Gilpin observer., 1905-09-21
GAPON'S MANY TRIALS
RUSSIAN PRIEST HAS EXPERT
ENCED HARSH TREATMENT.
His Fellow Workers in the Church
Jealous of His Popularity Among
the Peasants-Mnor Officials, He
Says, Have Little Real Power.

In a recently published autobiogra-
phical sketch Father Gapon, the Rus
sian priest, who led the ST. Petersburg
workiDgmen on Red Sunday" when
SO many were shot down while at
tempting to petition the cZar, tells of
the jealousy of other priests when he
began his career in Poltava. He was
fined for his activity among the peO-
pie, having no parish of his own.
Once an old man came to me and
begged me 10 conduct a service in
memory of his deceased wife" re-
lates Father Gapon. Having already
been fined several times, had be-
come rather cautious. So asked the
old man to what parish he belonged
and why he did not go to his own
priest. He replied that his parish
priest had asked seven rubles ($3.4O)
for officiating, which he could not
pay. Asked why so much was de-
manded, the old man explained that at
the time of the burial of his wife he
had only been able to pay three
rubles. and, being displeased, the
priest now said he must pay for both
my sermons, he said. and felt more
drawn to me than to his own priest.
and SO. falling on his knees, he begged
me to come with him. How could
refuse? The service, as is the Gus
tom In Russia, was followed by kind
OF memorial dinner AS | sat at the
head of the table and talked to the
family on religious and moral ques
tions the door suddenly opened and
the parish priest, drunk, his hair and
dress in utter disorder, rushed in with
several servants, and addressed to me
violent complaint. interlarded with
foul language. that ! was robbing him
of his bread. The people were so
much irritated that, bun for my inter
ference, it would have gone Ill with
that turbulent cleric. Once more
was fined
OF the stories which he read in his
childhood Father Gapon says: Il re-
member how much | was struck by
the story of one st. John, originally
bishop OF Novgorod, of whom it was
narrated that once, while he was fer
vently praying, the evil one played all
manner of tricks to divert him from
his devotions. At last the devil got
into the water jug that stood in the
corner of the cell. whereupon the hofy
man quickly made the sign Of the
cross over it and SO imprisoned his
Internal enemy. The devil begged
to be released, promising to do any
thing that was demanded of him. The
bishop asked to be at once taken to
Jerusalem. and that night they jour
neyed there and back. after which
the devil was released. This greatly
impressed me and l shed innocent
tears, but l could not, at the same
time, help wishing that | could catch
the devil to such good purpose"
In describing the lack of authority
OF the local peasant officials Father
Gapon tells of a conversation by two
OF them. In the olden times one
said. the power of the government
officers was such that. in order TO
show that they could do anything
they liked with the representatives
OF the peasantry. they would call the
elder before them and compel him
" 80 uoW IL iouio anu oaiN iihS
a dog before the villagers While my
fathers friend was talking and con-
graduating himself that things were
now so different a harness bell was
heard and. imagining that an official
visitor was about to catch them. the
elder and his assistant semed sudden
ly stricken with fear. The elder
corpulent fellow. waddled away to the
Office and his assistant followed,
sneaking behind the bushes"