The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1925-03-20
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DOUKHOB OK LEADER
CALLED GREAT MAN
Peter Veregin Had Implicit
Confidence Of Followers.

tine of the str:,ngest characters In
u,hiern history was killed in mys-
ferrous bomb explosion q shsrt time
ago aboard q Canadian Pacific train en-
route between Nelson and Grand
Forks, B. c.. q writer in the Chicago
Journal informs M. He was Peter
veregin. head Of the Russian religious
sect known n the Doukhobors. or
"Spirie wyastiera-" The Canadian pe-
lice say the bosnb was plot to kin
Veregin. Five others met q similar
fate.
The figure Of Peter veregin was In
deed enc Of awe-inspiring personality.
II ever there was q bern leader Of men.
Peter veregin was one. He was the
seventh leader Of the religion. Pre-.
eeding him was a woman, Lookeria
Vassilevna, who succeeded her hus-
band In This capacity. She found and
marked Vefegin for leadership when he
was = mere boy. he belonged to a
very wealthy family Of the Doukhobor
persuasion and no followed her Inn
plfcttly.
veregin was given thorough educa-
fien and prepared painstakingly to AZ
sumo this important post. which she
passed on 70 him on her death bed. No
sooner had he assumed the leadership
than he started movement Of passive
resistance TO the Russian governments
system Of compulsory military service
and was exiled to Siberia, where he
spent - years. In the interim the last
Doukhobor had migrated to Canada
and 1t was through them that he was
pafdoned and allowed to join the Sas
saiciiewan colony over which he had
never relinquished his dominating
ttnwer.
4. Tie was looked upon by the Doukho
b0rs AS relncarnation OF Jesus Christ
Whenever he went 10 village the
y op.e turned out. even In drencllins
! eutl,er and the chill of the northern;
trHirie wind. TO PROSTATE themselves
IN the ground. He silently received
their alteration.
They prayed to him as if to the
4'r atar. and sang hymns Of praise t.
his name. Although Veregin had
wife and family in Russia he was
constantly surrounded by young won
en-. and never travelled without arg.
number VI them in his party.
Il was alleged he lived In q polyg
aln0us state, MS they all protested to bs
his wives. married, III least, in the
strange rites OF their church and re
lisisn. Witnesses Of the worship 0,
veregin. by his fellow Doukhobors de
clared II to be q nauseating exhibition
Of id0latry.
A circumstance which did much tt
bring the Doukhobors into disreputt
and created wrong iniprcssi0A o:
them W 1900 WAS Nm unfortunat,-
pilgrimage" near York,on. On thi.
occasion several hundred Of phe 7.OW !.
members of the community were in
duced by fanatic to abandon thell
hoiaca and march out unclothed acros,
tlls snowy prairies on religious pi,
Er&n,nge In search Of Christ.
teregin was pronounced the best ex
ample 1t the henevoient despot in the
weird. He Was absolutely devoted IT,
the interest Of the Doukhobors al
ways planning to advance their cause
not enriching himself. exacting implicit
obedience and exercising rigid dis
cipline..
He was big man In every sense OF
the word. The history and traditions
OF his people. his own sufferings. his
contact with great men. were his pdu
cation. He inherited the characters
tics Ut hts race, among which are
strong reasoning. diplomatic skill and
subtlety. He was a theocratic czar
possessing not only the genius but the
capacity for governing.
!, Is now Is years since the first
shipload Of these idealists arrived IL
Canada upon invitation Of the Domin
lon government to settle the huge trac,
Ut wild land ON which homestead rights
had been died In Saskatchewan. Since
that time their wealth In land and
worldly goods has increased from moth
Ing well beyond the 100000 mark.