The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1920-06-11
Shall Chaos or Reconstruction IN
Europe Follow the Great
World War;
RUSSIA'S GRAVE MORAL ERROR
FercibIe Seizure OF Land Understand.
able, but to Be Regretted as Max
Ing a Precedent to Justify
Dishonesty.
Article XIX.
BY FRANK coMERFoRp.


tient, just before the treatment was
started, reveals several findings which
are necessary to complete the history
and physical examination.
Russia was rs per cent illiterate.
This means that nearly fOur-tifthS of
the people in Russia could not read
or write 1t does not mean that they
could not think. There is as great a
difference between illiteracy and in
telligence 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
TlSlNES, NHe SItdtNSt StNuliht W nNNp
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 car. They betrayed Christ even
as they betrayed the sons and dauSh-
tiers OF men, their own blood, the Nus
sian peasants ana toiiers.
ReIiuion Their Only Soiace.
Tho peonIe of Russio held firmly
| 10 their feith in Cod Tho rest and
| eose tbo;r foitb gave them was the
| onlv comfort ,bev had. In moments
| of intense religions communion they
were lifted out of themselves and for
| seconds forgot their burdens. These
seconds were long spaces Of relief
groom spots in The endless desert WASTE
| of life
| How cbris+ ,,,,s+ box,o x,art who, no
witnessed the .IJo,v SYNOD" the
,,onl,isb roscoIs win tbair socrilepious
icons si,encinp the protests Of souls
| throttlinr the cry for freedom. nv
| ,uotiny in b;s name that those
| who suffered most hero xvouId he high.
| est in heaven hlosnhemy. cor.
runtion If tho Jowlv One who used
| tbe word brotherhood tn define eouol
tty and tho fotbarbood of Cod IN OK.
L
man
If was agreed nv and between the
Holy Synod and the czars that the
Russian worshipers of God must not
know how 10 read or write his name.
So II was that the orthodox church
OF Russia used religion TO insult God
and hold his creatures In bondage. II
was the only great church In the
world that did not provide prayer
hooks for its members. 1t was ar
gued that If the people had prayer
books they would learn 10 read, and
II 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 anil
ffy TO read, and read things like the
American Declaration Of lndepend'
ence. The churches OF the byzantine
painted the story OF religion on the
Side OF its walls. Ihey gave the peo'
pie an education by the picture book
method we use Tor children before
they have reached the kindergarten