Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-10-27

they will not consent to it's subdivision.
In other parts OF Canada the govern
ment only grants alternate homesteads,
but the Doukhobors were able to have
their lands given them in blocks, the
Canadian officials not realizing the
dangers OF the communal system as TO
a group OF foreigners like these.
IN THE DoUKHoBoR VILLAGES.
These Doukhobor villages look like a
slice Of Russia cut out OF the Black
Plain and dropped down upon North
America, save that the houses are bet
ter and the people more thrifty. The
average village IL one long road with
a row OF cottages on each side. The
buildings are of wood and frame, but
the roofs are often of thatch or turf.
Many OF the houses are made Of logs,
well chinked and plastered, The win
dows are of small panes with heavy
wooden shutters, which are closed at
night. Plenty of whitewash Is used
and everything glares. The average
house IL of one story, and 1t has SCI
dom more than two rooms. The prin-
cipal room serves as dining room. bed
room and kitchen. IL has great
chimney at one side, with a bake oven
the walls for use as chairs during the
day and beds at night, and table Is
In most cases the rest OF the furniture
A QUEER BATH HOUSE.
The house are much better kept than
In Russia. | have travelled thousands
Of miles through the cars farming
regions, seldom finding peasant home
that was sanitary or clean. The Can
adam Doukhobor women scrub almost
as much as the Dutch, and all the peo-
pie take regular sweat baths Every
village has its bath house. This Is a
little log cabin containing brick
oven. II is entered by low door but
has no windows or other openings
When the bath house Is 10 be used the
oven IL heated red hot, and then the
bathcrs enter stark naked, each carry
ing bucket or 30 of water They
throw these on the red hot stones, and
within a few moments the house is
filled with steam. Each bather has
a bunch of willow twlgs with which
he whips and rubs every part OF his
body In short time he begins to
persplre, and II Is not long before he Is
thoroughly cleansed.
A THRIFTY COMMUNITY.
The Doukhobors are rapidly amass-
ing wealth. | was told In Winnipeg
that they had brought In as much as
s200,000 at one time, and that they are
steadily improving their property and
towns They are now building eleya-
tors for their own grain and have put
up mills TO grind their own flour Some
OF their villages have constructed flax
nj Ia nd al Null lsf nj
Will put up wooden mills.
AZ II is now the Doukhobors have
their own sheep and spin the cloth for
their clothes. Much OF their machinery
Is being driven by steam and they have
some steam plows. | understand that
they have discovered clay on their
land, and that they expect to put up
brick plant and have brick dwellings
for the future They also talk OF
narrow-gage railway to connect their
Villages: and they will probably intro
duce the telephone soon. Their COM
munal system gives them large cap
i,ai TO work with; and they take adj
vantage of this By buying their sup
plies In quantity and at low rates. AS
II Is now, each village has one large
stable for It's horses, another for its
cattle and shed for its agricultural
implements, This In I'm striking con-
trast with the average Canadian set
tier, who leaves his machinery and
often his stock out OF doors. at the
mercy OF both wind and weather
THE NAKED FANATICS.
IL VIII be seen from the above that
the average Doukhobor is a good clti-
zen. Indeed, were Il not for his COM
munal interests he would be far bet
ter than most of the other Europeans
who are now coming into Canada.
There are many exceptions. however,
and especially the fanatics. The Douk-
hobors have among them, number of
men and women who seem half crazy
on the subject OF religion. and who
every now and then break out In what
might be called spiritual revival.
which IL far more radical than any
revlvals In the United States. At such
times they say Christ Is about to APP
pear on the earth a second time and
they start out on a pilgrimage to meet
Him. They then 90 back to frst prin-