The sun., 1909-01-03
DOUKHOBORS IN CtNiDi.
Refugees From Russia Practising Com.
munlSm on a Large Scale.

r The last report Of the Canadian interior
T. Department, just issued, gives an en-.
: couraging picture of the progress the
Doukhubors are now making. 1t will he
! remembered that 1900 Of these Russian
b refugees found new homes in the Cana
dian Northwest eight years ago.
At first they attempted there the same
fanatical religious practices which had
made them obnoxious to the Russian
Government. though the chief reason
why the Russians persecuted them was
that they utterly refused to perform
military service Some Of the leaders
who melted the Canadian immigrants to
sally forth naked 70 meet their Lord and
10 violate the law in other ways are now
in insane asylums and others are in
prison. The mass of the people have
settled down and are already claSsed
among the best Canadian farmers.
/ No Western settlers are more indus
trious. frugal, thrifty and neat than :. hey
and they are beginning TO De held in
much respect The Canadian Govern
ment has made them one great conces-
sion. 1t does not REQUIRE them actually
10 live on the homesteads which they
have taken up,
They prefer the communal life and in
fact they hold all their possessions to be
the common property of their sect. The
families are opposed to living isolated
on their farms and SO they are grouped
together in forty-eight villages strung
along in a northeast and southwest direc-
ton from the neighborhood Of Yorkton
in eastern Saskatchewan to the north
western corner of Manitoba, a distance
Of about 100 miles.
About $40 Of them have become nattI-
ralized citizens, but many arc still holding
back. as they hesitate to take the oath
gividg them any trouble over this little
matter, a. the prospects are that the
next generation will become thoroughly
fused in the population.
The change that has come over the
Douk hoboIs is not due 10 the imprison-
mcnt Of their crazy leaders but to tho
great influence over them Of one man,
Nastasia Neriguine, who kept his head
when most Of the leaders were going
crlzy and giving the Government no end
of trouble. His people call him Father
Yer guine and their chief town has been
named for him and appears on the Gov
crnmcnt maps As NereRIn.
This leader has evolved most Of the
plans that the farmers have carried out
Large granaries have been built in every
village and the wheat from their farms
is stored in them till the market Condi- |
tions are most favorable for selling
SchoOhouses have been built in many
Of the villages and the children pursue |
their studies both in the English and /
in the Russian languages.
II Is expected next year TO complete |
the connection Of all the villages by tele- /
phone and to have a schoolhouse in every |
1906 was especially abundant and s35 600,
a part of the money received for the
crop, was expended in the erection Of -four
mills for the community
All the money goes into the common
treasury, and late in the fall agents Of
the people go to Winnipeg and buy at
wholesale supplies OF all kinds that are
taken to Ncregin and distributed to the
families in each village according TO
their needs. Doubtless communism is
now being practised by the Doukhobors
on larger scale than 1t ever was before
on this continent.
But after all they are very peculiar
lot, and Canada is not at all certain that
she wants any more Of them. Such dis
sensions as still exist among them are due
tn a faction that blames Father Veri-
gune for not insisting upon a stricter
Observance Of their religious tenets
Many of them still harness themselves
to ploughs because they think it is wicked
10 make animals work On the whole,
however, they are a harmless and a thriv-
ing people who are doing their full share
in the development of the country, and
business is lively in Winnipeg when the
Doukhobors, cash in hand, lay in their
winter stlnnlV of COmmOdifias d,