The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-05-06
HBW RUSSIAN SECT.
Igaf ~ FHF mss Ig TBF
8la1sVITRa

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ssW ntslgtet fsspfWaas n tgss esis
ieweFs thFy tt8te peVWfssaH pfsAW
me estryHmtHt N lssfa NestIaat
tlaut eiehfesa asaughs aeB lbefe Wsfe
circulated w me Wsasw diafa eltleus
f1HHnvs a~aaoefalnf fhe afflVlig N = haul ~
~ ilansias : M haHpan Catholic wrists ehg
oallel themselves s1afiavfea, wblle Otteg
syisd thsm fAaAhle,f isi W 'CuN'
Neafue
I'M rise ~ 4 rev srrf In the Haslan
Umpire " tehen ~ = fnutief ~ euufsg,
and the ChBseh sathorflsa paid Ierufhelenl
atlent lDa W tha sNasalel nihi Na mas.
tefa have fUsched eucf . staas m Nes efn
Poiaad that the Polish press hes been W.
seNiiGatina the resent uhseeHtly hFeNlA
In The viliaer churches and tho ScnhiNs
tho arp taking plaer bawepn the foIloWesa
cfthr uafiavitea' and the IT, man taihulir
Cherry fsf tho p~usreaslon ~ Tho churches
Tho story ~ The rio ~ tn hew set " told
~ foiluwa by the ~. ~fctenburR cofrcs
apoptent ~ the London 1tfb,'
BAbolt ten years aeo q Capucins monk
nafned lfonofatup u Move Miast0 raised
the uuestiUn Il reforming the clergy by
making thesn lead q more ascetic NE and
once mofa Withdraw from tho world,
Among ha most dsyoit followers Wa q
sspnatrpsr, n N unmarried woman, named
K0slOyeka, into whose hands- came the
partly drawn up project for refofrntnK. the
Clergy kGslev.ks mad some tl.sra,iohs
n ilee northwest q Warsaw, the Brothers
hood a tho Manayltes,- who werS soon
nicknamed the sCufwearcrs."
H~onoratus must havs been displeased
at the alterations thus made. for he severed
IL ..AA-aHN-A "a nc WutNI Ihn aIfnlNNaha
ment at Plozk. while the then Bishop of
Plokk uttered mlsgivings Hs to tho new
sect and forbade its members. 10 meet
together. The sect then removed its head.
quarters TO Warsaw. and the movement
spread itself through the three dioceses
Of Warsaw, Plozk and Lublin.. As3he
result OF inquiries made by the Ministry q
the Interior in 1901. the Polish bishops for
hade any MARIA vites' TO assemble together,
and the members q the 'brotherhood' were
transported 70 various remote country
parishes. .
50 far the aims Of the @Ma ria vites' had
been purely spiritual, although strangely
mystical. Now, however, the "Ksiondse,'
freed from all control, began TO carry their
termed their followers Marin vites,' or
aSons u Mary The bishops issued warn
ings and threats, and finally the matter
was referred by the "Mariavites' TO Rome
for the Pope's decision, They went 80 far
at W III IN AODVb dDPioNdi III ANo
recognition Of Mother KozlovsSa' as being
equal 10 st. Theresa. Last year the Pope's
answer rec ched the bishops; it was to the
effect that the society Of the "Mariavites'
should be dissolved, and that no communi-
cation Of any kind should be- held with
Kozlovska, who was either a deceiver or
q sufferer from Authorizations. These CON-
mands were obeyed only in form; tho
NJ ria vites" were admonished, but no
energetic steps were taken against them.
| GnUNn ~ than vuaRA nnnfChaH md tina
sect won greater glory therefor.
As their name implies, the Marin vites'
are devoted to the worship Of the Virgin
Mary, as they claim In her the Redeemer Of
the world. The visible symbol of their
creed is a wonder working picture Of the
Virgin Mary, a picture Of Greek origin. with
a Greek inscription and a Greek CROSS, and
In some districts IL is superseding In the
peasants houses the picture Of the Virgin Of
Cz~enstoohau, 50 ! ng the peoples patron
ceive the Holy Communion in the shape OF
pieces Of paper Of varying sizes bearing the
picture 81 their Greek Virgin; they oom-
munioate several times q day; the oftener
they communicate and the Ia ger the waters
Of paper, the greater will be their spiritual
reward
Their little children are made to wear
soapularies and Fra ncisoan girdles. The
Holy Communion takes the place Of dol ng
penanoe in proportion to the sins Of the
~ bo AADt thhhN ~ AhesA
full pardon are prayer. contemplation and
kneeling for hours before the Sacrament; .
The "Mariavites" preach that free will does
not exist and that Gods mercy is sufficient
seeing that the Divine favor can give every
thing; all knowledge Is useless, and physi-
ciar B are Of no avail, for prayer Ii the best
medicine for driving away all diseases: all
civic duties are decried, because they Ia Ike
man away from prayer. In family life the
"Mnriavites. foster gospel m~arriages'-
that is, q p~latonic alta chment and every
herent TO the sect axes the vows Of pow
erty, purity, frugalitya nd ~unbounded obedi-
ence to the fathers OF the sect and to their
The Mariavites assert that they are the
Instruments chosen to wage war with the
Antichrist, an evil spirit which ia now
appearing In many forms, but especially
among the political parties and associa.
Democracy, the Polish Socialist party and
the League Of Nationalist. Moreover, the
Antiohrist speaks in everything published
by the Freemasons. and therefore the
members Of the sect must not touch such
works; in fact, many Polish newspapers are
forbidden to them. They assert that the
Roman Catholic Church Is in decay, and
that the Devil has entered into It's bishops,
who keep the Pope a prisoner, for the latter
war on the bishops: The Mariavites alone
are called upon TO lead people back to the
new order OF things.
The spiritual centre OF the Narratives is
at Plozk, and they nave an academy at
Sobotka, In the Government Of Kalsch.
The house and workshop Of the woman
Kozlovska are In q street In Plozk. The
woman sees visions and talks with God,
and the Narratives relate to their followers
the nature Of the visions and the words Of
the Almighty. Quite recently a second
Holy Virgin was born; she Is said to be the
daughter OF Kpzlovska, who Is now about
60 years Of age, and either the mother or
the child will bear the Antiohrist.
At present Kozlovska La the head of tho
scot. No Ksiondse can be accepted into
the brotherhood against her will, ne must be
introduced to her and receive her sanction.
and the ceremony Of being accepted oon-
sists In the brother kn,aiing bsf ore her
and kissing her hand. The followers are
divided into groups OF ten persons. On
entering the brotherhood a payment Of
IND. is made, and then one Of 70. I'd. every
month, or Cd. q month for every member
Of a family In certain districts. A great
trade is done In selling cha rms and amulets,
paltry medals and tw1ne girdles; the money
thus realized, together with gifts Of corn,
partly In identifying their churches and
partly In other ways which are not re-
ealed by the elect.