Free trader-journal and Ottawa fair dealer. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1920-1927, 1922-06-02
RUSSIAN CHURCHES
SELL TREASURES TO
STOP THE FAMINE.
HAMMERS AND cHlsELs YIELD.
Ed BY GOVERNMENT EN-
pLoYEs STRIP EDIFlcEs OF
SILVER AND GOLD TO FEED
HUNGRY OF THE NATION,

Moscow, May 6.-lThe Associated
Pres5l Hammers and chisels WELD.
ed in a matter Of fact manner by ON
ployes Of the government committees
for reQuisition of Church Treasures,
have stripped in a few moment, the
silver or gold oyerlas from .kous that
took ears to construct Today thes.
sheets Of valuable metal are being
weighed on scales and melted down
10 be sold to help feed Russia's fam
ine sufferers.
Here and there throughout Russia
nection with the acquisitions, bat the
outstanding feature OF the campaign
10 transform these yaluahlas into
bread has been the calm manner in
which parishionerS have watched
the acquisitions
The Associated Press correSpon-
dent spent a morning with the Mos
COW Requisition Committee watching
the work al an ancient church and q
biz convent in Moscow. ~ the latter
a few nuns, solemn faced but ur-e.
sisting. watched the methodical work
of the requisitioners and even assist
ed them By pointing out the treH--
ures containing genuine diamonds.
Fifteen minutes work stripped from
an ikon. an Of the silver and gold. ha.
fore which Ivan the Terrible once
knelt. and left It a cracked oil paint.
ing. A few ships of the shears and o
collar OF tinyq seed pearls. weighing
perhaps six pounds and which must
have taken months of patient needle
work to construct was cut from an.
other ikon and tossed into q box with
silver cups. diamond-studded crosses
and communion cups Of gold Scores
Of hanging lamps Of silver and hand.
wrought enamel. which har been
carefully tended and filed 18th oil and
iehted for centuries. came down Just
as quickly and were thrown in heaps
on a wooden bench to be listed and
weighed on the scales.
Most Of the wealth Of the church
has been placed in the overlavs Of
ikons The Greek Catholic church
statues, but permits pictures OF the
saints. Originally mere oil paintings
these ikons have been framed In gold
or silver and then oyerlays Of preci.
Gus metal fitted over the canvas
Sometimes only the faces Of the
paintings can be seen under the gold
and silver. If the paintings Is that
Of the Virgin. for example. pearl neck
laces are hung about the overlay that
covers the neck. In some cases gar
ments heavy with jewels are added
When all these decorations are torn
away. there remains only an old oil
painting.
The work of the requisitioners was
extremely careful and methodical
Though probably Communist them
selves and therefore scorning the ucs.
toms Of the orthodox. they dohed
their hats upon entering the church
They did not enter the Sanctuary or
other holy rooms but permitted the
priest or some other person desig-
mated by the faithful to hand out to
them the valuable from these places
Experts from the government mu-
seums aCcopanied the requistioners
and is they discovered objects Of
great historical value these were pro
nounYd museum articles and not
sold but removed to the museums or
permitted to remain in the churches
At the Nikitski convent one iEon
which nuns particularly valued was
not taken. as the parishioners agreed
to pay over to the famine fund its
value in silver coin.