IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) V '& o 4/ #? ^ ////, y. /a 1.0 I.I ■- Ilia B5 '^ Ml A IM 2.2 1.8 1.25 1.4 1.6 -4 6" — ► V] '' The Canadian Doukhobor Settlements A Series of Letters By Lally Bernard <*', ■ '">,- ■». \ \ (Reprinted fcy p.rm,„,„„ ., „. Olob., Toronto.) aSADA NATIONAL LIBRARY BIBLIOTHEQUE NATIONALE . \ } ( F \ .< . . tt-. .»^-'? .->, \ f F \- 2 I I* ^ o V fe-' -■> I f' *l \ \ (. ruE cany\dian DOIKHOBOK SHTTLEMHNTS A SI' R I lis (JI- LHTTIiRS \'A LALLV HlCRXARl). ( liepniilfd hji jifriiilssidii Jiiiui Tin (iloOc, '/'oroiiln. t J WILLIAM HkKiCiS, 1899. Kntr i';ii .iri'ordiii',' to \i-l of itu- I'arliiiinciil of r;iii,iilii, iii ihc w.mi- iIii.iis.umI ci.'lit liiiiiilrcci ;iiiil liiiift.N iiinc, liy .Mi:s. ('i.\i;|': \. l'ii/.-(;iiii;ii\, :it llir I ''piii liiiciit lit' .\i;riiiilluri-. THU CANADIAN DOT KI K )F,()R SinTLHMI{NTS. INTHoDruTlON. WIIKIIK (li.l the Doukliohoitsi fimw liom ' and what pailof thr west (I.) they occupy and wliat woiv the reasons lor tl„.ir coniiiio- to (Canada ' arc some <»1 Ihc many (nu-stions a.skrd of the writer. The nreat majority of the Doukliol.ortsi came from the southern part of the Transcaucasia, from the countrv bordenni;- upon the IMack Sea, and some of th.-ju from thV coast hue l)orderino- upon the ( aspian Sea. The i,h'a that these jH-oph. were accustomed to a climate as cold as that of our westei'n this l.elief, hut it is several '/•///•; r.i.v.i/'/.i.v i)(H Kiioiioi; rsi. xcars since tlif\' Iijinc li\t(l in llif nioiintiiiii tlistricts, wIhT*' tlirsc Jirticli'S WrlC |i|i iclllrt 1, ;is tlir fill t III »l'il it'M ii ('aiiapif that is of ^^rcatrst inftTcst to us: what tln!\' have seen and sufi'cit'(| must \ itall\' interest us and attract our attenticjii. There caiiiiot he one i^'eiieration of children ho!'n within the last century whose childhood has not heen darkened throu;,di the terrors of pei-'"CUtion. This is, perhaps, tlu^ most wonderful i)art of tiie stor\', when for j'enerations these people ha\e heen hounded down hy hoth the Holy Synod <.)f the (Ji'eek ('hurch on account of their heresy, ani( witliout iiK)l('stati()H. (colonization lias iiiucli for wliicli to tliaiik pei'scfUtioii. A IJiissian liistoi'ian, s])rakin{ the districts to Avhich they were re- sti'icte(j. Then acain it would seem that the\' wei"e oidv all()we them zealous in their i^ood works, ami it is a constant history of hackslidin^ and i'e\i\als. 'J'hat these i-evivals Were due to the per])etual aihcnt of some liorn leadei' of men anionu' t hem .-^eiins clearly demonstrated. Thei-e has always lieeii amoii^' these peoj)le men seennuii'ly en(low«'d n(»t oidy with the ^•l•eat personal ma^iieHsm necessary to ^•ood o('Meralshi]), l)Ut also the supei'i<.r mentality that dominates o\-er me(liocrity. This was ohser\ ahle amoni;' the Doul hohoi'tsi who took jiart ill the meetings held while the ^vrlle^ was amoiii;" the eokaiies llurill^• the suumiei-. The men who commandi'il atti'ution from their fellows, and, .so to speid<, '" held the Moor, ' were men who, physically and mentally, seenieil to take theii- riij_lu ful jiiaces in the community. The innni- li'i'ation aiithorities have already recoeui/ed this fact, and are most anxious that these men shoukl ha\e their e'eniu^ /■///•; r. I. V.I /'/.I A' /xx'Kiio/io/rrsi. for ornaiii/atioii and iuliiiiiiistrativt^ power allowed Cull set)})e. The ])t>()j)le as a whole ai'e law-ahidin^^and I'eady to Fall in with the wishes of the otlieial class, who to them are a r<'Vi'latioii. That the principles that ^'oveni our coiuitry can do so on the lines indicated, which we as a new ])eople have worked out, must he to them a never-ending source of ania/(MMont. That their distaste for niilitaiy service comes from no dislike to discipline is easily st-en, the ca]itains and otlicials of the ships that hrou^ht them here, and, in fact, all the otlicials who have come in contact with tluMu, consider tlu'ir discipline and orderliness amount to "icnius. To Canadians theii' desire to he exem))t from militai'v service is incomj)relu'nsil)Ie, but it mnst he hoi-ne in view that our acceptation of the term " military si'rvice " and theirs is I'ather diti'erent. That these j)eo])le did not tolerate tlie life niap])ed out foi- them liy the military authorities of IJussia is, perhaps, the ^■I'eatest of all reasons why thty are tit ])eopl(.' to become citizens of a countiy such as ours. lmai;int' Canadians, mere boys, torn from home inlluence, and herded too-ether witli the vilest of the vile. tau ci\il and humane part of the ser\ ice is of such o\ (M-wliehiiini;' impoi'taiice. may it not be that the stalwart I )ouklioliortsi can In- utilized in connection \\ith the hosjtital corps, whei'e their sj)leiidid strenL;th ami uns\\er\ini;' j)atien(*e and i;cntleiirss would make them the n'.ost excelliMit men I'or that bi'anch of the sei'vice :' That the tiL;iitin^- strength of an army will depend t.;'reatly U]>on the prowess of our^raiii l^iow in:.;- connnunity has lon;^' iil:'o been proNcI, and the men who br^'ak the stubborn eai'lli and dtNote their at tent ion to tin 10 77/ A' CAXAD/AX l)0(' K HOHOHTSI. ^'rfim ^rrowmrr .listricts of tho far west will contribute in no ,sn_u.ll way to the defence of the Empire. 'J1iat ^reat • luestion of the " food supply " benefits considerably from this uiHux of men to our west who have under the most disadvantaiTcous circumstances demonstrated their ability as skilled airriculturists, and not only this, but had built up trade m a section of the country ' <,dven over to lawless iioi'dcs. LETTERS. 1. VoHKHtN, AssA., SojitcinlKT, 18!)!>. VVg \vh Wiuiiipeijj on S.iturdav morniufr, the l!)th of August, 1899, i'or Yorkton, Assn., tlie stcppiiio-ofl' p!uce, fi« it wei'c, for the J)oukli()l)<)r settU'inents. A I'ew Russian.s acconipjinicd us, and hasty introfhictions took place just as tlie train moved out — intro(hictions tliat were received with animation in a stranj^e a(hnixture of Russian, Frent-h and — ^not broken but pulvei'ized l^nglisli. Mr. Peter .lensen, Senator, from X(d)i'Mska, a well-known Meiinonite, came to sjieak to me for a moment. He' had ori<^inally intfnchjd to accom])any us, bein<;' enti'usted by the Quakers of Philadelphia with a large sum of money to be expended on oxen and cows for the Doukhobortsi, who stood greatly in neetl of such animals. 'J'lie magnitu helore Mony tliem the iDoi of all e\il — money. These two men were due at the wintei' (piarters, '"Tam- l)o\'sJresentatives of various \illau('s in the north ei)loiiy was to lie lieM on the 'l'uesda\'. Thanks to the courtesy of .Mr. ( 'rerai', the immiiirati(»n commissioner, we wci'c ahle to make an early stai't on Monclay morninn', " we heinti,' the «lrivei- of the te.-im and one \'era Wclistehkina. a tiny, slender, dark-eyt'd woman, wh 1, aft''i' ha\in<^' taken her de^iree in Switzerland as an M.j).. Iia of feathery skunk-^rass m.'irkin^' the trail liefore us. We were mullled Up in furs and coxered with fur rues, an^l I i'i:ii;i; \i \i ih ii; i cri \sh m\i;ii, m m iimi; i , .m . i\iii\i. i ■■ u k ih >i:iii: /'///•; r.\\AI>/A\ DOI K iKtliitirrst. 13 .nil asli;iino-- .^^.^^. ,,,,t these V-Jj ;^i ^^ - th- ^' Cauaaians cannot - ; ^^^^^^^.^^ ^,,oU5;U^^^^^^^^;^^^ L', ana that^u^-^ \^^.^,, ,. ^^;;;\^:;Ah. Canadian would have .vcv i ^^ hutUnoNvu t .^ -, th. \\i\\vv iH>^^t^^''^^ * suo-vstson\ytheinnn .^^^^ wliicli ll»' 1"!"'*' ''",,. \-,.wt..»"'»i""'-, ' n,,.in i"t>' ""■ ; y,ns ..f ^t- •'"'" U Auvt \.eloi.^'';u. "--":^ ■:::'';;;;,:-.* to ^.||^- t,,.,,.„ av. .ml.> .•' » „.„,,, „V tl>. 1>'^^^, ^,,.,i„„l ,..\.l soul. „,i„ ,wa lows ui-M _ tlu«.sanas.m.. In. I „( ,„„„.