Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-10-27
LAUNCHING IN THE FIELD

In common. The ordinary village contains
about forty families, or altogether, about
200 souls and they have a common title
TO the land. Each village has built it's
own granary, where its oats, wheat and
other crops are stored. 1t has q common
treasury, and ii buys its agricultural i'm
PIGMENTS and other things as a whole 1t
may give an order for a dozen plows at
time, or for enough threshing machines
TO harvest the village wheat crop. The
people work together. Both men and
women go out to the fields, and they have
about the same customs and habits as are
to be found in the hundred thousand and
more villages which make up the Russian
empire.
Does Not Suit the Canucks.
This situation is not pleasing to the rest
of the Canadians. 1t destroys Individuality
and 1t makes a foreign body in the heart
of the New Canada. The Dominion gov
eminent wants every one of its settlers to
be a citizen interested in the building up of
Canada, 1t objects to a lot of Russian
fanatics who are interested only in their
own towns and religion, and who
but little for the general welfare
of the country. The matter will be brought
up before parliament, and attempts will
be made 10 force the Doukhobors to take
their lands in severalty. So far they seem
TO have no desire to do this. They are con-
tented with Peter Verigin a manager
ana with their community system. i am
told they look upon Verigin as a sort of a
car and priest; and that he could, If he
wished. cast their vote as a whole.
The first trouble with the government
came when the census was taken. The
Doukhobors refused TO give any information
as to their numbers, ages or sexes and
were apparently afraid they might be sub
3ect to military CONSUMPTION. Some of them
have refused to register births, marriages
and deaths. and most of them object to the
public school system. When they were
told that their children needed educato
they replied that they did not believe in
our system of teaching and that they pre-
ferred TO educate their own children in
their own way.
Spirit Wrestlers.
During my stay in Canada this year
learned a great deal about the Doukho-
bors and had frequent talks with govern
ment officials to their condition and
prospects. They one of the queerest
OF all the communities which have set
tied on the North American continent. and
they rank, in some respects. with the COM
munitles found here and there in the
United States. The basis of their organi-
cation is religion. They are an ff-shoot
OF the Orthodox Russian church, and their
name. DOukhobor. is said to have originate
ed because they are wrestling with crime
BY the aid VI the Holy Spirit. The word
"Doukhobor' is said TO mean spirit wrest-
Ter, and some say they originally got this
name because they wrestled against the
Holy Spirit instead of with Him.
These people were prosecuted in Russia
II is a part of their religion to refuse mill
tary service. and the Russian officials and
others have oppressed and tortured them
in various ways. Peter the Great banished
them to the Caucasus Mountains where
they formed a colony of 10000 or more and
from where they came to the United States
The first colony landed in Canada about
eight years ago and from time to time
others have come. until there are now
5000 or 10000 of them in the country. 1t is
probable that half of all the Doukhobors
of the world live in Canada, the Russian
colonies of the Caucasus being the only
others.
In their coming the Doukhobors were
D. aided by the Quakers. A subscription to
the amount of $4,000 was raised in Phila-
delphia, and in London the Society of
Friends subscribed $4,000 more. The Can
adam government spent about $4,000 in
the way OF bonuses and In transportation,
and other subscriptions were made by we'll
known Russians. Count Tolstoi for in
stance gave SIT 600 and one of the parties
which came was in charge OF Sergius Toll
stoi Prince Hillkoff the nephew of the
Russian minister OF railroads was one of
sthe men who came here to look up To-
cation, and altogether they have been
aided greatly. Their ships started out
from the Black sea and came through the
Strait of Gibraltar and across the Atlantic.
When they landed in Canada the railroads
made them a rate of SO for the long ride
70 winnipeg, and when they reached there
the Canadian department of the interior
paid each OF them a bonus of IS for coming