The New York herald., 1922-12-10

cation. 1.-THE Church." writes tho re-
formers, cannot remain Indifferent to
the spectacle OF the struggle now 60
ing on against social economic un-
truth. against social economic inequal-
ity, against the existence Of capitalism
In the Christian world. 1t must con-
denim from the religious and moral
point of view the principle Of inequal-
ity In the social economic world. must
condemn 1t finally and unaiterably."
Existence of Religious
Movement Called False
In all the Government press organs
there Is now Cry about the newborn
religious movement, the new religious
conscience, the dissensions within the
Church. "In fact" says a high ortho-
dox ecclesiastic. "there exists nothing
of the kind. In order to create wide
religious movement there must be sin
cere feeling and self-sacrifice. How
can a worthless band. acting with vio-
lence and filled with deceit, talk of
sincerity? This band is strong only
in the support Of the civil power which
recognizes no guarantees to persons"
In the Donskoi Monastery Patriarch
Tkhon occupies three small rooms
with an exit on to the wall Of the
monastery whereon he Is allowed to
walk. Nobody is admitted to see him.
From time to time during his daily
walk he is able to exchange a few
words with friends whom he sees be-
low. From his broken words It is
clear he is living in complete igno-
rance Of what has happened since his
fall from power. Evidently the posi-
ton Of the church causes him the
most anxiety. He asks sadly. whether
Agafangel or Innocent has yet arrived.
He Is not permitted to say mass.
When his trial will take place is un-
known.
Most of the information given in
this article has been obtained from
Russia's greatest religious authorities
but 1t Is not without some. bias. To
sum up my own observations. extend
ing over series Of years. the Russian
church has failed in its mission. The
obscurantism encouraged by the I'M
perial Government was all against its
development as religious force. The
educated classes were generally ire
ligious. The masses were fed upon
superstition rather than upon rea-
soning belief. The revolution did not
remedy this state Of affairs. The wide
spread distress and misery which 1t
provoked drove people in thousands to
the churches. but did not bring in
spiration to the priesthood. The spirit
Of martyrdom is confined to few; II Is
certainly not abroad in the land.
The feeling that the church should
become a living force was widely
spread, but the priesthood was too in
competent to take advantage OF that
feeling, and the people were too apa-
thetic. depressed and ignorant to take
the lead themselves. Then the Soviet
Government stepped in. With bru-
tality which effectively crushed the
sporadic attempts at resistance, it set
itself to destroy the church hierarchy.
With an ingenuity which would be ad-
mirable in q better cause, 1t has prof
tied by the situation arising out Of the
famine to discredt the old church ad-
ministration. and it has seized an op-
perfume moment to direct in channels
useful to itself the perfectly natural
and healthy desire Of the people for a
church more in harmony with present
needs.
In Russia, unlike Europe Of the
seventeenth century. there has been no
reformation and no secularization Of
Christian morality, nor was Christian
! ity ever converted into method and
discipline OF everyday life. into a bour-
geois morality. In Russia there was
religion and religious sense. but into
everyday life as a principle of disci-
pline religion did not penetrate.
Joseph de Maistre, from the absence
of religious education In the Russian
people, deduced over one hundred
years ago the possibility in Russia of
the most destructive revolution in
which "quelque Pougatcheff d'uni-
versite" literally "smashes up the
State. Alongside this astonishing
prophecy I might place another that
was made by the same thinker. 1t is
to the effect that the Russian church
Is mummy long kept wrapped in
bandages by the State. but certain to
crumble into dust once these bandages
Of ignorance and obscurantism are re-
moved and the light Of modern knowl-
edge let into the coffin. AS a matter
Of fact this is exactly what Ia happen
ing to the Russian church. II is
crumbing to pieces before our eyes:
and judging by all appearances the
people will go straight from Christian
medievalism to Communist agnosti-
cism.
Great Danger to Europe
Is Yet to Come
The greatest danger which Europe
has to fear from Bolshevism is still to
come. AS an economic theory Bolshe-
vism has been failure;' but now II
may conquer as religious theory;
and, as II has already got complete
control Of the church organization
there Is no reason to believe that It
will fail to capture the great bulk OF
the submissive and ignorant peasan-
try. The orthodox priests and bish BPS
who have kept aloof from the reform
movement underestimate the enormous
success which that movement Is hav-
ing. There have been contemptuous
remarks by these orthodox hierarchs
about the propaganda efforts of Anto-
nine and Krasnitsky. but / must add
that these orthodox hierarchs are too
biased and too optimistic.
Antonine. Leonide and Krasnitsky