> spent ..y tl- «"-■.; .l'^^, conn"-- --" ,^"^^^^„, Vor the well-known »"" ' , ;„ fnnuslnns '''f,'^; ',,;,',, "FrienJs n«k>. a fan- strnst,!-. ^ ^^^^^^ ^i,„i „„,■ "t:a.ove until tt;o--^:!s;:o..--:^,::: '/•///; ' ,|.v.l/>/.I.V hnlKllolutlil'si. I-". ,1 Si\n'»"ia. has*' ^on*- , this is thf yH.rscoution ;ukh()h.>rsti ^.st tinp;^ ;»^ .s it i«. t^^'' the condition I t\u> unlucky \ t\u>niselvcs .i are in truth „V souls llunji ,)unt toT>>. u-stcaas. Sjb- ,r manhood . ,\anao.hl souls ,,nt of n.onc> \ that Nvas not •vW to the .lo"\- : to the b:n^^;f luMU to nu'et the ^,,t ot the money ,,,.iUv c-iven as usuaiiN r, . *^;mo- to aV>oui ;)untin^ oj o \,e used l«)i tut , a conuuittee ot ,. of the unven.luv Sllf i- hor ^Mils IV(jiii the iM.-firest villaj^fe as seamstresses, ami she lultl us tliat they ;;avc mucli satisractioii, hciiin- very neat iicetllcwomt'ii, aixi (|uieU to adapt tlu'iiisrhcs to our meth- ods o I' work. Her liusliaml had four of the men in the tii'lds stacking hay, and slie seemed nrcatly interested and anuis('(l at the habits of the |»('((|)|c who had, as si expressed it, [d'oNcd themselves far more ci\il and iieii;} lioi'ly than ii.any of iier Aui^^lo-Saxou countrymen. This opinion we fdund uni\fi'sal tiirou;^diout the country, with one e.\cej)tion, and that was in the disti'ict known on (he map as "(Jood >Spirit Lake,' and amony' the settlers as " Devil's l^ake." It is from the women of the remote districts that one hears most of the hoon that tim ijicondno- ] )oukh»hor ele- ment has l)een. \[ \\y foreiti'ii j)eo])le ha\e litth' in common with the women of tiie An^lo-Saxon r.ici', hut the wonnri of the Doukhohortsi have heeii trained in tliat .school which •favo to history so many splendid examples of womanly hei'oism ('hi'istian martyrdom. ( )ne could not hell) heine; struck 1)V the <>reetini»s tliat passed between the splendidly e(lucated and brilliant little lady doctoi' who had e'one tlu'cniyh such harht of liei- countr\women, and thev would eladly hail hei' with "S])ossi (ios|iida!" ('(iod bless you' ). their eyes tilling' with ti'ars ,- t tli<' sound of their own t(»n/.I.\ I>()I KUdllOHTsl. not repress an cNclaiiiiitioii <»t' n;j,h sonic nl" the houses were not c<»ni|iletc(|, there was an ahsciicc of anv kiinl ol' litter. I'!\er\ thine; showeW most carcruj, worUnianlike hamlliny, ami I entered a l)lacksmitirs shoj) that wouM haxc heen a credit to a model \ illaiit!." Alas! in many of the houses t'e\ cr-stricken jiatients luxl re(|uired the dcNoted atttMition ol' Marie Kohit/,, a Ixussian lady who had, like sc\cial other ol' her countiywomen, I'olloweil these poor women into the far West, doin^' what they could for the sick and sutlerin^f with a tenderness and just and rapi I was told. It is nciMllcss to say that the story had a very difleicni solution lo till' oil'' t;i\('ii to tlif woi'ld at lar;;;e. '\'\\<- women III the I >oukholioitsi arc not in tin- hahit of ilrawini;' idouiilis oi- of huildiuL;' houses, hut, like many others of tht'ir M'\. they are ca|»al)lc of rising to tin' occasion, and this was (^ne of thr occasions when they distin;j^uiHlied tliemsel\-es. "s many of our ]iionei'r ancestresH"s have done in clays n'oiu' hy. The summer season in that part of tin' world is short, and the supjily of hoi'ses ami oxen \ery mea;^re. The men of the \ illaee had been ohlieej t() hrin;; lo;j^M for the hotisis from a ;^reat distance and many of them were work i lie- (111 distant farms. Flour ran short: the dis lance to \'orkton iiiejint ;i tram|i (tf at least thirty nine miles, and the return meant tlu' carry in^' of lar;,fe sacks n|' tloiir on the Women s Nhoulders. A woman s council wa-> held, and it was deci.led that the only cattle available were to be sent to N oikton, and the Women declared that they would ])ull th<' plough. There was not an hoiu' to !>.• lost: they knew that the live.'> of their children and bus bainl.s de|ieuded on the eflitrt they were willin^i' to make, and a splendid etlbit it was. In days to come one of the Kussian artists in tiieir mii) we had to make haste ami press on to the iie\t villa^'e, where We were to -trike cam)> for the iiiiiht. The shortest ti'uil had to be taken, that o\ er " I 'eaI«' Dutcli, ycr wonlHii't liiiVf hcanl," \\v ;;riiint'il hack at inc. That trail was \ih-. ami to aiM to the misery of it we missed the liest wa\' ill, aixl came 1)\- a loiij^', roiiml-ahoiit trail into the place. It was a situ chosen hy the ("ana'liaii ( lovernmeiit on which to pjaiit the tiist inslahneiit of I •onkhol)oi-lsi. 2.0(i7 souls. Till' instant we anivetj, ' \'eni Michaikncna, ' as the Kussians called my companion, usine; her futler s ( 'hiistian name in the reminine in conjunction with her own, stai'ted out on her i-ounds amone; the sick and ailiim. I followed (|uietly in her wake into the overcrowded and hadly liehted idoms- rooms which thev told me hail in the winter to accommodate twice the nundier of people; and when I entei'ed 1 fouml family after family occupying' the cmioUH • shelves" huilt round the lai'ec Inn- rooms. 'I'hese sIicKmss are at least ten feet wide, and liei^in three fec't from the floor. Here whole families li\e and sleep. A lon^f nairow tahle ran down the centre of the room, and from the roof lunr. man}' utensils, while in the coi-nei' a neatly-dressed W(»man was busy spinnini;, 'I'liere is a e;i'eat dearth of wool, ami the women feel it keenly, as they are in the liahit of spinnint^ and weavinj^j the warm woollen ^jarnieuts worn hy hoth sexes. The round maije l>y the doctoi' ))ro\t'd a \-ery sad one a lad in the last sta^^es of some Inni; affection : a sweet - faced >:irl dyini,^ fi'om heart frouhle: .scurvy and various skill tiiscases showinijf the lack of wholesome food and the overcrowdint; of the houses. Thei'e was an air of iii-eat anxiet\' and misers' amonL' these people, and when we learned the cause it lay like a pall over our own thoughts. A woman and a little eirl had o-ono out on the Sunday to ])ick heri'ies and had never returned, and search jiai'ty after seai-ch pai'ty were sent out, l)ut with no success. 'I'he nif^hts had been cold and wet, and the vision one had of these ])oor lost ones siu^ned ever to stand before us. We found our supper awaitin^^ us in one of the rooms, where Soulero-itsky and Ca))tain St. .John had their ipiar- /•///; r I. V !/>/!. V ItnlKlloitOlirsi. 19 »>\plaim''>ut . ('iiim'liiin uhiiriit <•! Ill," MS tlni H('l»ii>^tiiiii \vn, startt'tl 1 rolloNVctl ully li>;l»ti'(l • winter t!> \\i\ when I the curious hrse sliflvcs •t from the onji narrow )m the rool" Mtly-(lr«'sse(l mien If'l '^ lid weaving; 'S. •V sad one ,n ; )i sweet - and various food i\\v\ the isei-y aiuon^' it lay lilhie matei'ial, ;ind his siiow -white hair covered 'vith a Inr c.ip as wliite as the curling' heani that I'ell o\er his hreast, he presented a start linu^ likeness to the nncieiit Simeon in the jiicture of llolman Hunts ' Presentation of ( hrisl in the Temple.' The oM soldier was a pei-son ol" j^reat importaiKM' in the colotiy, an\u is very tine and even. h'rom the top of (he curious helmet-like headdress of i|nilted cotton to the sole of the stout sandaldike sho(\tliey represent " home industry.' atid spliMxlid woi-k it is. While v\e were examining <'acli other's work, I heard a curious little "hum " eointr on close to me, and lookiti. ;iii«l it is due to tlic car and meiiiory l><'iiiiekiiii4 uji lMii;lish. It was late, and we had really (h'ixcn close on fil'ty niih^s o\-ei' a very i'ouc;h eountry, so, exehiincinu- " Spossi (iios|»i()n the table prepared as a IkmI ! Hudson Uay blankets laid o\ er a sweet ])ile of prairie ^rass make a caj)ital couch after a tifty-nnle drive across roueh prairie tiviils. and I was soon fast asleoj* dreaminj;- of ])alatial I'ullman cars, i\ussian pi'ison life, and the royal mantle of j)in'ple ;uid i;'old that clothempass. and the noi.se of the liail th on le canvas ol my rather nisecure tent was astonishiiie\ I he wniil ne\-er hiew I roni one (piarter b)i- ten nninites at a time, l)ut a])p.'ared to lie a rae'in^- anim-il, ti'vinn' its best to cai-ry off tlie tent ly main force. It was foi-tun;ite that /■///•; (■.