The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1922-01-13
QUEER CULT ON
TOLSTOY ESTATE
They Practice Doukhobors Ideal
ism, With a Mingled Belief
in Buddhism.
MANUAL LABOR A RELIGION
Declared Enemies of Destruction Of
Property. Human or Animal Life,
Snd Oppose Soviet Gov
crnment.

YasDaya Polyana. Russia.-Fifteen |
young tmen, two young women and an
elderly matron have recently estab-
!, lIshed on the Toistoy estate what they
tern "an Improved bolshevik com
Smunity." Described as an attempt %
..rectify failure Of communism, the
jmembers of the colony are the declared
enemies of the destruction of property.
human or animal life, and thus are ar
rayed against the soviet government.
q The members of the colony make a
- religion of manual lahor and declare
Sits chief tenet TO be embodied in the
phrase Love thy neighbor as thyself."
fThey declare themselves, like Count
], Tolstoy, 'searcliers for the truth In all
things" They arrived here in early
September with a permit from Moscow
sto occupy a portion of the estate now
classed as a national institution.
>. Teacher Organizes Movement.
A teacher. whose brother is director
+ <of the colony, organized the movement
IThe Is members, all of whom profess
the practical ideallsm of the Doukho-
Hbors sect, with q mingled belief In
Z Buddhism. were allotted quarters I'm
= once handsome but now tumble-dOwn
Z one-story building OF the estate. ,,buflt
I In 1850 for the serfs of Prince ydkon-
ski, father of Tolstoys mother. .
!, The new arrivals have made the
building habitable and have started TO
prepare for the cultivation of the 100
- acres included in their grant. Food, so
STAR has been: supplied, free hg the, soviet
gesernment. the: same as to all Visitors.
tothe Tolstoy home. The three women
do the cooking
The correspondent came first in con-
tact with member OF the colony In
rather strange manner.
After long Journey, he had been
enrolled as a pilgrim at the Tolstoy
home. according TO the rules of the in
= stitution. He was given bed In the
ground floor room. characterized by
brick arch. a room occupied by Tolstoy
some fifteen years. Just as he was
dropping off to sleep he was reused
by pleasing chords on the grand piano
located I'm the room. The playing was
done by a young man. who 'sserer high
boots, "A belted Jacket and a slleepsllin
cap. Seeing the correspondent he
stopped playing and apologized, saying
he didn't know the room was occupied
Then he went on To explain who he
was and began TO ask information
Z about the possibility of walking to In
! tiia. by way of Turkestan. He wanted
TO study philosophy there he said.
Orchard Trees Whitewashed.
The 1OO-acre farm includes big or
chard. planted by the famous Russian
author. and one OF the first acts of the
newcomers was TO whltewash all the
=. trees. This operation was preceded by
an animated discussion as to whether
!. IL should be done They ydnaG men care.
fully debated this prohlein K'the trees
are not. whitewashed theS Orchard will
= be ruined by, insects. bpt II the white
kSwash is applied the fnsects,wtil die of
starvation and II is wrong to&dtestroy
. life. AS the members OF the colony
5 are yegetarians and fruir Is therefore
= the prime article of food To them. ne
cessity prevailed. over ideals and the
whitewashing was done.
A second problem. was solved much
after the same reasoning, For many
years the nsgerl Of thes TOlStOy es-
tate has BEEN Prince obolinSki, who
occupied q building onee used by the
author as, peasahss, school. The
newcomers. declaring that the presence
= OF an Overseer might restrict their
liberty of action" have decreed that
the prince must SO, and the oholihski
family soon must seek food and shell
. ter elsewhere. a.. -