The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1922-03-27
SOVIET PRISON
LIFEDEPICTED
Mrs. Marguerite Harrison
Tells of Experiences
In Russia.
WAS. JAILED AS SPY
Religion Is Stronger Among
Slavs Than Ever Before,
Says Woman Writer.

20 hiohbCl lAubbid lO-
day than ever before" declared
Marguerite f. Harrison before the
University Club Saturday night.
Mrs Harrison returned from Rus
sia after the American Relief Com
mission obtained her release from
a prison where she had been in
carcerated on suspicion of having
been Polish spy for eight months.
She was the only newspaper cor
respondent who succeeded in en-
tering Russia in 1920.
"The religious motif is more pow
erful than in the days of the mon
archy because of the separation of
church and state" she explained.
THE patriarch of the Greek church
thinks that this was one of the best
immediate results of the revolution.
In former days. when the priests
were governme nt-supported, there
were many who were not only in
efficient. but dissolute. Now the
clergy comes close to- the people,
because they are dependent wholly
upon them for support, and conse-
quently, the people realizing 1t is
their own institution, tolerate only
the good in II. -
DO Not Persecute Church.
The Bolsheviki don't .persecute
the church. They know its strength,
and only ridicule 1t. Church prop
erty is not confiscated. but theoret-
ically belonging to the government,
is left actually in trust to the sep
arate churches"
Germany is the logical country to
assist in the economic reconstruction
of Russia. she believes. For Ger
many finds no restriction there, and
has all to gain and nothing to lose
by taking the necessary chances.
There Is, however. violent anti-Jap-
anese feeling in Russia. One of the
problems for the Genoa conference,
the dissolution OF the Red army,
VIII cause much feeling inasmuch
as many antagonistic to Bolshevism
support the army because they fear
Japanese aggression in Siberia, she
declared
Russians think all attempts at
Intervention only strengthen the
Soviet government" she continued.
They feel that II let to themselves
they will get away from cOmmu-
nism, already a recognized failure.
because the peasants naturally want
to own their own land.
irauc VIII Help Her.
More educated classes believe
that while she is not quite ready
for representative government, Rus
STA will soon be better prepared
because OF the Intensive education
being forced upon the masses by
the government.
Trade with Russia VIII do more
for her general rehabilitation than
anything else. To stimulate pro-
ductive industry the government
must have the good will of the
people, a fact which eventually
means recognition of private prop
ctry. Representative government
will never be established until there
is trade and International inter
course. The fear politically is not
of the return of the mona rchy, bu!
of the overthrow of the present
party by socialistic regime. II IS
hoped and believed that there will
be liberal democratic form of gov
| eminent eventually set up. ConsS-
quently, those imprisoned for poIiti-
cal offenses are not so much mon
archists or counter revolatIonarics
as these other party workers"
Says Prohibition Was Savior.
The famine was a cumulative
thing, she explained, arising from
the lack OF seed grain and agricul-
tural implements. Prohibition. Mrs.
Harrison proclaimed a success in
Russia, and the savior of the nation
from many eXcesses.
Mrs. Harrison said she entered
both Germany and Russia illegally.
and because of her disregard of
rules, richly deserved her impris-
OF ment. she said. Passing through
villages en- route to Moscow. she
found interesting educational eX-
periments conducted. Where en-
thusiastic school masters had
taught 40 children under the Gar,
they now enrolled 400 and more
Bcye were so eager they wrote on
brown wrapping paper with pencils
cut in three parts to go around.
She lived in a government guest