\X.l/)/.\.\ DorKlinliOiriSl. •21 1(1 hyiiui>. 'U traiiu'tl ulisli. I" on titty I(r ■• SpOSsi It. Thnv. )C(»|)lc llii'l n»l tVatlu-r imni'Misr it my i<"»'' respective li heaps of KM "11 ^i'Viilty their kin«l i corner, and ihat there was a ,n'(^odly heap of tiii' rohis to ])ile over one, otjier- \\i>t' for a time oai' n^^•ht just as well haxc hi'cn in the open so far as thf rain was concerned. I was not. left very loni;' in solitude, howevi-r. as Souh-r- •ntskv "^ voiee was iieai' 1 alioxc the raiLini-' t'f the wind and thfclaosof thundei' hci'ifin'r nn- to eiime into the |)onk- holior house, where my friend.s wci'e i|Uartered. 1 dcciued it wiser, ho\\c\cr, not to open tin- laeine' of the tent, anii contemplatiiii;' the liaxoe wrought ly the st(»rni to hoth vei;etal)ie ^anleii and crops. Hein^- a ' eonniunnty.' the i^ai'den ami tiehls were ciannioii projiert y, and a nioi'e niiscralile sioht it has seldom heen my lot to witness. I shall ne\cr forget tiie terri'hie nuid, mixed with hail- -^tones (luite as laiu'e as i)i"-(M)ns' ei>i>-s. and the i"(>i)cral air of misery and despondency that pi'e\ailed that morniim'. I found my w.iy to the hake house, \vhei-c six women were at work kuea.dine- the bread for the counutunty. A ^•reat ti'oUi;li was tilled with doue'h, and four women wei'e hard .-it woi'k kueailiuL:' the uTey-lookine- mass that had lieen lea\cned with a sour sort of yc.'ast that they had importe(j from the ('aiicasian Mountains. They use .\\.\X Hour, and the bread is (|uite eat.ihle in spite of the slight soui-iu'^s — a i|Uality, however, which the ad\anced school of chennstry in ( iermany lias pro- nounced most wholesome for a people who ' li\e by brea.(l alone." The (^H'eat bake-oven, Ituilt of mud bricks and covei-ed smoothly with plaster, was tille(l with a crackliu'j,-. bla/inj;" mass of lire, soon to be raked out and tlie ^reat loaves on wooden shovels shut in until baked. \\ this Juncture the mouth of the furnace was tilled with their artisticalK modelled j) )is, and my ciu'iositx' was so I'-reat that I sii-neil to one of the women lookinj:' after th<' contents that I would like to ^ee what materials the soup was composed of. The ine-redients wei-e simple •>•> THE ( 'A XA niA X /)OC /< /jn/io/.'TS/. --the leaves of some shrub boiled in salt ami water. This was the breakfast, eaten from a wooden howl with small wooih II spoons, with a small piece of diy breail nibbled in tiny bites that it mioht not vanish too soon. My owr> breakfast later (jn I fonnd ditKcult to ^ct throufjjh. The bread and buttei- and potted meat was transfoi-med into ortolans served with delicate toast, and the tea with a dash of condens(.'(l milk became like ('l(>opatra's drau greatest ])rivation was the scarcity of nulk. It falls to the lot of but few Canadians to live foi' ten • lays a,mon^" women and chil appetite of a stalwart yoiui;;' Doukhoboi'. It is devoutly to be ho|)ed that the law of necessity which }j;;overiis human natmr to such a vast extent, will compel tlu'se j)eo]ile as a whole to lay aside what was the outcome of necessity, and that they will beein to use the food re(|uired to sustain life in a cold climate. The cravini,^ for buttei- and suear demonsti'ates that the system is demandin()(' KJJO/iOUTSl. •j:{ itt!r. Tlii^* with Hiiiall nihbletl 'u\ My own ormed into with a liave couie into eontael with many of the Doukhobcjrtsi tell me that it is only a <|Uestion of time ; that one winter in the eouutry will teach these people that they eannot fae<^ the eold without eonsumini;' a certain ami^unt of fat. I had been UmI to ima'dne that the reasons for their beinji a iKjn-cai'nivorous race was dui' to relie'ious conviction, whereas Ca[)tain St. John tells me thai the true histoiy of the people not ealinn- meat is as follows: A eei'tain section of the exiled ])e()plt,' founainst a fellow -bein<: was also a crime, and it is only a veiy short time since tlu'ir ai'uis were stacked and burnt- amidst general I'ejoic- inganrl pra^'er ; and to-day among all these seven thousand souls not one Hre-arm is to lie found. How long this will r(!main as a " ]>rinciple " it is dillieult to foretell. Will they allow the industrious little goi)hers to come and de\astate their giaintields. and the; foxes and coyotes to i-ob the farmya)'ds, while the ti:i biM-wolves ami bears make great havoc among tlu ir Hocks, aiKl even carry ott" their children ' These ai-e (luestionsthat common sense finds but one answer to. Ihit meamvhile the sports- men of till' West rejoice in th<^ knowledge' that the immense number of prairie chickens aiul ducks that throng the hay meadow^s and " sloujxhs " (jf the fai" western districts are t<» be left to multiply exceedingly. * *AiitiiMr'pj iiDtc. — Siiiri' wiitiiiii the uliovc I liavi' rcccivccl the tollowin- Icl tiT tVt)ni ( '.iptaiii Artlmr Si, .Idlm. w Iidui I hail (jiiolrd in all good faith as (he aiit Imi itv tof t lu' picvioiis .--taU'iuciil a.s to tlicii' t'casdiis for lii".'rt' Mrs. Alma T. Dalf iiri'ivfd on t'oot. the axlrtrcr of licr tcap liaviii^ l)(.H?ii hrolscii ill crossiii;;' a tiTrihle iiuul-liole— a \<'ritabl(! i|ua;,niiir( — iil'trr tlic storm. It was wcleonu' news to learn that she had found shrhcr in (lif r.inii-hons*' where 1 hfid CDMH' aci'oss the ))oukhol)oi' ^nrls the da\' before, and to hear that the result of her chat witli the youn^- Scotch tanner and his wife in regard to the chai'actei" of the I )oukhohortsi was even more satisfactoi'v thau she had expected. The deleyates t'roiii the dili'ereiit villaees in the north counti'v l)ej4aii ih'oppine' in from all utly in actine- as an ori;'ani/,er of labor amone- these ))eo))le. A most interestinii' and cliarmin<^' personality, both physically and mentally, is Soulernitsky. Small, welbknit, but with a head and shoulders of perfect modellini;', he su^'o'ested forcibly the model so often used by the (Jerman school in representing the head of the " Christus." The tine, curliny; beard and moustache, luminous eyes uinler a pi'i'fectly modell<>d brow, conil)ine(l with the most exquisite '/•///■; r.l.V.l/y/.I.V holKUOIloirrsi. 25 >!rs. AliiiJi tiii]) hiiviuf,' a xcritablc "\vs to It'iirii wlicrc 1 litid Um\ and to onn<;' Scotch ■actcr oi' the ijiu shf liiul II tlic north s. A prtitty asscfl ovoJ- a " I'ootino- it " id |)r(>t»'ctt'siaii jieople, I'or, ai'cordiiin' to all that one can ascertain from those who are fortunate enough to e.si.