Omaha daily bee., 1909-06-20
RUSSIA'S CHURCH PROBLEM
Struggle Of Old Believers for Re.
ligious Liberty.
GEAR FAvoRs ORTHODOX CHURCH
Freedom of worship ORered TAem,
but They Must Not seek Com
verts-Thez VIA In the
Dana.

ST. PETERSBURG. May ga foreigner
was marvelling during the revolutionary
crisis at the stolidity of the mass Of the
Russian people. Would nothing arouse
tham7
only one thing could do it," answered
a wise man. IF anybody on earth. even
tile car, should attempt to enforce a law
forbidding them to cross themselves be-
fore the ikons OF their church, they would
rise up as one rebellious giant"
Their church Is in the marrow OF their
bones more than with ahy other people
in modern Christendom. It's all-pervading
Influence has just been brought by the
Duma out into the open life Of national
politics. ]
The first act Of legislation carrying
through the cars promise Of freedom
Of conscience has been presented by the
government. 1t In addressed to relieve
the grievances Of the community, num-
bering over 100000 Of Russians. known
as the old believers. On It will be mod
eIled, subsequently, some more or less lib
eral legislation on behalf OF other denom-
nations outside the orthodox church.
Nice ~istincti Draws.
The government bill proposes that the
old believers should be allowed. with
out let or hindrance. to pray and to bap-
tize, marry and bury. according to the
doctrines OF their faith; but It expressly
provides that they shall not engage in
propaganda, meaning thereby that their
clergy shall not invade territories where
their communities do not now exist The
government draws a distinction between
freedom OF conscience and religious liberty.
1t maintains that the car promised to
allow all Russians to worship according to
conscience, but that he could never con-
fer liberty to propagate In his empire any
religion except his own.
So widespread is the interest in this
matter that although there are twenty
clergymen in the Duma and eight bishops
In the Council OF Empire the spokesman
Of the church have rather been swept aside
and the debate fought out by the national
party leaders. 1t is especially important to
keep in mind that the old believers are
al Important conservative and loyal ele-
ment In the population. In their present
demand for complete religious liberty. in
Guiding the right to spread their faith,
they are supported by the radical parties.
who have had nothingi n common with them
in the past. The obvious reason for Cath
olics. Lutherans, Jews. ~Mohammedans and
Agnostic socialists all coming to their sup
port - tnhl THESE OOuleS WAlltn tho empire
desire to establish a legal precedent for
public meetings and public agitation in
behalf of the cause which each of them
regards as of foremost Importance to itself.
Schism an Old One.
The old believers broke away from the
main body of the Russian Orthodox church
two and q half centuries ago, In 1905, on
q question OF Interpretation of the text Of
Holy Writ. The Scriptures had previously
circulated In Russia only in parchment
manuscript and many errors of transcript
ton had cropt in through the increasing
difficulty Of ~deciphering accurately the
old copies.
The authorities of the church under Arch
bishop Nixon decided to arrest the inereas-
ing confusion and have the text regulated
by translating the Scriptures afresh from
the old Greek. Naturally the new version
showed differences from the words that
had been accepted by many thousands OF
the most devout Russian Christians.
They refused to conform to the new
order. Moreover a different way Of cross
ing themselves was ordained after refer
ence to the placing Of the hands Of saints
In the old Byzantine holy pictures by the
reformers then in control Of the church
intensified their hostility. They abandoned
the orthodox church and were treated as
heretlcs. The schism became complete
when they resisted Peter the Greats as
sumption for himself OF the headship Of
the church as we'll as Of the state.
Before Peters day the metropolitan OF
Moscow was q greater parsonage than the
car Of Muscovy, for the church was both
autonomous and predominant. once a year
the metropolitan set out for the Kremlin
seated astrlde of an ass which was led
by the hands OF the ozar attending him on
foot, Peter changed all that for reasons
Of contemporary practical politics.
The church dignitaries were Influencing
his wife and son against him because
II his rough and ready undermining meth
DDS. He defeated the clericals, by the
single stroke of appointing himself head
Df the church and making his dignitaries
swear personal obedience to him as much
rs II they we're officers OF his army. The
I'D believers abhorred all this and studied
he archaic texts fervently but secretly.
4 hunted. prosecuted sect.
Grow in Wealth and Number.
They kept their Puritan habit OF life
and through it grew In number, wealth