Arizona republican., 1918-09-01
DUKHOBORS GOING
 BACK TO RUSSIA
Christian Science Monitorl

The announcement that Peter Eeri- | Sin, the leader of the ten or eleven thousand Russian Dukhobors. or Duk- l hobortsy, has declared his intention of l returning 10 Russia with his followers has caused mild sensation in Can ada. Fifteen years ago similar an nouncement would have been received by the people of western Canada with expressions of devout gratitude. The llliterate peasant spirit -wrestlers," as their names implies, were dsliked as religious fanatics, who herded togethel m community houses, and though peaceable and industrious peasants. refused to conform to Canadian laws and regulations or to accept national ity. But now everywhere in western Canada they are recognized as re- markable colonists, even if bad citi- zens, while Peter Verigin is acknowl- edged to be a genuine leader of men,
 The Dukhobor has never been d wanderer 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 into conformity with established Greek Catholicism, the other that he must become a soldier under the conscrip- tion 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 dis charge his rifle he would fire it in the air For he has always been a con- sistent non resistant and so consistent an opponent of war of all kinds that, in exile in the Caucasus, the commun- ity threw away the weapons that had been considered necessary to protect it's members from the wild animals
 In the first year of their settlement in Canada the men scattered in order to earn wages on farms on railways, and in sawmills. Meanwhile the women built the future residences and, lack ing horses, plowed the land by har- messing themselves, twelve pairs of women to a blow, with one plowman 10 drive them,
 Brilliant, in British Columbia, is one of the great Dukhobor centers and the socialists Uptopia. Here the con- munity 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. today. In contrast to the modern city, there are noI anxieties concerning the source of the next days needs. There are evidently no divisions between mine and thine, no jealousies or cnvies over the possessions of another, for no man is richer than his fellow No money is in circulation. One mem- Der of the executive does all the out side selling and buying, and all moneys received are turned over to the treas ury. Money. in fact, has no purchas- ing value within the community. All the necessaries of life are doled out without it by the various departments in charge. Everybody has the where. withal, which is not of silver and gold and there is no theft any more thar there is visible machinery of govern ment. The government is the people Once a week thy crowd into the large assembly hall and discuss the arInn, of the community and the manager. of the several departments are giver their instructions according to populal sentiment. The Dukhobors possess tht system of initiative, referendum anC recall in an admirably simplified form
 their officials and temporal repre- sentatives hold office as long as they do their work well.
 The Dukhobor is frankly 'impossi. ble" to the average human being. He wants no police because he is fret from crime. He will neither drink nol lie. He is wealthy, collectively. and vet he will not have anything to dc with lucre. or dress otherwise than as