-ape from the clutche.s of the ' ( Ircat .">ear, the mass of cilu(!atc(l and cnli<;litened llu^sians arc to be found l)ehind tlu! bars of their militai'y jaisons. or amon;Li,' '^he ranks of penal rcii'iments, or acain stiic-idino' for existence in the \asl Siberian wilds. -Vmona th lucateil llussians whom it was mv u'ood for- tune to me<'t, I fouiul that the fact of the Doukhobortsi ha\in^ been allowed t.o leave IJussia was rc^ai'dcd as a matter of recrct. as they considcrc(j the martyrdom of a few was in the end to I'fl'cct the frciloni of man\'. In this cascd(_)\inc' nineteenth century it strikes one as pecidiar to find that the ci'a\in<" for martyrdom is not wholly extinct. riic meetinut in this j^reat West, under conditions wiierc the strureat natural law of universal brotherhood, which many books written in many ton<;iies are endeavorino- to spread bi'oadcast amonn by Souler;;itsky bir the ilitiert nt villaL;'es, many of which contained a little motley earned by the men who had found eniplovment on farms and on railways. We had hai'dlv Mnished the second meal of the day. about five o'clock, when Souleri Kiionoiirsi. ^•|(.'atly ill iK'Hiaml in tli" \ illaj;!', wlitic Maict'ski was prc- jtariu;;' a liumc lor liis uilV and hrotlici-. wIki wi-rt- on tlicif way I'lcmi Swit/t'i'lainl to join liiiii. Tlii-re was iiiucli (Jypnis t'cvfr and a tcrrililc aniount of illut'ss fiiMon<^f the cliildn II. The conijiaiatiNcIy small nuiu- IxT ol' t'itlicr very youni; or \<'ry old t<»ld a di'cadt'iil talc ol vvhert! the nioitality liad Im'cm ^i^'atcst. and one IVIt oiiuscir living' in a iiiiddlo-a<;'('d coniniunity. One iiioi'c ninlit had to lie s])cnt in (lie viilaiir ol* Tani- lioNska, wliicli I learned with reliel' was only a teniporaiy al)idini; ])la(e while thf sitrs I'oi' the otlu-i- \illa;;'es were hi'in;;' chosen. Another ten'ifie storm at dayhreak, Init this tiice no hail and ni}' conij)anion, Mrs. Dale, proved (piitc c(|uai to the occasion, and crept out of the tent, drau'^in^' a hu^c axe alter her. ami secured as li(vst she coulil thecanxas ol the tent. IJut th(^ end ol" it was that we had to take reru^n' under the tahle. as the water was diixen through in every direction. Just as we were rea()sitions one associates with the hie'hest forms of ('hristianit\'.' III. .\iii;nst 2! Ith We were not sorry to leave the " Tamhovska," or winter tpiarters, even tlioueh we made our start in the coM anortsi ^reatU' 'I' Tin-: • ASAhiAS hoiK iioitoirrsi. L'O >iUi was jnc- •cit' on tlit'ir (■ ainotnit ol' snuiU lumi- iidtul tiilt' ol' i I'olt ouoscir tiu(. ol' Taiii- !i tciM})oniry ■ illaii'i's were this t.iiiM' iio iiiti' iMjUal to owiiijj; ;i lm- hoitlinu' so in- been shcl- lits al'ter one M-ncss ani-(»j)riated hy .scane lawless trani|i. .\t last the 1 )oukhol)ortsi"s fears were set at ivst, and the , — the I'lms would not stav in position foi lixc nniuites. Captain St .lohn, who had not slept for two nights the (piiet hours had been devoted to his leiter-wi'itiii^'. which assumeil ninantic j)rojK)rti(Mit>. in relation to these people and their att'airs was fast Hslee[t beside the driver, and I was in constant ten-oi- that tlie terrihc lunnps would si'iid hiu) headlone- ont of the wa^f^^on. llowe\er, n(» s)ich accident hapjjened. an; coutitrw thoueii ill the \ ieinity of ^'orkt,on \ saw the finest cr'o]is of oats in the Northwest Teri'itories. We Were \vilcomencKii(>iiniri'si. with tVoin l>!it<)imi. Tliu ;;i-t'i'tiii;js were joylHI, .ukI vv«; Wfic niadc to tiikr oiir jilMcrs in u iiicf tent, junl tc-i. l)r','iul MImI but tt'l'MIld seed oiiioiis wcic Iddll^lif \)\ \\iv\ ot" rrlVrsli- mciits. l)\it I Uiis '4i'('iitly iiitci'tstcil in ihrir UitcluMi, IkjI- !(i\\ril out of the side ol' ii l)aiiU, uiid tlir ONCII was a iiiast('i|ii('C't' ol' iiiasoM \voi-k l-At'iythiii;^' was as neat as a. m-w |»in. They WCIC all lianl at work building- thcii" liousfs of sods. iicatK covered w itli plaster, and the villae(' .stretit was mai'ked with a |)loii;;hed lurrow. ready tor the line ol" houses on eithei' side;. We had to make for a ford on the Assiniboine btd'on; iiaehin;i' I'elly, and w hen we ai'i'iscd there we wei'e not a little relieved to tliid that the storm had not rendered it imj)(is>ible for lis to cross the I'iver. P^d'ore reachine- Pell}' we had t(» ci'oss a mai'sh\' l)it of ground, where the iroiiii'' was so bad that the mosiniitos, which swarmed about us in myriails, had a fail' chance of spoil. It was sundown when we drosc into the fort, di-ad tired and half eaten alive. The trailin;^' store is kept by a Mr. .\bicken/ie, and a very |>i('tui'es(|Ue eiudosure it is — a lon^', low, whitewashed lo^' buildiie'-. half of it roofed with thatch, and the rest with a roof of sod which was one blaze with the prairie suidlower, a wondrous mass of ;4old and ;^reen showini;up against the white of the' surroundin;;- buildin;^^s 'I'he Indian "tepees" close at hand, antl the stalwart mounted jtolicenien canterine' otl" to the fort, made a picture (it for the laush of an artist Mr. Mackenzie kindly sent his iii'-n to put up a lar^'e, sj)lendidly-\('ntilat(Ml tent for us, and we were soon hard at work eettino- supjK'r ready, ami blessine- the smoke which helped to keep the clouds of mosipiitos at bay. By midnii^ht we wiic all stretched out umler our blankets in the (Treat tent, but sleep was another matter. Tlie mos- ipiitos and. alas ! Hoas maiisoner, a oiil in years and a woman in sutlering; on tlu' o<:hei- side a lady "minister ' belonein<;- to the Ontario /•///•; ' .i.v.i/>/ i.v noiKiioiioirrsi. M ylul, iilld W«^ kitclnMi, lu>l- ovcn WHS ;i s us iH^at as a icir hoiiHos oi* village strci^, for tilt' line of liUoiiu' In^toni we were not a lot rcnr l''i''ends, u most, e|(H|iient and able woman and yvX the most practical, orii;inal, and interesting specimen of ( 'anaIoye(i near the .scene of his purchase, that the oxen had been seen in the vicinity of their old home. When lu' arrived to look tor the runaways, the farmer, w ho had understood enough ' Kuss " to sell his cattle, failed to understand what the Doukhobor was seiikiii'', and .so obtuse was lie that in the end an interjireter had to be brought all the way from Vorktou at the Doukhobors expense to ex|)lain matters. This, I believe, he did in Knglisji the farmer would bun liax'e niisundei'stood, but tlu.' vii-'or of his laieniau'e hd't no margin for doubt as to his appreciation of the situation. Tlu' poor l)oukhobor h(nve\-er, had lost b(»rh time and money, and the delay had <'aused him an immeii.se amount ol" V 'xation and worry. Thev are not as yet skilled in our methods of agricul- tui"e, and in breaking the land usually plough too deep, the result being more la])or than the occasion warrants. Ilut in itassino- throuiih their \illattlers. If the Keileral ( lovei'uiiHMit saw its way to seiidinir S(n'eral of the younger men as farm hands to the cxperi- ;»•-' 77//; I .I.V.I/'/.I.V DDf Kllnnnlirsi. I )()iiiiuioii, tlu-y Would Itc (loiii;^ a ;j^rcfit sci-n ici to tln' |)('(»jiU' MS a wliolf. All jK'asaiit jmcch. aiDJ particularly tlif KushImii |K'asauts. Iiavc a ('crtaiii aiimuiit <»!' roiisi-iv at Imh ainoiiu' tliciii. It is vci\' liaiil (•» iiKlucr tln'in to swerNc iVoMi tin- Iracliiiilis ol' tln'ir lofi ratln-rs. 'riii'si' |M'r»p|»v li(>U(\rr tViiiii slii'cr I'ttiCf t»l' circiniistaiiccs. Iia\r liati'idfs sinci- tin-y laiii|t'(| in (^>ui'l>i'C. Tlif count ly Wf wcic passiii;^ throu;^h was in reality a line ranching if i r^ at iiicaiis tlu'y iniitli iVoiii tli<' lit a strady ami • . hill tii<- Mt'ii- •css, ol'tfii UsiiiL^ as stai'U«-.i likf ill tilt' sun. lait <-ct<'(l al'ttT tli<- till' (lisul wotxl an- few corn- till ■ scarcity oi liicli they slack the ■ la-iots"^ of i(l('re\ 1 77//; CAX.U./.W /K)r/e. '■ Da .SwidanvJi (mi ■I'/'voir) we called to the crowd of women ti'otting by the wao'ifon foi* a last wurd with Vera .Michailovena, Should we ever ■come ai''ain.''' Who knows' The prairie trails are many and li'ad to thi west a^ well as t'l tlu! east. At last the Swan Kivei was seen wintling its way throu'di "•r''\"-!J'»'»'"'U banks of (Iwarf willow, a lo\e]v stream iM :i4 rilK (AX A hi AS DOI KIJOliOHTSl. lookiiit^- like an ideal trout .stream, with tiny rapids over pel)l)ly slialloNVs, twistiiii^' aiik with the frail. We I'orded it safely, l>ut the current was Nery swii't, and the I'ailhei- hank meant a scrainl)l(' for the tired horses. Tht! harness-makers in that part of the country must furnish tirst-rate matei'iai, judtr- iui;' fi'om the strain Itornc l»_y thf trappings of oui- two stt'ad\'-i'oini'' " /.!. V horKiioHonrsi. 