New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-05-01
A STEP TOWARD FREEDOM
CARS GIFT TO PEOPLE.
Millions of People affected by
Grant of Religious Liberty.

u Es
conferred on his subjects by Emperor NichoiaS
as an Easter gift is an historic happening OF the
highest significance, in comparison with WHICH
che rernission of millions OF dollars OF taxes u
Che peasantry a long list OF decorations ana siA
pages Of promotions Of bureaucratic oinciais 0io
hardly worth comment Liberty OF coHso'oe
has been repeatedly proclaimed ana FFo0u a'0.
Poh,edonostsetr. IN his reply TO the evangeiicai
ns4ft,on OF 1855 contendsd that 1t existed IN the
empire. ,.
but none have been allowed TO eTespass on 'No
or+hodor faith as erunciated from the mosque
that faces the church on the NeVsky prospect
In ST. Petersburg. People were free to remain
,rue m the religion OF their fathers. but were
forbidden TO make proselytes. Everybody might
en..r hut none might leave the Orthodox Church
without FORGETTING all civil. rights including inc
right 20 inherit or own property ana III 'Ne
train of that policy prosecutions OF every Gun
eeivable character were directed against the
s'rsskolnild" or dissident sects, especially inc
OLD Believers Among the raskolnln are
thousa nd and-one queer and rustic heresies bred
=, IN. great schisn caused by reform of the
ancient liturgy and augmented by the suppress
sion Of the Patriarchate by Peter the Great
The Old Believers, who chung TO the Ola A'-
,,-v- and made the sign Of the cross with three
nnesrs instead OF two were broken up into nu-
r,oerous sects, some discarding priests and sac
raments and sometimes trending toward iIee
love and immoral practices, and others lhsu'u'-
ing an episcopate and priesthood OF their own
ana dealing with all innovations from the west
as inventions Of the Antichrist, eschewlng tea
coffee and sugar, and considering SHAVING
y1clced These latter survived countless perse-
cutions for years, without legal recognition OF
marriages conducted by their priests, but new
e-<heless became commercially the ablest class
In Russia Morality and wealth were the Sc
crsts of their strength This branch OF the Ola
Believers includes merchant princes Of MOSCOW
rfvaIling those Of America, but they have never
ceased TO be regarded apostates from the
Orthodox Church, and have been subjected to
all sorts of legal prosecutions as such
SOME PECULIAR BELIEFS.
The humber dissenters have had a much
harder time. being hunted down until secretly
they gave rise to a brood Of strange sects. One
rreacbed redemption by suicide and a fiery or
a bloody baptism: others worshipped images
OF Napoleon as the Messiah, believing he es-
caped 10 Siberia and would return some Gay
and establish reign Of justice and peace and
stu others, such as flagellants, eunuchs, jump
ers and Adamites, which are now practically
wiped out, INDUCED IN most hcentious rites
The Stundists and Molkans OF Southern Rus
bar now the principal HaNAsC 44OA'N0A'@0-
who might be described the Quakers OF Rus
STA, have made great progress in recent years
in spite of persecution, which often has driven
them eastward and made them pioneers OF
Russian colonization There are in all ABOUT
twelve million Of these dissidents.
The Emperor's act VIII also affect about forty
million persons belonging TO alien faiths. such as
the Jews, Catholics and Lutherans Of Poland
and the Baltic provinces, the Protestants Of Fin
land and the followers Of Islam and Buddha in
The Urals the Crimea. the Caucasus. Turkestan
and Central Asia. These figures only ap-
proximate. probably millions who nomi-
nally orthodox secretly profess other religions.
Whole villages OF Mussulmans baptized into
the orthodox communion by a ruse, petitioned
I'm vain to be permitted TO return TO Mahomet-