RELIGIOUS AND POLITICAL LIBERTY IN RUSSIA.
The terrible conflict in Russia between Atheism in its most atrocious form and the civil authorities, illustrates principles which society everywhere will do well to heed. Among these, the two which are most important are that a religion which is mere superstition and formalism, and a church which relies upon ritualistic observances instead of the truth to benefit men, eating away as they will all faith and sincerity from the national character, undermine at the same time all reverence for law. The other is, that cruel and pitiless repression aggravates the evils it is designed to cure. We cease to wonder that Nihilism increases, when we read that the other day, the right to receive advertisements was withdrawn for a month from the St. Petersburg Golos, because that journal had made public the fact that for twenty-six years an archbishop had been incarcerated in a fortress for the “crime” of non-conformity, and because at the same time it had intimated that this prisoner, together with two other clerical prisoners, had been forgotten by the government officials. The Golos unquestionably was right in the opinion that these poor victims of resentment had been forgotten, had been suffered to remain in confinement long years after their term of sentence had expired. The arbitrary government permits no such opinions, however. In enforcing such measures Russian royalty only helps to make revolutions certain. How relentlessly the persecuting disposition of the Russian despotism is maintained in the midst of all the agitation that pervades the empire, appears from the following narrative: “In the Russian town of Vesnesensk there are considerable numbers of a sect called ‘Stundistes,’ who deny the efficacy of the ceremonies of the Greek Church, and base their religious views solely on the teachings of the Bible. They hold meetings for the study of the Scriptures and prayer, but have no officiating clergy. They were called upon to sign a declaration of recantation, publicly to conform to the ordinances of the Greek Church, and to express their readiness to receive five hundred blows if they should relapse into Stundistism. Under intimidation the declaration was signed by some, but many stoutly held out. It was then determined that those who refused should be publicly flogged, the next day being fixed for the execution. All222the country people in the neighborhood flocked in to see the performance, and about a thousand spectators were gratified by a spectacle of great suffering. Zenovi and Prascovia Shimenko, man and wife, were particularly distinguished by their firmness under persecution, and consequently, by the severity of the torments inflicted on them. Vladimir Fedoroff and others, holding the woman by the hair, gave her fifty blows with rods. Then Efeem Slinsarenko began beating the unfortunate creature. Fatigued at last, he called upon the half-fainting woman to ask forgiveness of the crowd, to kiss the cross, and to repeat a prayer. With death apparently before her, this frail creature’s courage and confidence deserted her not. She refused to ask forgiveness, she rejected the crucifix, saying that it was not lawful to make a representation of God, and for a prayer she said aloud, ‘God forgive them; for they know not what they do.’ Such desperate constancy was not to go unpunished. Since rods were of no avail, a knout was prepared; and soon her agonies were renewed under a shower of blows, administered by a young peasant. The flogging only ceased when she was too far gone to exhibit any sign of pain. Although medical evidence testified to a very narrow escape from death, Prascovia has recovered; and when called as a witness before the court, she said, ‘I am an Evangelist; I and my co-religionists know no other source of religion than the gospel.’” No human eye can foresee the end of the present conflict. The agitators demand constitutional government. The Czar replies by appointing Melikoff absolute military dictator. They demand liberty of speech and of opinion. He replies by crowding the mines of Siberia with exiles. They strike madly, wickedly, blindly at the throne and its occupant. He intensifies the severity of his rule. They come to him like the nobles of Israel to Rehoboam, asking for relief from the burdens of government, and he replies, like Rehoboam, “I will add to your yoke.” The breach widens daily, and threatens to prove as hopeless as did the breach between the ten tribes of Israel and the house of David. The only solution of these difficulties lies in constitutional government, for which the nation is not prepared, and in a pure religion, which she does not possess. If the nations of Christendom were as wise and philanthropic as they ought to be, they would flood Russia with Bibles and with a pure Christian literature—the single open door through which the hand of charity can reach in to save an empire of eighty millions from dissolution and anarchy.—Christian Statesman.