The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1905-11-26
MOL.OKANSFOR
TERRITORY
Continued from Page IL


with fevers and pests of all kinds.
Every time the government offered them
/ the choice to remain in their homes on
condition of returning to the Greek
Church. or to go farther-and there
was no case of a Molokan selling his
faith.
BELIEVERS IN GOD, JESUS AND
THE BIBLE.
The Molokan sect is a so-called ra-
tiOnalistic one. founded not on dissen-
sions upon subjects of purely theolog-
zeal doctrines or forms of church rit-
uals, but upon discarding all the ex-
ternal accessories of the Greek Church
The Molokans are Christians, believe
in God, in Jesus Christ. in the Bible;
but they discard all rituals, all formal
ity in worship, all the fdolatry and
fpomp Of the Greek Church, which
works exclusively upon the magma
tiOns and superstitions of the ignorant
masses. Any meeting house will do for
a church for a MOlokan. Any place
is good enough for worship of God. No
external signs are necessary, as they
believe that religion lives in the hearts
of men, not in specially provided edi-
fees. They have no special priests
Any elder of good life can preach and
solemnize wedding or funeral.
DIVORCE, LIQUOR AND TOBACCO
FORBIDDEN.
Their faith allows only one wife and
no divorce. Marriage is for life. Liquor
of any kind is strictly forbidden, as
well as smoking. They believe in the
right of every man to interpret the BIZ
BILE as his own conscience dictates, and
have and recognize no written books
on religion of any kind, except the
Bible and a book of psalms which they
sing at their church meetings. The
few prayers they use are committed to
memory by the elders acting as priests.
Their only occupation is agriculture
and horse, stock and sheep-raising in
connection with it. They live in COM
munities of different sizes, the villages
comprising from forty to 500 families.
The land is owned in common, and re-
divided at certain intervals according
to changes of working forces in fami-
lies. Each village has its mechanics
of various trades-carpenters, black
smiths, tailors, shOemakers. In Russia
they produced and manufactured prac-
tically everything they needed in their
own homes.
of the Russian government to the edu-
cation of the masses, among those 1000
people who are now in Los Angeles
there is not a single illiterate person,
and they seek education as an abso-
lutte necessity.
THE CREAM OF RUSSIA
By all fair-minded men in Russia, the
dissenters among the present class in
are considered the cream of the people
They are the only part of the masses
who know how to think, and who do
think. Any obligation voluntarily as
sumed by a Molokan will be carried out
regardless of anything. Their word in
all business matters can be implicitly
relied upon.
The Russian in general quickly adapts
himself to any newconditions of life and
the Molokans in that respect had a
varied and very bitter experience. They
have every time proved themselves
fully able to conquer even the wilds |
[ have no doubt whatever that they |
Will quickly acquire the necessary
knowledge of local conditions and |
grasp what is really wanted. Culture |
Of sugar cane is new to them, but it !
IS so simple, that with intelligent su- |
oervision they will learn it fully before
the first season will be over.
NUMBER AND STATUS IN RUSSIA.
AS to their numbers in Russia. they
AN be only estimated. Official govern
nent statisti s as to all the RATIONAL
site sects are very unreliable, the ten
lency being TO minimize them. Still /
ven the official figures of the last CEN
'us of the population of the Empire
n 1897 admit that there are about 200-
90 MolOkans in Russia. That figure
an be accepted as the possible mini
mum.
Outside of the compact settlements
n the Caucasus and in Middle Asia,
here are unknown thousands of them
russia. They are extremely dissatis-
ed with their condition there, and are
saving daily for the United States Il
nee a satisfactory location is found
leir numbers can be increased at Will
-ithout any assistance except suitable
md.
The American press usually calls the 1
[olokans the Russian Quakers. In re-
lily they embody in their faith but n
w of the Quaker doctrines; but, for
ant of any closer comparison. on ac- t
'unt of the vast differences in condi-
ons of life in Russia and America
lat qualification perhaps may answer
Honolulu. H. L, Nov. 25 1905. &
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