The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1920-05-15
PROBLEMS FACING
A STRICKEN WORLD
sy FRANK coMERFoRD.

his means IIlaL nearly IOuT-HIliS VI
the people in Russia could not read
or write Ii does not mean that they
could not think. There is as great
difference between illiteracy and in
teIIigence as there is between illiteracy
and ignorance. ! have met many Rus
sian peasants who could not read or
write. who had good native minds,
genuine power of reasOning-home-
spun thinkers. The head Of Russia
had not been trained, but 1t was not
empty.
There are many reasons for the IL
literacy OF the great majority of Rus
sian people. The autocratic state was
the principal cOnspirator against the
Russian people getting an education.
The autocrats knew that ignorance is
the greatest insurance against up
risings, the greatest sedative to keep
the slave from complaining. The
Church in Russia, the Orthodox
Church, was used to keep the light
from the people. The car was the
Little Father" the divine agent of
God on earth, and the "UnhOly Synod"
of the Russian Church bowed, not be-
fore the Christ, but bent low before
the ear. They betrayed Christ, even
as they betrayed the sons and daugh-
ters of men. their own blood, the Rus
sian peasants and toilers.
Religion Their Only SoIaee.
The people of Russia held firmly
TO their faith in God. The rest and
ease their faith gave them was the
only comfort they had. In moments
Of intense religious communion they
were lifted out of themselves and for
seconds forgot their burdens. These
seconds were long spaces Of relief.
green spots In the endless desert waste
of life.
How Christ must have wept when he
witnessed the "Holy Synod" the
monkish rascals, with their sacrilegious
icons, silencing the protests Of souls,
throttling the cry for freedom, by
quoting in his name that those
who suffered most here would be high
est in heaven. A blasphemy, cor
rygption of the Lowly One, who used
the word brotherhood to define equal
fly, and the fatherhood of God to ex-
press the justice that man owed to
man.
1t was agreed by and between the
Holy Synod and the cars that the
Russian worshipers OF God must not
know how to read or write his name.
So It was that the orthodox church
of Russia used religion to insult God
and hold his creatures in bondage. 1t
he 0V11r nIaYT In fIan
world that did not provide prayer
books for its members. 1t was ar
gued that IL the people had prayer
books they would learn 70 read, and
If they read the Christ message on the
Sabbath they might read other strange
and dangerous books on Monday and
Tuesday and the other days of the
| week. They might misuse their abil-
ity to read, and read things like the
American Declaration of Independ-
ence. The churches of the Byzantine
painted the story of religion on the
side Of its walls. They gave the peo-
pie an education by the picture book
| method we use for children before
| they have reached the kindergarten
age.
BoIshevism Officially Launched.
The birth certificate of bolshevism
was issued on November 10. 1917.
THE All-Russian Congress of the
Councils of Workingmen's, Soldiers
and Peasants Deputies DEGREES the
/ form of the administration of the
country, PENDING THE MEETING
OF THE CONSTITUENT ASSEM-
BLY,. The provisional workers anC
peasants government is to. be called
| the Council of Peoples Commission
ers. The administration of the indi
| vidual branches of state life is to be
entrusted TO boards, the composition
Of which is to secure the carrying out
| of the program proclaimed by the con
gress I'm close contact with the organ
izations Of workers, sailors, soldiers
| peasants and employees. The gov
ern1nent authority belongs to the board
and chairmen of these commissioners
that is, to the peoples commissioners
and the right of systematizing then
belongs to the All-Russian Congress:
of the Councils of Workmen's am
Peasants and Soldiers Delegates an'
its Central Executive Committee"
/ The government of the car was au
tOcratic, not because il was a bad gov
eminent and misgoverned the people
1t was autocratlc because the peopl,
did not have a voice in ii. A gooC
government that denied the people
voice would be equally as autocratic
With the fall of the Kerensky regim
Lenine and TrotZky, and their bolshe
vik followers, did not have time ant
il was not expedient or possible {,
canvass the wish and WIN or the pee
pie at once, so they issued the prom
Use have quoted above. The word
! Of promise are printed In capital lei
tiers.
Z was their moral obligation L
keep this promise made to the people
1t was necessary to keep it, If Their
was to be a genuinely free Russis
Who could anticipate and who woul
. dare write out and put into operation
. the plan of government without givin
J all of the people of Russia a chanc
: n rNnG h. al. 4, Co.