35 )' rapids over )layin;j,' hide- LVly, I tut the link meant a lakers in that latorial, judjjj- s oi' oin- two 'adinjj!- to tlie fore ns in the larjjje Ijadocr. er, and tor a ;• to run Mr. i ])erfornuince, \\\\y chartifini;- time he found i ro.id to 'Air ■i and stunted for shelter to I country, and Jie rivei" hank, )n, it would \>v deepened ;ind (jpc stretched jojitened from ford th(; riv(M- ,'re transferred ed across (^ach Iressed Douk- t close to the and we were >f tlu' teams - at tiie liead of current liave 1 have in all sin Polish radish, which lasts all winter, is hlack in color, and very hot and ]iun^ent. Clear of weeiis and fairly well arra.n<^cd, the ;^reat |)atclu's of ve<^etal)les showed that these people were more or less experienced srardeners. IV. Ml('H.\ELOWKA, ASSA., Noinii boPKHoiioii < 'oi-oNV, Sept. 2nd. It was iust sundown when we e'utered tlie lovelv village of Michaelowka, situated on the hanks of the Swan lliver, close to thedivi(Hno- lines of the thre(Hlistricts of .Manitoha, Saskatchewan aii/.iA" DorKiKHioirrsi. Cowan runs throiij^^h u terrible piece of countrj^ and from the state of the tiail it was inipossil)le to ])rinrr to the vilhiire a load of tioui- that liad been waitin;; at Cowan since Febi'uary. At the date of writiiii;, the men uf the North (.olonv have j)h>nty of work, known as " statit)n woi-k," which con- sists in l;i\'in to go to \Vinni}ieg, Soulei'e'itsky found the lal)or representa- tives organizing what was nothing more nor less than a ci'Usa/.!. V nOl'K IIOIIOHT^I. ■.\- ;iy, and Ijojii })ring to tlie lur at Cowan N'orth Colony :," wliicli con- lie yard. TIh' lice, and thorc 3 do it at the :nees in water hobortsi were racted diirin^r itly the work )r hig-her ])ay. n of the labor ; advantage of lave been true, ch foot (»f the ay nearer the Lzard anything judice the ein- mce turn tiiat ;trict, threatens snarls at you st. or leaves its I pvaii'ie. lave what they lid an exaniplf lay be giithered to V)<)r re))reH('nta- nor less than a 111 lalxM'. "The jior, and taking ^cons." Hack t<> ■ould never d<» ;al brotherhood. lUst ask f*M' till' saini; wage as they do. ' The faruieis writ' approached and the matter ex[>lained as well as .Soulergitsky was able to t-\plain it. The faiMiicrs' aiiswrn- was not given to me ve^r- hatim, Soulci'gitsky s manners aix- irreproachaldc, and lie die of thesr peO])le heart and soul. When 1 said toiler. "This is the largest Nillai^-e I have set'U,"' she replied (piiekly. " Ah, madam, and it has the largest cemeteiy. My dearest little brothers and sisters are there.' (To these [leople all are " their little brothers and sisters.'') 'They could not stand the hoirois of oer.se- eution," she added, "ami the ones that dir(| wt-re jnsl vouiii'' thini's like me, or the \erv old ones. We weie both silent. "What was it ' " I asked, com - I>fi ('(hit last to .say .something. " .Vli 1 " She spiead lu-r hands out with a gestme of di's- pair •' What was it ' Why, madame, it was Just every- thing! iiunue;- that l)i'ought sickness, exjiosurc that l)i'()Uuiit Consumption, sorrow for the e\ile(| relatixes in Sil)eriathat brought heartbreak! I cannot describe the pathos of the words uttered in b'lvnch. ■' I was no doctor," she said. " 1 know ,so little — I did what I could.'" \o doctor !- -this tender slip of a girl with her shining eyes an(l seiisitixe (juivcriug lips, Just at the aire when life is sweetest and is made up of tritles liti-ht as air, 1 thought of the millions of ^iils lounguig in ham- mocks, [M.;tted and spoiled, wearied with the good thing.s flung at their b-ct,and this jiretty young thing, wearing the plainest of clothiu" islie had iiiven all she could to hei' 'sisters"), eating la'ead and whatever fare the |)oukhobors had, uursine- the sick and cheei-ing the women, heartsick for ■M< TiiK CAXAJ>i.ty iH>r Knoiioirrsi. their loved ones in Siberia. No doctor ! |)ei-haps not, liut surely practiced in the art of healiiii; ! W'e strolled around the village in the ex enin"-' after our su[tper, eaten in the open air. Kirst \\v were taken to siK^ a sprinuj <>f splendid water wliich sprang- from a hole in the dirt': then to view the grandeur of Ivan Ivin's house, which boasted of three rooms, jind n(;t onlv several well- ghi/i'd windows, but stout wooden shuttei's, well calculated to keep out the ccjld. Later on the nnisical youn^ people of the villaj^e sani>- for us some of tlie IValms ami a few of their " folk-s{jn_i(s,'' A row of e'irls sat on one side of the room and l»oys on the othei", while the leader, a youn^i^man of about tw nieii wbile (Irivinir their wocjden ])louehs throai;h the stubborn earth. I smiled as 1 thought of tin "sulky ploue-h "" of latest desie-n I had just examineil in tin,' well-biiilt shed close l)y, and wondeied if modern agriculture would furni.sh inspii-ation for these j»eo])le. It was all charmine- ;ind picturesipie. The villaticrs went about ehattiii!'- with their neiehboi\s over the events of the lay, always e-reetine- each othei- with old-time coiu'tesy. riu'se pe()j)le may not have tln^ "book leaiTiini;'' of our ('anadian |ieo))le, and we may be abh' to teach them many usefid thines, ))ut the benefit is not all one-sided. The ;jentleness of manners that springs from kindlines.s of heart has a <;-i'eat charm, and the contrast bi^tween the <-asual ;^'reetin(is of the modern civilized world and the deferential salutation of the U')ukhobor men and women leaves one somethiiiLi' to think about. Oin- modern accep- tation of tin' word "education " is a strani;'e one, and the definition of the term "cultui'(\" as a condition of tlu* intel- ect rather tluin amassed knowledi^c, is a definition which is not surticiently appreciated on this continent. ( 'ii Till-: ( .1 AM />/.! A /'OTA llOlidiri'Sl. W.) crhaps not, ; after our tiikcM to s(^e )iii a hole in vin's house, m'veral well- ill calculat-ed villaj^e sang- rolk-son_i,^s.'' Ixjys on the twenty, with us it ion. The Ae heard the uniliai". The )l' iicc(jiiipaiii- perl'ect har- he haniioiiies I'tie " protest," and at times nir of Ji violin I • SouLiJ ot" the 1 while drivinnj ni earth. I r latest desiw-n close by, and ish inspiration villagers went ' events of the time courtesy, rniui,'" of our eh them many ine-sided. The kindlines.s of t between the ,vorld and the I en and women modern aecep- ;o one, ami the on of the intel- etlnition which lent. Tlie ///^^7 r,i sri- m was ih'cideiJJs- (juaillt, and I't))- the lnnidrent,' the hliie-coated [)easants, still workine- hard with pen and ink. trxitm- to ornaiii/.c and arraiitre the atlairs of tlu.'