they emigrated
from Russia, and it is also the reason
why the Canadian government exempt
ed them from military duty as induce
ment for their location on the prairie
lands of the west. AS to what they
should eat, this was purely personal
matter, but, as it appears, it was one
of the features that was overlooked by
menSe trouble.
In this country man may eat what
he chooses, and if his religion dictates
that he shall conform to a vegetable
diet, such beliefs are respected. All
might have been well had this state
of affairs been confined to vegetarian
ism, but the Doukhoborsti religion
IL, |, H,,;p Il
uct. 1t has been constantly undergo
ing changes. From the belief that it
was a sin to eat meat, it seems long
Jump to reach the conclusion that it is
wrong to eat animal products, but
these people have now given up drink
ing milk, eating butter cheese. eggs.
etc, and the cows, oxen goats and fowl
are increasing and multiplying, and
waxing fat, while the people are on
the verge of starvation.
Having reached this absurd posi-
tion it was but step to another and,
more ridiculous one. If it were wrong
to eat the flesh of animals the same
line OF reasoning made it compare tive
ly easy to condemn the use of lea ther
creatures, and then followed the con-
demnation of wooden clothing, because
wool grown on the bodies of sheep,
which also belonged to the Lord The
next step was still more sweeping in
it's effect on their economic condition.
1t was to make servants of any of
the lower animals. to use them for
beasts Of burden or for any other pur-
pose.
They had the courage of their con-
victions, and at once turned out their
horses, cattle and sheep, driving them
to Goods Hill to forage for them
selves, placing all the burdens of farm
life on their own shoulders. For all
drawing purposes, such as hauling
heavy Loads on wagons, men take the |
place of horses and oxen. Twelve or
IA men hitched to plow suffice for |
this purpose. and it is the only method |
employed by them in the cultivation of |
the soil Women, even, are employed |
in this manner. though when coming !
into town men only are seen hauling
the wagons and buQgies. Every day
in the streets of Yorktown dozens of |
men may be seen drawing wagons,
hauling what little produce they may
have for sale, and carrying back t.
their farms -four and other neceS-
stiles.
The Doukhoborsti are clad exclu-
sively in cotton clothes and wear ~Uh-
Der boots or shoes knit or woven will
binder twine. which they buy for the
purpose Their food consists of bread
and water. and such vegetables as they
grow, and wild berries and herbs which
they gather. Their farms are neglect
ed and their stock of which they have
much, is running wild in the hills,
where it will all die during the winter,
or be appropriated by those who are
not Of their religious faith. and who
will at least give the stock shelter.
With the advent of cold weather
starvation and disease must certainly
follow, and they appear to know this.
for they have been in correspondence
with authorities in southern Cali
fornia. Nevada, Arizona and Australia.
with a view to emigration to a warmer
climate where the conditions would |
enable them to subsist on the soil
trespassing on the possessions
If the animal kingdom. 1t is needless
TO say that no one wants them. as they
ire still in Manitoba, an elephant on
he hands of the government that
brought them from Russia few years