Troy weekly news. (Troy, Idaho) 1897-1933, 1905-05-05
CARS EASTER GIFT
REAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM CON-
UPON HIS SUBJECTS.
A Historic Event of Highest Sqnifi-
cance-Means Millions of Dollars In
Taxes viii Be Abolished to the Peas
antry-Liberty of Conscience Has
Been Repeatedly Proclaimed.

st. Petersburg, May Real re-
ligious 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. a
long list of decorations and six pages
of promotions of bureaucratic officials
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 it existed in the empire.
The fact is that as a trysting place all
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 in st.
Petersburg. People were free to re-
main true to the religion of their faith
ers, but were 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 pol
Icy, prosecutions of every conceivable
character were directed against the
Rasholniki or decedent sects, and es-
pecially the old believers. Among the
Raskolniki 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
scots, some discarding priests and sac
and some trending toward
free love and immoral practices. while
otners instituted an episcopate and
priesthood of their own and dealt with
all innovations of the west as inven-
tons of the nti-Christians, eschewing
the coffee and sugar and considering
wicked. The latter survived
prosecutions for years with
tut legal recognition, but nevertheless
became commercially the ablest class
n Russia. Morality and wealth were
he secrets of their strength.
The humber dissenters have had
much harder time, being hunted down
Until secretly they gave rise to a horde
D. strange sects. The Studists and
holkans of southern Russia, now the
principal nonconformists, who might
'e described as the Quakers of Russia.
lave made tremendous progress in re-
ent years in spite of prosecutions
which often have driven them east
yard and made them pioneers of Rms
ian coionlzation. There are in all.
Apout 12,OO0,000 of these dissidents.
Inc emperor's act will also affect
lDout 4O,OOO,O0O belonging to alien
aIIhs' such as the Jews, Catholics and
'utnerans of Poland and the Baltic
roVlnces, the protestants of Finland
no the followers of Islam and Buddha
the Urals, the Crimea. the Can
asus' Turkestan and Central Asia.
nese ngures are only approximate.
Whlie the emperor's approval of the
cIion OF the committee of the minis
'rs dlstinctly holds to orthodox as
le state religion and creates the
sual commission to work ont MANY
stalis IN connection with the off
)rlng of mixed marriages during mi
ofity' legitlmization of marriages and
'glstration of deaths and births. it
so resclnds number of acts aimed
,ecially at various religions and es-
'pisnes the principle of absolute free
'm OF worship and the right of every
usslan who becomes Of age to
range MS confession Of his faith. II
so contemplates relief of Catholic
IA roles from the present vexatious
slrictlons as to preaching the cate
'rsn, the Russian language, etc.
logically, the emperor's action in
ives complete reversal of the Rms
al policy of seeking national unity
lity. s'ouS
Easter Sunday, which is the ocoos-
~ III russia OF a general inter-
anse Oh visits, both official and per-
n n ana OF generous hospitality,
s s on with entire quiet in st.
,'eispurg' and no disturbances in the
oVinces have been reported.
ne snake has one great protection
alnse assailants. He appears to be
ways awake and on his euard This