.se fjcople, whose knowledge of the coina;jfeof the counti'y was as vai;ue as their iht of asolitai"\' lamii showini-- his features in strouii relief atrainst the closine; twili«dit. It was after ten o'clock that ni;Llht before tin' meetiui^^ closed and tin- indefatjo'iltle disciple of Tolstoy could o-et his su]»per. dust before we retired to our tent for the m'^ht lu- ai'rived, breathless, to tell us the results of the meetiuj,'. Not vei'y satisfactory, I feai-, from a Doukhobor stand])oim, was th(.' news that had been hrouj^'ht in by the diti'erent deleeates from ihe xillaii'es (jf the North ( 'oloiiN'. The amount of sickness was <4'r(>at, and the work at railway construction was most ditlicult, <)winvcr-stricken men. The men seenu'd fully to reali/e the ^I'avity of the situ.ation, ami the res])onsibiIity that rested upon their shouMers I'eoaidino- the piovision of food and fuel in the c<)min;j,- winter. "^rii "'e is no idle cui'iosity to be ohsei'ved anions' these jx'ople. The groups of men who came to speak to ('a-])tain St. ,John on matters of nn[tortance ahvays in([uired the reason of our coming amoiiij,- thrm. and upon hearini^ thai it was from a l-.in'lK' moti\f t!ie\- woidd thaid< us MTaNcU- and iii\ite u> to come to tlnit houses. A^ain and aijain we wereobli;;('d to refuse the kind hospitality of these o-oixl people, wdio would have i^isfii us all that was theii's to otl'ei-. Althoun-h they are so hos})itable themseUcs, they no\er take our hospitality for Li'raiitrd. and it was with diilicnhy that w<' could make them understaml that thf empty tins, which had eonlained pottet' >t'aM('(l .uul i»)ickf(l anion;;" oni" suppliiiH. They ly lahored from day to day doini;- theii' duty with unswerving;- tidt^lity to those mar and dear t(t them, as well as to the commun- ity as a whoh,'. It was not so with these 3'ounf]f llussiau ladies. They resejit iireatly the teri'ihle suM'erin;'- that they ai-e eallecl upon to witness without tin.' mean.-< of remedyini^ it to any j^reat extent. I f(>ai' thi>y have l)een somewhat misled as to the amount of interest taken in the J)(jukhol)ortsi b}'- (,'auadians as a whole, and they have been tauortion 77/A' <' i.v iy>/.).v i)(H K mmoirr^i. 41 til- SUppllOH. which th((y left ill the :. ol' all [)!•()- icha('h)wl\\{ win n worked out ai'coi'dinn" to to the timires obtainable it appears that each man has more than his shai-e (if responsiliiiity to sjioulder. The mi'ii wlio are workine' aIlloll^• thi'in ;ire iiiclim-d ti> Ijelieve in tin capability of tli''^e ]..oj)lc In kffp famine at bay durhin the winter, but the IJus>iau ladies who are anien hopeful in llirir \ iew of the situa- tion, and the ipiesti'tn is, w hieji of these are riijht !* Do the men. who are mainly o|•^ani/,ill^■ labor and passing' I'apidK' from vilhrnc to villau''. I'eeoniiize tin' "■I'eal need already exi.stin;^' ' \'ei'a \\ elistehkina \\n> worked under the relief comiiiittrc orii'anizefl b\' 'i'olst(>N' diiriii" the last famiiKi in Itussia, as, I belie\e, ha\e two of the othei" Russian ladies at present with the l)oukhol)ortsi, and yet Vera Welistehk- ina is the one who re;,j'ards the condition of tlu! l)oukiiobi irtsi at ju'esent with the L;-reate.st a|)pr<'hension. The hepartmeiit of I nnnii^rat ion haxc won the warmest admiration from the peo[»lr who lia\t'eome out with the I)oukhf)bortsi by theii' kinr it must be borne in mind that, with a \ cry few exceptions, all the villa;i;es ai'e prejuired t(» hoM a common ])urse and as bir as r cotdd ascertain the numbei- of souls in each \illa^e amounted at the lii<;'lu!st to three hundred, and at the lowest to one hundred ami twimty. .As lou^' as these jieojtie ke<'p ti'ue to their commiuiistie prinei])les, the privations they are subjected to cannot disturb the seri'uity of sjiii-it that is so ob.sei'vable to the onlooker, but once tiiere is an unef|Ual distribution (J' the necessaries of life misery is to be seen depi(;tfd on tlei)- fact's, and the whole atmosphere becomes chaimed. 1% 4L' rill-: (AX.M'i.w iKirh'iKHio/rrsi. Kamknka, S(»irn Doi'Kiioiion (^oi.ony, Assa. Ijcautii'iil Ik-voikI tlcscription was the view tluit j;i'oett'(l (tiir oyrs jis we ItrfjiUfiislcd in the (ipeti air licforc stfii'tiiiu- «»ii our ivttirii jounicy to Fort I'clly. Tlic villa<;c ol" Michaclowka must souuMlay he the principal village in the Noitli Doukliobor Colony. It ahvaily won; the air of ])rosp('rity, ;inil tii.' Ix-auty oi" the site seemed to aH'ect the L'^niTal wcll-licin^- of the eommunity. The mtui t)t' the vijlan'e were early astir, settinnl K iKuioirrsi \.\ Ass A. It rsos, and IS keenly 'he <,n-cot- iVero veiy th(> best e Were a ail-, and ell made. cut, and 1 kind of that the le cut of the work t idea of innetrical ilross has a cfitain <-uiVf which indicate*- that the eye is as wt-ll trained in the inatt(;r of synnnetry as the eai is attuned in the ■.natter of liMrniony This i'» Ncry reniarkalile anion;,'' a pei»[)le who ha\(' neitliei hooks nor [lictiu 's In all niv sojournine .inuui;^ tin m I never saw either a hook or a [licture; Imt ih.ir deli;;lit in color is most iioticealde. Their 'Mia dresses are a hla/c; of cohjr, and even the tin\- children are as j;;ay .is a H-m-den (»f poppies. It is \i-ry delii^litl'ul, this ina.ss of brilliant eolorin;; a;^'ainst the trans parency of the prairie atiiiospliei-e and the note of eoloi- add<'d to the picture by a ji'rou]» of 1 )oukliol)or women in one of the ;^reat hay iii(;nlo\v^ has a \alue easily to l>e rei'<»<;ni/A> otliiTH I luivb st'iiii, was k«'|)t ('leaf iA wct^d.s. I eaimot, say niiu'li t<»r tlio <'()ii(liti()ii of the V('i;('tiil)l<'s, liowfscr. Tin' l.-ind hail only l«!i!ti ln-okt'ii tluil .sj)iiii;;', ami as the scii.s(»ii was a latv oiio I Tear llicy lial not miirh cliaiict* (tl' napiii;,' any ;,nvat nnvartl i'oi' llu-ir lal)()rs in the iiiiniciisi! oariltii patitli. ( IiumiiijIhts tlu'i'f wci'c, and a lew scry r<'fl»l(> yonn;; s(|naslu's, hnt tlicy would not Imvi' tinif to icich inatuiifcy Ix'lorc l.lif .>no\v I'd!. W"' were jacsmii'd with two or tlii't't; I'ucnnilHTs in spite of oui- riMnonstrantri', and as wo wurc loavin;; a l»un(;l» of youn<; oiiions was brou^^hl to Ihfi rait. In'foiT lt'a\in^ I ni,ni,iL;t'd Lo buy one of the curioua wooden irons which I have previously descrihed. It was ornamented with a patti-rn cnrved rounhly in low relief, and I asked the name of the eai'ver, ho[Mn;i' to he aMe to si'nd him a proper set of earvinjj; tools to use duriiit; the winter diiys when outdoor employment was not to l)e found I am curious to know where " Fedor \'(aken " had found the desii^u ftu- his carving, as it hore a resend)lance to the m.iri^inal work to l)e found on illuminatecl manu- scripts. Jf the de.si;;ti had ot'ice lieen seen and then carried m the memory, the result would indicate that tlieii system of education has a deeper \alue than at first ap]iears to the onlookiu". We were escorted lo the raft l)y the whole concoiuse of villaed to ujiit out the tiiit and sti'etch it over the two wae'^i'ons to iorm some sort of a shelter. When at lunch, a enj^t wae^on l(.)aded wirli ilour for the noi-th vilian'e passetl lis, the tired oxen and the »aie laa'se (har- nessed unicorn) ])antin^' with the heat. The two mi'u in c,ir(M)f the load were very thank ful to ha\ea chat with ''ajitain St .lohn, and wei-e profuse in then- thaid/ i.v iKn;Kii(Htr. It WHS Nil tide »\v 1 1 wlitti \\r icMclicii \'\\v\ I'clly. fitnl \\v r<)UM(l tliiit Ml- Mackt'ii/ic, II lUr tiudcr uixl <|f;i|( r in ucti t.'nil iiiciT'minlisc, linil cinisidi'intfly l«'l't his ;;ii'at tctit Htlllnlin;,^ rt'utly for us tn ' turn in' witliotit tin- tidulili- uf pitcliiri^' (>Uf (»\vn ('aiu|i Al'ti'f su|ij»fr I had a lori;; clial with Mr. Mackm/if. atid louinl hiiii ludst interesting .'iinl enthu.-^iiistii* on the ,suh- jeci ((f the I )((ul-sat isfael ion ha^ lncn e\p)-esscd thai thes'e jieojtle should l>e allowed to settle in \ijjiiees I'atlier than each m.'in on his own hianestead. To llio.-.e wdio ai'e familiar with the eiH'.-it unsettled ai-ea on the outskii'ts of the ai-ahle lands, t heri- can he no ipiestion as to \ illa^^n' lite b(!in<<" the one hest calculated to di'velop the country on permanent lines. The erowiui: distaste foi- agriculture a^ a. means of li\'eliliood is i,M'ea,tly due to tin isolation that such a folltiwin-' entails, and the Meunonites have jiroved that farming; can he carried on on sucr-essfid lines liy men who live with their fauuHes in tin villaiTt^s. and the proh- trt •/•///•; r.i.v.i/>/.i.v />()i'iirrs/ K'lii 1)1' I'duc'itioii is solved ill this way. As for tlu' actual laiiuiuij, tlu' jaittinii- in oi" crops aiie ho]>ed thattiie policy ol! the (Jovcrnmeiit will he to promote in every way the unification ttf these peoj>le, who hid fair to serve a most useful j)Ui|)ost! in the settleinent of the nrcut western dis- tricts of till' I )ominion. VI. Soi Til DoiKllolloK ( til.o.W, Nkak Stow (.'ukkk. Ass.