The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1906-08-21
CAR STILL RULES.
Has FAITHFUL ALLE6IAEI7 Is
ANGLICAN TERRITORY.
Word e The ths Russian Church
Eezd Is Eors Potent 1h11
United States Law IL
Bsmots Alaska

There are remote regions II Tie n
terror q far away Alaska. under Amer
icsa ruls. where ths ear q Russia sli--
holds Tie faithful -iiegiz1ce of hun
dreds q former sabjects where his
word a. the head q The Russian church
means more 10 the people than a laE
q the United States congress O. q rll-
ing of TIE UIifed states courts
These people are descendants Of mixed
Russian and native stock and The active
pr0selytirg Of the representatives Of
the Russian church has kept them loyal
10 the Little Father and has led them
TO accept him as their temporal ruler.
although 40 years have passed since the
signing of the treaty which conveyed
the country 10 the United states.
In these settlements the Russian Ian
guage Is almost exclusively spoken.
missions are maintained By the Russian
church and schools conducted under
the auspices Of those missions.
In many respects the people are as
thoroughly Russian in both appearance
and allegiance a. are the people In the
outlying portions Of Siberia on the op-
posite coast Of Behring sea.
OF the 60.000 people living in Alaska.
one-sixth are communicates Of the Rus
sian orthodox church. The church
maintains in the districts Is parishes.
% missions and 80 schools. having a
total Of 7f0 children in attendance.
The total enrolment In The 80 public
schools maintained In the district By
the United States government Is 2.109.
only three times as large as that at
Russian schools.
In AL there are log missions main
tained Ia Alaska by different religious
denominations. Of which the Russian
church maintains IS While the Rus
sian religious influence Is hardly the
dominant influence in Alaska. Il is easily
the largest religious influence. and is
probably the dominant influence among
the native population. since many OF
the churches, notably the Congregation
al and Episcopal, devote their energies
largely 10 the white settlements.
The Russian missions are maintained
in remote settlements where the popu-
lation Is chiefly native or a mixture
Of native and Russian.
II Is difficult for most Americans TO
understand how an absolute autocrat
like the car Of Russian has so long held
the answering allegiance OF millions OF
people A key 10 this enigma may be
found in any one Of the thousands Of
modest homes In the district Of Alaska.
In the humble cabin Of the average In
dian river pilot on the Yukon river. In
the shack OF the Aleut fisherman. on
any OF the Aieutian islands or in the
miserable igloo OF the Eskimo reindeer
herder at Point Barrow. may be found
hanging side by side two highly colored
prints: one that Of the meek and lowly
Nazarene. and the other that OF the
czar Of Russia. the head Of the Rus
sian Greek Eastern Orthodox church
In each Of the Russian missions the
Russian speaking priests and mission
aries persistently instruct their parish |
toner's that the power Of the car is not
only temporal. but spiritual as well. and
that no loyal and devout member Of /
the church should take up arms against
the Little Father" or in any respect /
disregard his wishes or commands.