The Washington herald., 1907-07-28

the Seal Islands, Treasury Agent Crow
ley said in his report to the department
some time ago: Because OF the pecu-
llar conditions existing on the Seal Is
lands, where the natives, through no
fault Of their own. are paupers, depend
ent on the general government for sub
sistence, where the clergy are Russian
priests filled with the traditions Of
church and state, and teaching the SUI
premacy Of the church in temporal as
well as spiritual matters, It becomes a
delicate question 10 answer when we are
asked whether we VIII allow the native
TO donate his scanty earnings to the
church, and then expect the government
Of the United States to furnish him with
the necessaries Of life. On the one hand
stands the native. poor, lowly and igno-
rant OF his rights. believing that his eter-
nal salvation depends upon the amount OF
his annual contribution, and confronting
him stands the church dignitary, who
teaches that 1t is better 10 give to the
church and afterward die of starvation
If necessary than to refuse the donation
and lose your soul
In a long interview with the bishop,
who visited the islands, I tried to make
him understand how differently our gov
ernment managed the church question
from the way It is managed in Russia,
and when / spoke OF constitutional rights
and limitations. he broke out in a TRADE
against the wickedness OF the age that
dared 10 question the church's absolute
power over both body and soul. IN mat
ters temporal and spiritual"
Newspaper Organs View.
The Russian Orthodox American Mes
senger," a New York monthly publiea-
ton, the organ of the Russian church in
this country, not long ago offered the fol-
lowing observation on Alaska The spir-
itual bond between Russia and her for
mer colony of Alaska has never for a
moment been broken since the colony was
ceded to the United States. The sympa-
thes Of the inhabitants are with Russia
now as much as they ever were. They
still live on the memories Of that past.
which cannot yet be called remote, not
improbably on dreams Of a possible res
toration OF those happier times And Rus
sia listens with attention and sympathy
to news from those distant lands. Cheer
less news"
Referring TO the moneys collected from
the natives by the Russian priests. the
paper says: This capital has been col
leeted by the Bishops OF Alaska az vari-
Gus times; It has always been accounted
for TO the clergy and parishioners Of the
Aleutian diocese by the Alaskan diocesan
Office.
This capital Is kept In Russia, be-
cause the banks over there are more re-
liable than they are over here. where
banks come up Ike soap bubbles and
burst with the same promptness."
Paid by Russian Government.
That the Russian priests are in the pay
Of their home government Is shown by
the following statement: Besides these
sums saved by the bishops from the greed
Of the self-appointed guardians OF the
Aleutian orthodox flock, Bishop Nicholas
succeeded in obtaining for the priests on
the Pribilof Islands yearly salary of
800 rubles in gold apiece from the Rus
sian government"
In another part OF the article. the fol-
lowing complaint is made: THE govern
ment agents interfere not only In public.
but also in domestic affairs, and even in
purely ecclesiastical matters. SO that Of
fetal guardianship is extended not only
to the unfortunate seals. temporary and
occasional denizens Of these islands but
also TO the consciences and the property
Of the permanent human inhabitants"