Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1905-05-05
CARS EASTER GIFT
REAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM CON-
upon HIS SUBJECTS.

= steASfiS %NSuA oF ni8HeSt SiQHtll~
eance-Means Millions Of Dollars il
Taxes viii Pc Abolished to tho PEAS
antry-LIberty Of Conscience Has
Been Repeatedly Proclaimed.
St. Petersburg, May 2.-Real re-
lslous freedom, conferred upon his
subjects by Emperor Nicholas as an
Easter gift, is historic event Of the
highest significance, in comparison
with which the remission of millions
Of dollars OF taxes to the peasantry. q
long list Of decorations and six pages
Of promotions of bureaucratic oficials
are hardly worth comment.
Liberty of conscience has been re-
peatedly proclaimed and Procurator
Pobedonossteff IN his famous reply to
the evangelical petition of 1888, con
tended that 1t existed in the empire.
The fact is that as a trysting place an
religions have been tolerated in Rus
STA, but none has been allowed to tres
pass upon the orthodox faith as
enunciated from the mosque that faces
the church on the Nevsky III st.
Petersburg. People were free to re-
main true to the religion Of their faith
ers, but we're forbidden to make prose-
lytes. Everybody might enter. but
none might leave the orthodox church,
without FORGETTING all civil rights in
Guiding the right to inherit crown
property, and in the train OF that pok
icy, prosecutions OF every conceivable
character were directed against the
Rasholniki or decedent sects. ana es-
pecially the old believers. Among the
Raskolnik are numbered a thousand
and one queer and rustic heresies bred
Of the great schism caused by reform
Of the ancient liturgy and augmented
by the suppression Of the patriarchate
by Peter the Great.
The old believers, who chung to the
old liturgy and made the sign Of the
cross with three fingers instead Of
two, were broken up into numerous
sects, some discarding priests and sac
raments and some trending toward
free love and immoral practices, while
others instituted an episcopate and
priesthood of their own and dealt with
all innovations Of the west as inven-
tions of the anti-C Christians, escbewing
the coffee and sugar and considering
shaving wicked. The latter survived
countless prosecutions for years with
out legal recognition, but nevertheless
became commercially the abIeat class
in Russia. Morality and wealth were
the secrets Of their strength.
The humber dissenters have had a
much harder time, being hunted down
until secretly they gave rise to horde
Of strange sects, The Studists and
Molkans Of southern Russia, now the
principal nonconformists, who might
be described as the Quakers Of Russia,
have made tremendous progress in re-
cent years in spite Of prosecutions
which often have driven them east
ward and made them pioneers Of Rus
sian colonization. There are in all.
About 100000 Of these dissidents
The emperor's act will also affect
about 40,0O0,000 belonging to alien
faiths, such as the Jews, Catholics and
Lutherans Of Poland and the Baltic
provinces, the protestants Of Finland
and the followers OF Islam and Buddha
in the Trails, the Crimea, the Cau-
casus. Turkestan and Central Asia.
These figures are only approximate.
While the emperor's approval Of the
action of the committee of the minis
tiers distinctly holds to orthodox as
the state religion and creates the
usual commission to work out many
details in connection with the on
spring of mixed marriages during mi
nority, legitimization of marriages and
registration of deaths and births, it
also rescinds a number of acts aimed
specially at various religions and es-
tablishes the principle of absolute free
dom of worship and the right of every
Russian who becomes of age to
change his confession Of his faith It
also contemplates relief Of Catholic
and Poles from the present vexatious
restrictions as to preaching the cate
chism, the Russian language, etc.
Logically, the emperor's action in
wolves a complete reversal Of the Rus
sian policy Of seeking national unity
in conquered provinces in religious
unity.
Easter Sunday, which is the occas-
sion in Russia Of general inter
change of visits, both official and per
sonal, and Of generous hospitality,
passed off with entire quiet in st.
Petersburg, and no disturbances IN the
provinces have been reported.
Bold Work Of Lone Bandit.