Los Angeles herald., 1907-04-21

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terizes their every move. From lone
generations of suffering and hardship
they do not take up laughter and light
ness easily.
We are met at the door by two little
girls, little women in their national cos
tune. Then the wife of the bishop
gives us welcome to their home. These
people are passionately fond Of lace, as
their garments will show, and in their
homes the same idea is carried out.
There is lace everywhere. The counter
panes on the beds are edged with lace,
as is every curtain, and the pillowslips
are fastened at the end with en-
broidery that made me open my eyes
wide. Gan American woman would
make of it the front of a shirt waist).
The Wedding Feast
In the yard the greater preparations
are In progress. Teapots or samovar
Of the finest brass, brought from Rus
sia, where the cost is 20 roubles, but
which are worth about $50 each here,
have been brought from all parts of
the neighborhood ready for the we'd
ding feasts. These teapots are ar
ranged in the shape of small cylinders,
with hollow center in which are
placed the coal, and when steam pours
forth from a small opening at the top
the water is sufficiently heated and
is drawn from faucet at the bot
tom. These teapots are of artistic de-
sign and many of them are of the
finest workmanship, showing on their
sides the medals which have been won
by the factory. Tables are scattered
about and everything takes on the air
of expectancy.
Later in the afternoon the young
man will be approached by his father
and mother who lay their hands on
his head and ask him solemnly If he
wishes to take the young woman to
wife. This same ceremony is per-
formed at the home of the bride to be
when her parents ask her If she wishes
to wed this man.
Then what we would call the maid
of honor and groomsman come into the
ceremony. Each takes a strip of cloth,
with bright borders. The best man
goes to the bridegroom and ties a
knot about his hand, the maid of
honor doing the same at the bride s
home. Then the two are led by their
attendants to the spot where the cere-
mony is to be performed, and there
they are united in the holy bonds of
matrimony that knows no divorce.
Imagine if you can the bright young
of bright rose hue, during the cere-
mony under the bright green of an
overspreading tree, the April sun
light peeking through the leaves and
casting bright spots on the bright dress
and over the gay colors of the eighty
guests, which make a gorgeous scene
of color.
These Molokanes receive their name,
milk drinkers, from an ancient Gus
1n
cept that which they themselves kill,
and under no consideration do they
eat pork or anything that has lard in
it's preparation. They are almost blind
followers of custom, and anything that
was done by their fathers is done by
them without change
This sect was formed in the begin
ming Of the nineteenth century, and
they have believed in the gift of
tongues since the early fifties, when
Maxim Rudomedkin, a prophet re-
ceived vision. They believe in the
leadership of Rudomedkin to this day,
although he was tortured, sent to
prison in chains, exiled and killed, vet
they believe that he will return and
lead them to the promised land, and
for this reason the local leaders of
the colony, which now numbers 2000
cannot decide on an offer of land made
them, as they have recently received
word from Russia that a prophet has
had vision that this leader will soon
return to them, although he would
now be over $50 years old.
Their tendency to old customs is
manifested in the thousands that were
killed in Russia on refusing to change
the position of a finger in making
the sign of the cross In the Greek
Catholic church-church of Russia-it
is the rule to place the thumb and first
two fingers together, symbolic of the
Trinity, and in this position to make
the sign of the cross But these peo-
pie in the south of Russia, near the
Black sea, who first established them
selves there about the eleventh CEN
tury, when Russia was composed Of
small principalities, through some
change which is now forgotten to their
followers. this custom was changed to
placing the thumb over the third and
little fingers, and because they would
not change back to the rule of the
Greek church, thousands gladly met
death rather than to waver the breadth
of hair in their custom.
Tortured for Belief
The grandfather of Presiding Bishop
Shubin here was placed in a straight
box, where he could not move. because
he would not conform to some small
custom, and there he was kept two
days. without food or water, in
standing position, but he would not
give up his belief, and then his cap
tors, hourishing their knives of tor
ture, slowly cut out his vitals, but
yet he would not give in and died
death of agony.
Almost all the older people of this
colony in Los angeles have been inn
prisoped, tortured, and all. men,
women and children, have escaped
from Russia in the night, often pur-
sued by the soldiers, until they had
crossed the line to freedom. The Rus
sian government, while it does not
care for these people, likes the heavy
taxes which they are compelled to pay,
and greatly disikes the idea of the
$4,000 of this faith immigrating to
America. which they intend doing
At the service last Sunday this same
determination, that has withstood the
storms of years, the wrath of officials
from the little father down, was to
be seen in their faces. They are strong
as the vikings of old, ready to face
death in the most terrible torture for
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