Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1905-05-01
Car Nicholas Conferred It Upon
Ills Subjects as an Easter
Glft,
100000 PEOPLE Affected,
They Include Jews, Catholics Luther
aus, Protestnsts, Butdhism aud
Mussu linen.

ST. Iclp1FDuIki Nhs ~ SO" w. 'h
peal religious freedom conferred upon
MIA subjects by Emperor Nicholas as
nm Easter sin II historic event Of
Che highest significance In comparison
with which the remission Of millions
~ dollars Of taxes 10 the poasnntry, n
lang lIst OF decorations, and six pages
Of promotlons Of bureaucratic pficlols
pro hardly worthy Of comment
Liberty Of conscience has been re-.
peo,edly proclaimed, and procurn,or
pobcdonos,2of, In his famous reply 10
mo evangelical petition OF 1855, con-
tended that II existed IN the empire,
. The fact N that as "A tlyetlng place
' Mi religions have been tolerated IN
Russia but none mas been allowed 10
,r,spnFs lpon the orthodox faith as
,nlncmicd from the mosque that faces
,he church on the NoYskl IN ~, Poe
,orsburg. People were free To remain
,rle 10 the religion of their fathers,
hui were forbidden To mako prose-
lyloH
might leave the orthodox church With
ont FORGETTING all civIl rights including
me right TO mhcrl, crown property,
and M the train OF that policy perto.
clllons OF every conceivable ohNlac-
Zen were directed against the Ras'
koniN or diesident eects, and especial
" the old believers Among tho llns.
koniN are numbered thousand and
one queer and rustic horeslos bred Of
the great schism caused bs reform OF
tho ancient liturgy and augmented by
the suppression Of the pNtllachnte by
Peter the Great, The old believers,
who chung 10 the old liturgy and made
,he sign Of the cross with three fingers
instead Of two, were broken Mp into nu.
morous socts some discardlng priests
and acramcnts, and some trcndlng to-
ward free love and immoral practisos,
while others Instituted an cpiscopnto
mud priesthood of their own and dealt
with all innovations from the west M
Inventions NJ the aniisChrist, oschoW-
inc tea, coffee and sugar and consId-
onng shaving wicked.
These latter survived countless per-
securtons for years, without legal rec
IGNITION of marriages conducted by
their priests, but nevertheless became
commercially the ablcst class In RUS
ria, Morality and wealth were the So
cles Of their strength, This branch OF
tho old believers Includes merchant
Princes Of Moscow riyaling those Of
America, hut they have never ceased
ia be regarded nv apostntcs from the
orthodox church and have been SUBJ
lcclcd 70 all sorts of legal prosecutions
MS such,
The humber dlssenlcrs have had u
much harder time, being hunted down
until secretly thoy gave rise 10 u horde
Of strange scots one preached rodCmp'
ton BY suicide and n fiery or bloody
haplsml others worshlpped images of
Napoleon ~ the Messiah, believing that
No escaped 10 siberia ana would return
some day and establish a reign Of Jus.
llre and peace, and ulll others, Ike
lho Flngellants, Gunuchs, Jumpers and
Adamltes, which are now practically
wiped out included I'm most lloontious
rites. Tho Studlsts and Molkans Of
southern Russia, now the prlpcipal
confonnss who might be de-
scribcd m the Quakers OF Russia. haVo
made tremendous progress In recent
StaTs IN spite ~ prosecutions which
ollen nave driven them eastward and
made Them pioneers Of Russian colo
llSallon There are In all about H.
100000 Of these dlssidents,
inc ompcors act WIN also affect
iallhs, such ms tho Jews, Catholics and
Lulhomns Of Poland and the Baltic
PROVINCES tho protosants OF Finland.
ana lho followers Of Islam ana Buddhn
W. lhe Imls the Crimoa, tho Cuu-
gSs,sn' TOrkeNtnn and Central Asia.
lngse ngOros are only approximate, as
plooabP mllllonB who are nomlnally
9rlhodoE secretly profess other roIg-
,oNh whole villages of Mussulmnng
paplNod INTO the orthodox communion
R Nso petition IN vain 10 be por-
n,ll''1 To return to Mohammcdan-
while the omporors approval Of the
hCol Of the committee OF the minis.
rs distinctly holds to orthodoxy m
,ne ate religion, and creates the
usual commission 10 work oul many
uolals IN connection with the of,
WliuH ~ mixed marriages durIng mI'
uolilN logltlml2atlon Of marriages ana
sIN'VNllon Of doothA and births, II
alo lcsolnds u number of acts aimed
,pscIlcolly at various religions, and os.
@o'hed the principle OF absolute free.
W,ln on worship and the right. Of every
nuHlNn VINO becomes oi axe 20 change
nh confeseon " faith In which tho
issuance Of religious freedom lies,
wv" oontcmplolos roliof Of CATH
o1Cs and Poles from the proscn, yoy-
auou, restrictions ~ 20 preaching tho
'W,,nlNn, mo RUSSIAN language etc.
MErolly the emperor's action IN
sWN'h q complete reversal OF The RUS
gun policy OF seeking national unity
NV conquered provinces IN religious
ml'N ne has accepted tho axiom OF
W., metropolitan AntonMsl "you cnn-
0oo, nu0 slrnnge children IN the church
ro0gloNS variety good for tho milton
W. wen ~ for the church itself, A
,lOrlple which, II acknowledged no.
,'olly, would mean federated nus.