\., Se|item!)cr Ith. We left l'\)i-t I'clly soon after sunrise, as we were aii.xious to reacii the \ ill;',>^-e of Michaelowka l>efore sunset that e\en- iui^. Our roint- lay throUij,-h a tract of coinitry horderin;^ on the Assinilioiuc |{i\cr, that ni;ir\('llons snake that turns and twists its l)rilliant coils throu;^li endless distance. The len^tli of the road to I)e Iraxcrsed and the condition of tlio ti'ails (owiuii' to iicaxy rains) prcMMited oui' lieiii<; .ihle to visit many of the \illan-es scattered aloiiij- the fartlu'i' liank of the rixcr. It was a drisc nevei- to i)e foioot ten. The hea\y dew of tlu' nii;'lit liefore lay like a \'eil of ^rey chitlon o\tr the landsi*a])e, and as the lazy midsuinnn'r sun lifted itself from a ro.so-colored cloud hed, ti»e veil shi\eic(| and spaikled as thoui^'h sjiriukli'il with diamond dust. Thiou^h tau'dcd coj)se\\ood We drove for hours, noxv and then skii1in*'a "slouch" (pi'onoimced slew\ encircled with a ureat ludt oi' raishes, slandin;^- with uplifted toi'ches of \e|\etv Iti'own. Swish '. whii-r ' and a lli^ht of iluck passed o\ei' our heads, spritd/{()jr/'SJ. 47 Aijaiii fiiior^-iiiii- ^"'"'^lo tlir woii'loi-ftil " j)i-airir Jungle," our eye!-- '' ei'(> da/xlrd In- a \ ciiiaMc ' tiolii ol' clo'lh of wol.l," the irauispaivnt petals oi" tin- -lacful prairie sunllovvers showing- Mcrt's of luoltcii ,n)M a<;-{iiiist the sky-liiir ol' deisj) est l)iije, a lua^uiticeiit note of eolor in ciaitrast to the masses ol iiiau\-e Miehachnas daisies, ^lowjnn- to a hcM^dit aiuHuxurianee iievt'V seen in ()ntario. This re^-al rohe ol' ^iiohl and purple was heu' and there decorated with what in the distance looked like i;reat l)unelies of white ostrich feathers, lait which on closer inspection pi'o\<'d to ho of the same family as the nijuu'e daisy, which with theii'tiny closed hlossoms foruieil Inxuriant clusters on the loni,,^, slender stadvs that swaye(l hcav\' tipped in the liree/e. Now and then a ha\' meadow tiii't about with a circle of low-orowinii' Wolf w illow s uia'le a stud v in tetider tiTcens that would ha\c didi^htcd thi> s nuich prized in our eastern gardens, and was delii,;hted to learn that this e-iv;it ])rairie ^ai'den w;is jirepared to supply moi-e than a " feast < if eolors. lUack currants of exceileiu llaxoi' were to be founrries were nnieh useil ill llussiaand in fact on contparine- notes we found that \ve had here many plants and fruits and tlowerslhat ^rew in central i\u^sia. Mushrooms are ver\- plentiful in her couiU ry, and the I )oukhoboi-tsi have sutrere(| slightly in the west owiiiL;- to tln'ir eaeenies'. to discover the •• edible fuuni ' of this couiUry niie small lad nearl\- losine- his life in rashly experimentine- in this direction Towards noon ue foumi ourse!\es obli;^e.l to cross a 48 THE ( ASAhiAX ixuKiionoirrsi. ilecitK'illy a\vl<\vai"y a strok(! of ^ooil hick we manatrcd to L;et tlirough, ami the men of oin- party w»'nt back with a.xes to mend th(} " bridoe," ;is they called the heap of scrub willow j)iled five feet deep on the surface of the (|uakin^^ black i,'round. We had passed a i)artv of Doukhoboitsi comino- fnjm Yorkton with a heavy load <»f ilour, di'stined for the North Colon3^ Theii- team consists of a yokf of oxen with one horse driven "unic(»rn.' The bridge, frail as it apf)eared, ser\e dwell in t.eiUs — never undtsr any circum- stances lea\(' youi' b(»ots out t< • be lilackened. Put them in the pocket of your ulster (that is if you wear innnbtn* twos) or put them under your pillow, but nevei- leave them to keep Icjneiy vi^il on the Uo\ of supplies: it does not pay. It was Well past noon wlien we halted close to tlie ford where we were to cioss the .\ssiniboine ri\ei-. We ha morrow to the 'ittle '-hajjel ;it the Ae;ency. A curious lot they wei'e, hu/. I .V Dot K llOliOllTSI. Cronstadt {ip}H'iUL'il to he a plfu-c of coiisiderahlo iin[»or- taiioe, and Captain St. John told ns that a ninidnn' of tl»e l)o)d\hol)or Mi(;n had hi-cn workin;^' there di^'^ini; the fouiuhitioiiH for an addition to the mission sehool. Wo liad inteiuh'd paying a visit t(j the mission, but the h'no'th of time at onr dis[)os;d maile it impossihle Whih' we were hinchinff, sheltci'cd from the hi**!! wind l)y the tent stretciied across the two wa^<;()iis, a su had struck at tlic heiiiniunn- of the trij). Here we found a hospital)U; old hidy, o\er eighty, sittiui: bv a cos\' tire in the ^-reat kitelicn stove. The h)j; iiouse was snui"" an to make the freemasonry that exists amoni; the home- loviui; women of otu' country. It is all \ery well to speak of the men beine' the real pioneei's of the nev\ eountries, but in truth it is tlie women who make settlement in the far West a permanent and pros{)erous matter. The help and aid that these r the woiiicii ami tlic way in wl)i(jh they had Ificcd the privations of |)rairie settlement. It was hitterly (,'oM when \\r dr'ew u|) ut the villatije wh(M-'.' we weic t«> pass the ni^^-Jit. 'llw entire popuhition were husy huildin;^- tiieir housts, and they insisted that we sliould occupy a house just in course of comph'tion, where the Kussian nurses li.id slej)t the nieht hefor«'. These two women had ;'()ne on to another siha-'-e, where the fevoi- was still woj'se. Captain St. .h>hn wu.-; sutl'erini; from a severe attack at- that moment, owine- to the t'hill that had resulted afte'i- our loiii;', coitl di-ive. We (juickly li*jhte(l our camptire and he^^an to ])repare our suppt'i-, invitini;- the |)eo])le who had kindly lent us their house to sup with us I hojie they enjoyed the repast. It was a pleasure to us to till up their {)lates with a steam- ing stew of tomato and hread erundts. and to pour out great smoking cups of tea 'i'lid'e w ere neither windows nor a door to om- altode, and the ])lastei- was still wet on tlie walls. Half the [)Oj)ulation was still undei- ean\as, and 1 hope that hefore they attempted to occupy their houses the groat clay-l)uilt ovens had heeii kej)t going foi' days at a time. Tiieir hospitality in asking us to oceu])y their newly-huilt house was undnuhted. hut of our wisdom in accepting that imsjiitality I am n(tt so sure. Poor souls, (hey hrouuflit all the gorgeous hedding they could find, and spreading a layer of thick white felt on the hoarling a corduroy road. While we were jti'eparine- for Ihe night, the .sound of a child's hittej- waiiin^' told us that something was wrono". foi- |)oukhol)or children, as a rule, are not given to eryine" for trifles. (>ur investigation caused us to think dcM^ply over the cause that had hrought these peoj)le to our shores. A \'oun<'" mothei- had been suddenly stricken witli the fever, and thev had ileemt'd it hest to move her from her own house (which was not tinished) to one of the larger tents. In the hurry Jitteiidnig our ari-i\al tiu'y liad lot d f. 52 Till': <:A.\\\n/.\\ nouKiKmoiiTsi. •gotten to tcl! her littli! son that slic had been moved. He lan in IVoiii a nt'iirhhtji'ini,' house to find his niotlier. Slie was «;one. Tlie Co.ssaeKs hiul taken her. II«' iiad seen stran<;e men and horses come to tiie village, and tlie old terror I'ro/e that liltle lad's heart. To eond'ort him, lie had to be sliown his |»oor I'ever-torturrd niother, .safe in a friendly tent. It ji^ave one something; to think aliout, and conjured u}' H vi.xion that one cannot a-soeiate with the spjenilid frei'- dom of our C'anadian laiii.