The Maui news. [volume] (Wailuku, Maui, H.I.) 1900-current, 1920-04-16
Would Know Facts
About BOISheviSm
Rev. Hugh V. White breaches Thought
full Sermon In Which He supports
DR.. Scudder Urges Democracy OF
Thought And Expression

the Rev. Hugh V. White, pastor of the
Kahului Union church, preached on
the subiect-"What About Bolshev-
ISM" His talk was inspired by the
near-sensation caused two weeks ago
by the publication of an article by
Dr.. Dorcmus Scudder, of Honolulu,
which by many was interpreted as fav-
ofing Bolshevism.
Mr.. White is frankly not a Bolshev-
list, but he is not afraid to discuss the
subject and he agrees with DR.. Scud-
der that the Russian experiment is
one which the whole world should do
well to watch with interest and
sympathy.
A synopsis of the sermon is as fol
lows:
Recently DR.. Doremus Scudder,
formerly pastor of the Central Union
Church in Honolulu, and at present a
member OF the Hawaiian Board, and
one of the editors of the Friend" pub
lished by the Hawaiian Board of Mis-
sions, has written a long article, pub
llshed in an eight page supplement of
the Friend, in which he has set forth
some of his conclusions, drawn from
his own personal experiences in Rus
sla, and from his reading and study
regarding the conditions that have
prevailed and are prevailing in Russia
emitting it in such a way as to have
drawn down the ire of a good many
people, the title being Apologies to
the B~olsheviki."
l want to set forth many things DR..
Scudder has written, because many
people have said unkind things about
him on the basis of a misunderstand-
ing of what he has written. In the
first place, DR.. Scudder has written a
story, an account of recent develop
ments in Russia. He was there for
some time, and took particular OBJ
servation of what was going on; aside
from which he has read much from
ether sources than the ordinary press,
and on the basis of Information he
has got, with his co~mpfehending mind
dividing the true from the false, he
has given us his conclusions.
There has hardly been any subject
since the revolution in Russia that
has been so dark as that of the Rus
sian government; it has been almost
impossible to get any news from Rus
STA that is reliable. One day you would
get l report in the press that the Boil
sheViki rule was one of unqualified
terrorism, and the next day an ac-
TcOunt would come that the Bolsheviki
| is the saviour of Russia; reports OBJ
Nviously written for the purpose of in
fluencnlg opinion, so that a great
many of us, who have grown very
sceptical-particularly of press re-
ports during the war-have found our.
selves in the dark as to what was 60
ing on in Russia. Il II = 81 = Il +
Nowadays the governments of the
various countries have learned the
power of public opinion, and have u.s.
ed the public press for the purpose
of propaganda. During the var the
allied governments gave news to the
world that would inculcate a sympa-
thy for their policy; and the policy of
the allied governments has changed
at least once; so you see how impos-
Sible it is for any man to believe the
reports of the newspapers. Anyway
most people believe reports that are
in harmony with their general ideas.
People displeased with the theory of
government going on in Russia would
believe all the horrors told, and the
man who believed that the Russian
people had struck the right theory of
government would believe all the
horrible stories were created from
SSlltIlllGuI, tutltlOIt, we dI6 lluSDJeu
to DR.. Scudder because he has been
there, and by his conscientious study
has given to us a reliable account of
the actual conditions in Russia.
That is what we want; we want to
find out the truth about Russia, and
we don't want to be milk-fed by a
censor; we don't want our opinions
formed by propaganda of any particu-
lar theory, and as full grown Ameri-
can citizens we have a right to the
facts; and as for DR.. Scudder's right
to do anything like he has done, it is
unnecessary to defend his right. Any
American citizen has a right to in
vestigate facts in any land and report
them to the public.
Another thing we get from DR..
Scudder is that his opinion of the Boil
sheviki has changed. His impression
when he first went to the country was
hat the Bolsheviki primary policy was
n of violence, whose theory of gov
eminent was impractical, and con-
stituted a menace to the peace and
safety of the world. Since he has
been there he has changed his opinion.
Fol a man 10 change his opinion on
the basis of new facts is always
creditable; therefore, in that DR..
Scudder has allowed new knowledge
to change an old opinion, he has
shown that he is a wide-awake man,
although l understand well past mid
die life. In the first place he has an
opinion hat the Bolsheyiki have been
misrepresented to us; and many peo-
% pie who have been to Russia tell US
the same thing; and these are matters
of fact. The BOlsheyiki have been
represented worse than they are; that
the army of Kolchak and he govern
ment he tried to establish was far
more Vindictiye and given TO whole
sale slaughter and brutal measures
than the Bolsheviki have ever been;
that the atrocities have not been by
the BolsheviBi but executed upon them
by the followers of KOlchak; and Boil
shevism appears to have appealed to