The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1918-11-09
LOSE DUKH01onS
Peculiar Sect in Canada Going
Back to Russia.
Their Departure a Few Ya-rs fC2
Would Have Been Hailed WIt0
Delight, but Sentiment Has
Undergone 9 Chsnge.


The announcement that p2tar N,ri-
! gin, the leader Of the 10000 10 11"N
| Russian Dullh0horS. or DUEhobor aE,
| has declared his intention Of returning
! to Russia with his followers has caused
| 2 mild sensation in Canada. Fifteen
! years ago similar announcement
! would have been received hy the poo-
pie of western Canada with expires
| sions of dcyOut gratitude The il
| literate peasant "Spirit-WreStlerS." as
| their name implies, were diSIillcd as
religious fanatics, who herded to-
| gether in community houses, and
| though peaCeable and industrious
! peasants, refused TO conform to Cana
| dian laws and regulations or to ac-
cept nationality. But now everywhere
in western Canada they are recognized
| as remarkable cOlOniSts. even if bad
| citizens, while Peter Ncrigin is ac-
knowledged to be a genuine leader Of
men.
The DukhObOr has never been wan
derer of his own free will. He has
moved from place to place in Europe
as the result of consistent persecution.
Church and state went for him "ham-
mer and tongs," the one telling him
that all religious sects must be brought
irto conformity with established Greek
Catholicism, the other that he must
become a soldier under the COnScrip-
ton act of 1887. At first he complied
with the military law and went off to
battle, but with the distinct under
standing between him and the elders
that If he were compelled to discharge
his rifle he would fire it in the air.
For he has always been a consistent
nonreSiStant, and so consistent an Op-
pOnent of war of all kinds that, in exile
ir the Caucasus, the community threw
away the weapons that had been con-
sidered necessary to protect its men,
bers from wild animals.
In the first year of their settlement
in Canada, the men scattered in order
to earn wages on farms, on railways,
and sawmills. Meanwhile, the women
built the future residences and, lack
ing horses, plOwed the land by har-
ressing themselves, II pairs of wom-
en- to a plow with one plowman to
drive them!
Brilliant, in British Columbia, is one
of the great Dukhobor ccnters and the
socialists Utopia. Here the commu-
nifty is wholly self-contained and has
realized something of that equality of
its component citizens for which there
is so much striving in the world to-
Tn n
there are no anXieties concerning the
source of the next days needs. There
are evidently no divisions between
"mine" and thine" no jealousies or en-
rieS over the possessions of another, for
70 man is richer than his fellow. No
money is in circulation. One member
of the executive does all the outside
selling and buying, and all moneys
received are turned over to the
treasury. Money, in fact. has no
purchasing value within the -commu-
nifty. All the necessaries of life are
doled out without it by the various,
departments in charge. Everybody
has the whereWithal, which is not of
silver and gold, and there is no theft,
any more than there is visible machin-
cry of government. The govern
ldent is the people. Once Il week they
crowd into the large assembly hail and
discuss the affairs of the commu-
nifty, and the managers of the sev.
cral departments are given their IN
structions according to popular sen,
timent. The Dukhobors possess the
system of initiative, referendum and
recall in an admirably simplitied
form; their officials and tempo
raj representatives e. hold office rs
long as they do their work well.
What is the explanation Of these
peculiar people who live so simply
on a farm or ranch which may
stretch for miles along the road and
stately Columbia river? And can
Canada afford to lose the sisters
and "brothers' of a community who
have builded better than they knew
who have created unique state in
the midst of the wild?-Christian
Science Monitor