\s ixn Kiioiu)iirsi. r>;i tlif iii<>lit spent in such ail atinosplifn , should liavc ;i cup of tea. Whrn we arriv."l at tlu hous.- vvht-iv t he lu'opic w.'iv, we fouii.l Captan St. .John (stil! wretchedly ill) vvait- ui.U lor UH, and al>oiit. ten men and perhaps twenty women in their best, Sunday Irocks, ranue'i in t^wo rows on either .side of the roooni. 'rii, n ason *,dven hy tlies(> people for noi havino- a distinct place of woj-shij) is, ! heiieve, tliut th(>y say "Uod dwells in a temple not made hy human hands, hut in the l)reast of every worthy servant.' The t>ieat dignity of these people and their intense sei'iousness during,' the sinuino- aiid recitation of thoir psalms was es- ce(>dint;-ly edifyiiii;, I5ut not l.eino' al.le U) either under- stand or join in the prayers i,oi\ e one a most nncond'ortahl.' sensjition, and the feejin-i' that they nmst r.-uard um as in(|uisilive intruders. Shall I ever foryvt tlu' im|)i'ession niadt- upon us tnat intensely cold moi'iiino, as the women sanj^^ bravely, one with lips blue from cold and cheeks hollow from the rav- aofs of fev<'r and the want of noui'ishment ' They keep no written record of their psalms, but hand them down from oeiicration to nvneration. The women woi'e onc)- tlieii- ^.da di-esses a \o\vj^ da)-l< blue coat t»f sfi';^e, the sleeves almost cosfiino- the hands, and closely buttoned up to the throat. The usual headdress is replaced for the occasion by a close-tittini; whiti' headdress covered witii a wine colored kerehirf n(\'U ly tied ovei- tln' whitt» cap. Thf men, in thrii- daik blue military tunics, are neatness itself, and the only mark of distinction Itetween theii' ordinary d';ess and that woiwi on Sunday is the boj-dei- of emlaoidei'-,' that ednvs the tijiht trouser as it laps ovei- till- insteji. 'd/.! .V iKH'KIKHiOirrsi. Hel'orc tlif sorvicc was over i ran l»!ick to our ciimptiit' iind hastily Itrc\v<'(l a lar<;v |);iil of weak tra for the w'oiiH'ii who were listening with det'pcsi iiitcrt'st to the address my phicky littK; friend h.id Ix'^^-^tMl ('apl.-nn 8t. John to read to thcni. I say "phicky." foi' tlic rxpcrirnc*' of the iii'dit iM'foif had iTsultcd in an acute attack ol nL'uraI;^ia. and she was fairly lilind with surt'enn^. All thai could ho left of supplies was disti'daited aiuoji;^' the peo[)le. and the (!ondensed milk that Mrs. Dale i^ave to the women Itrou^ht a Mush of joy to their faces. It would do for the sick. Poor souls, thev thouf the hill ;uiil huildine' better house.s, well ventilated an' "^idt. Salt is a, j^'reat lu.wiry, atid there apjieari'tl to be a ;;reat .scarcity of it anions the \illa«jfe<. We had seen the last of the villages in the South ('olony and 1 regret t(t say that the impression was a pietty sad one on that bleak hillsi''«'li ;ili(l li-t lis .-liter \\:ili.>llt ."\('il il ur,,vvi. "(loiif tosc-f his yii-K" ..JMfulatc.l our ,|i i\ ,>,• ' l.iit Mi;it nialvcs no (litlor- t'tice." It rvi.lciitly 'liur table and spent a c(«s\- Ikhi" ovej' the luneheon. hivery one felt Intter for the rest and warmth of that liospjtahN' shack. A really select lihrary hiuie' over the lal»le,and I at once recouni/ed the hand of the Al)erdeen Associati(ai that is doine- such splendid work amori^r the lonely ranchers in that far-otf country. it was sunsi't when we aeain struck the hiuh road that le(| to ^'orkton. Here our little pai-ty ln-oke uj». I was e'oine' on ne.\t day to thetiood Spiiit Lake ilisiriet, hut, uid'ortiniately. was not to lia\e the eom| anionsliip of AFrs. Dale, who declareil she had seen enouj>h to make her want to L;et to woi'k at once and de\ ise means w herohy the Ontario Krieiids could ^ive instant and etliciunt aid to these spletidid people My misfsion was in a ean lan;;uanes with the ^^reatest ease if so disposeij. It is a ^reat pity tli.at some j)atron of ('anadian aif cannot see his way to seiidini; an aitist coi'ps to ])aint the ditferent people in their national '-ostunie.s l.efore they sncciiml) to the pi'ocess of assimilation with the ('anadian peo|)le, which. ! le^'ret to say is a much too r,i|)id ja-ocess as regards the adoiition act as our "whip." It was like a pa^e from the books of .Maai'ten Maartens to listen to the description of life at The Hai^aie, where his father was somethin';' "in waitinir to tlu! Prince of Weid, whose son was rejiorted to lie the asjai-- ant for the hand of the yonni;' (^)ucen of Holland. We drove for hours throuLih a iirass country, iia.s.siniH Ix'l'ort^ If.iviiiH- Ontario I li;ihli;4cd to leave on accoutit ol" the incoininir ' -^erls. .So I vas most anxious to sec Tor niyscH* the con- dilion ol' aMiiirs tii;.t was m» vfJicnHMitiv s the drawback o^ havine' such a lare-e innnl)erof settlers com ini;' into their part of the country. I'hey had been in the country for twelve years, md were, in truth. s(|uatters, not having ■' taken out their papers, ' as |>eople in that part of the world call it. it did seem ratliei- liard that they shoukl ha\i! to n-ove farthej matli after so many \'ears spent on their ranch, but o\ir hoste^> w itii jiej-fect candoi' areeiate the traits which the l)oukhol)or women possessed in common with all Iwaiie- lovine' women. I was anxious to find out if the letter which 1 liay the settlers of the d disndsted the eukhol)ortsi would rouse him to a dee-ree not to Ite desii-ed, but I d d not find his eonver.sation as \ioIent as the epistle si»;ned with his name. It was simply a di!lerenec of opinion re^^-irdini; the immi- eration j)olicy of our country. I found ]\Ir. -~-'s dislike to all forei;^ners an inherited trait, handed down from the ai;e when Kn^land was an insular ])ower. and not the Inijierial realm of to-day that holds within its oiasp all nationalities and creeds. Tt ilocs ones heart n'ood, how- e\er, to see the riiioii Jack waved with m ehty vehem- ence, just so lon<;" as the vioh'uce does not render the Cross, which foiMus its base, an uinuoaninii smude't' of color, rather than a sii^niticant emblem. It is a mistake to sup])ose that the Doukhobortsi are either miiorant " serts or of 1 ow moi'al standard The constant war l)etween Ih'sh and spirit, which has earned them the name ')f "sj)irit wrestlers," has not becsn earned without a stru<;euri', hut its practicr is most Niinjde. In the ' Ijnpire of the Tsars" Lerov Heaulieii sums up the essence (tf their ndi^ioii in a few simple woi'ds. "The prophet Pohiiokliin,' h* remarks, "one of their spij'itual leaders in the einhtcenth century, is said to havt' explicitly tauo-ht that ( Jod do.-s not exist hy Hims(df. hut is ins.'paralile Iroin man. It is t\)i- IIm- rij,dit<'ous, in a wav, lo ;fivf Him life. A i-iiiious doctrine, Init one which Kcems to he the maiiis|)iin;,f of their innate di;,fnity and wondrous i>atienc<'. one that conduces to sohriet\' and all the virtues that make these j)eoplc a desirable cltuient in any community. Their faith in regard to a, future state reminds the writer of the famous nmt of one of the most Itrilliant women in KiMiicc, who, when (jiiesl ioiieij as to leu' heli(d' in a future statf of hiiss, I'cplied : Ah, who can say:* 'I'o insure <'ertainty, I make my |i,iradise litre hcjow." The reverence that these peopli- pay to the r-ites he- loiieiii^ to huri.il has r.'sctMhIance to those ohserved hy the primiti\<' ('hristiaus. We lia]ijicned to reach our stoppin;.^ place for the iiii^ht just as our hostess had retui'tied from a Poukholioi fi;iii'r;il at a xillaut' se\cn miles fartiier on. The stor\' slie had to tell us was inteiisel\- sare\ious I'vciiin;^- the\' han neii^hliors had heen thfrc to see the oentle, lo' inj; reveit-nee with which the I )oukhol)(trtsi t)'eat their dead. Where the men had <;"ot the lumher she