The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1910-11-27

r OS ANGELES, Nov. 26-What
many ways the most remarka BILE
cOmmunistic venture in America is be-
ing established near Santa Barbara Dy
a band of MOlOkane, religious eXiles
from central Russia, who have found a
haven in America. Less than a thOu-
sand in number, they have saved the
almost incredible sum of S6OO,OOO,
which has been invested IN land Tor
the community. This money has been
saved from day wages. for the men
landed in America practically pennlless,
were for the most part uneducated, and
had their families with them None
OF them has been able to earn more
than the current wages paid 10 pick
and shovel men.
Most of the economic and organiZa-
ton work is due TO the efforts Of Paul
Cherbak. a former wealthy aristOcrat
of st. Petersburg. whose fortune was
cOnfiscated by the Russian government
when he became reyOlutiOnist sym
pathizer and was eXiled some years
ago Cherbaks friendship for Count
| TOlstOi, whom he regards as the great
est man Russia ever produced, was ms
undOing; for il was this friendship that
led TO his being suspected and the ultl-
mate discovery Of his revolutionary
sentiments.
The saving of nearly million dollars
by less than a hundred poor men and
their families seems almost Impossible.
But the MOlOkane families are large
and the most rigorous economy pre-
walls among them. None of the MOlO-
kanes smokes or drinks. and the women
have conscientious scruples against
anything but the plainest garments
| The Enthusiastically the grandfather
| i'm each family, acts as the banker for
ali of his kin. and 50 the mystery OF
| this wholesale saving becomes mat
| ter OF simple arithmetic. Even the
| women wOrk-in laundries or at any
| employment they can Obtain-sO there
Il a HHH n 10 10
| are no drones or proulSais IN the Molo-
| kane colony and no financial waste IS
/ possible.
| CoIony's Little Father"
/ Paul Cherbak is "A sort of "littl-
/ father" TO the Molokane colony Ht
/ is a man Of remarkable educational at
| tainments in his own language anc
| some time ago undertook the puDllca'
/ ton of a Russian newspaper in Los
/ Angeles. Ever since his arrival here
| with his little following he has con-
/ cerned himself with their education
1 To further his plans he has conducted
/ what is known as the Russian Uni
| versity." This informal Institution con-
| sists of a motley crew or ldbOrefs WAt
| aspire TO an educational training Whlcf
| the circums tances of their hard-Work-
/ ing youth had denied them. Most Of
/ the MOlOkanes had rudlmentafy eGu-
| catiOn-that is, they could read ane
/ write and figure a little, and pos
/ sessed a fair substitute for history ii
] their folk lore. Upon this base Char
/ bak has built a higher educatona
| structure, carrying their restricted
| learning into wider fields, and ever
| equipping a library which he maintains
for the use of his eountrymen.
Cherbak has also fostered the colon
| iZatiOn venture and as result lnt
| MOlOkanes own about $1,000 acres IuliA
/ paid for. A large colony OF MoIOkane'
/ has settled in Mexico and Is prOspeflns
| and they make such good citizens ina
! President DiaZ offered flattering in
| ducements 10 Cherbak and his follow
| ing but the high tariff on agriculture
! indictments brought into Mexico de
/ cided them and they viii remain II
the United States.
PatriaFchaI system.
The patriarchal family system
| slightly extended viii be applied e
| the government Of the community
/ one man, the Wisest by virtue OF age
/ ed chief and occupy position slmlla
| 10 those OF mayor and judge. Thi
| system is already in practice in tn
II local colony in the heart Of the city. II
\ spite of the fact that the Families
crowd into small quarters their sens
4 of seX-propriety is very keen ana ther'
has never been case or blgamy o
! adultery in the local colony And Their
are few offenders of any other kim
/ against either the laws OF the land o.
the rules OF the colony. Industry is
/ great discourager Of vice and crime
/ What few petty Offenses are committee
l by members Of the colony are deal
/ with by the chief, and his Judgment
! or sentences are never questioned. IN
/ rare fslOnies that occur are turned owe
! TO the jurisdiction of the city govern
ment and the officials are given ever,
| possible aid in furnishing the perpetra
| tors. even by members OF their Owl
! families