The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-05-01
Easter Gift to the People is an Historic Event of
 Great Moment
IMPORTANT BEARING
 ON FUTURE OF THE EMPIRE
Measure Will Affect 52,ooo,ooo People Who Are Not Members of the I~-a Russian Orthodox Church.
 Reversal of Policy.

St. Petersburg, May 1, 2;2O a. m.-Real religious freedom conferred upon his sub jects by Emperor Nicholas as an Easter gift, is an historic event of the highest significance in comparison with which the remission of millions of dollars of taxes to the peasantry, a long list of decorations and six pages of promotions of bureaucratic officials are hardly worth comment.
 Liberty of conscience has been repeat- edly proclaimed, and Procurator Pobe- donostseff in his famous reply to the evangelical petition of 1888 contended that 1t existed in the empire. The fact is that as a trysting place, all religions have been tolerated in Russia but none has been allowed to trespass upon the ortho- dox faith, as enuneiated from the Mosque that faces the church on the Nevsky lProspekt in St. Petersburg. People were free to remain true to the religion of their fathers, but were forbidden to make lproselytes. Everybody might enter but (none might leave the orthodox church / without forfeitng all civil rights, includ- ing the right to inherit crown property; and in the train of that policy prosecu- tions of every conceivable character was directed against the "Raskolnilxi.' or dis sident sects. especially the old believers
 Number Many Heresies.
 Among the Raskolniki are numbered A thousand and one queer and rustic here ses bred of the great schism caused by reform of the ancient liturgy and aug mented by the suppression of the patri- archate by Peter the Great
 f'ne other believers who chung to the oid liturgy and rpads1sthe~ssiep of. the cross with three fingers instead of two. 5vas broken up into numerous sects, some Hiscarding priests and sacraments and u9metimes trending towards free love and fioral practices, while others instituted (Sepiscorac acy and priesthood of their own %and dea' th all innovations from the west as inventions of the anti-Christ eschewing tea, coffee and sugar and con sidering shaving wicked. These latter sur vived countless prosecutions for years without legal recognition of maria ees conducted by their priests, but neverthe- less became commercially the ablest class in Russia. Morality and wealth were the secrets of their strength. This branch of the old believers includes merchant princes of Moscow, rivalling those of America but they never have ceased to be regarded IS apostates of the orthodox church. and have been subjected to all sorts of legal prosecutions as such.
 Had Much Harder Time.
 The humber dissenters have had much harder time, being hunted down until secretly they gave rise to a brood of strange sects. One preached redemp- ton by suicide, and fiery or a bloody baptism; others worshiped images of Ma poleon as the Messiah, believing he es- eaped to Siberia and would return some day and establish reign of justice and peace. and still others, like 1agellants eunuchs, jumpers and adamtes, which are now practically wiped out, indulged in most licentious rites. The Stundists and Molkans of southern Russia now the principal native non-conformists who \ W ht be described as the "Quakers of MI Tp, nave made tremendous progress N mt years, in spite of persecution, has often driven them eastward ide them pioneers of Russian col on. There are in all about 12000, GOO se dissidents.
 Emperors act will also affect about % belonging to alien faiths. such le Jews, Catholics and Lutherans II )land and the Baltic provinces, the sstants of Finland and the followers slam and Buddha in the Uruals the
 nea, the Caucasus, Turkestan and
 tral Asia. These figures are only ap- prOximate, as probably millions who are nomina1ly orthodox secretly profess other religions. Whole villages of Mussulmans, baptized into the orthodox communion by ruse. pettioned in vain to be permitted to return to Mohammedanism
 Rescinds Many Acts.
 While the Emperors approval of the action of the committee of ministers dis tncty holds to orthodoxy as the state religion. and creates the usual commits sion to work out many details in connec- ton with the offspring of mixed mar rages during minority and legitimization of marrag ges, registration of deaths and births. 1t also rescinds a number of acts aimed specifically at various religions, and establishes the principle of absolute freedom of worship and the right of every Russian who becomes of age to change his profession of faith in which the as- surance of religious freedom lies
 It also contemplates relief of Catholics and Poles from the present vexatious restrictions as to preaching teaching the catechism in the Russian language. etc
 Logically, the Emperors action in- wolves a complete reversal of the Rus sian policy of seeking national unity in conquered provinces by religious unity He has accepted the axiom of the Metro politan Antonius, you cannot hold strange children in the church against their will'' and recognizes in religious variety good for the nation as well as for the church itself, a principle which if ac- knowIedged politically would mean fed erated Russia.