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T'-r>''
The
Canadian
Doukhobor
Settlements
A Series of Letters
By
Lally Bernard
<*', ■ '">,- ■».
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(Reprinted fcy p.rm,„,„„ ., „. Olob., Toronto.)
aSADA
NATIONAL LIBRARY
BIBLIOTHEQUE NATIONALE
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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 <listricts is erroneous. The history of one
of the women of the I)oid<hol.ortsi, put into th. '"hands of
the writer witldn the last few we<'ks, shows that thev
really came from a southern disti-ict, as she speaks (if
their occupation heinn- cotton-spinnini;- and ao-riculture.
A hiro-o numl)er of the j)eop|e now oceupviun' what is
known as tlie South Tolony in Assinil)oia came cjh-.ct from
('yi)nis, where they had found refu^v from perseeution
owmn-tothe help o^iven them l.\- tlii' English S(.cirtvof
Krionds ((,)uak<'rs), who not oidy obtained permission' lor
tliem to leave the C'aucasus, l)ut provided t-nts a.iid looked
after the welfare of the i..'ople while in (\-j)rus, 'I'hev
were und»'r the charov of Wilson Stur;;-e'. one of thV
Society of Kn-lish Friends, hut owin- to tl7e climate l)ein.--
utterly uusuitahle. it was deemed a<lvisal.le hv tlio.se int.M-
ested in them to l.riui;' th^m to ;i more hracinl;' climate.
So, in ti-utli, the Doukhohor people who have come to
this country havi' come from a southern climate rather
than the Arctic circle, as so many people seem to h.dieve.
The jieavy shee])skin C(,ats an<l u'l'eat •' l.ourkas ' owned 1)\'
some of them would U'-.vl U> 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
<lr()Vr llicin out IVoni tlnif (•(imt'oitaltlf lionics lioin<s timt
they li.nl tJ'i<'<l to ivndff lialiitnlilc ill spitr ol' the tit-rcf
inoiint.'iiii trilicH anionic wlioni llir\ luul Im-cii ilri\('M, with
tlic hope, j)frlia|)s, tliat these ti'ihes nii;^ht finish the work
of cxtenninat ion lie^^un liy the liiissiaii authorities.
The Dcjiikhohor settlemenls in iioilh-east Assiuihoia
comprise uliout six towiisliips of tluce si|uare miles each,
ami are situated aliout a day's (h'ive I'rom N'orkton, the
pres<'iit lerminusiif the .\h'iiiitoha iV Xorthwesteiu Kailway.
Still larlher to the ui»rth-east six more townships ai'c hein;;'
taki'ii up tor the same purpose, This si'coiid settlement
sprea<ls oxer into the Saskatchewan Territory on the
north, and just trespasses in a sliehl ile^ree on Manitoba
in the east. The ( Jood Spirit Lake colony is ahout a day's
<lrive I'rom ^'orkton, and represents peihajis the poorest ol
the Doukhohor settlements, as the people in their desire to
remain near the lake took up land which does not j^ive
]iromise of heiiiM- adaj»tei| for agricultural purposes.
Tlie map which accomj)anit's thesi' letters eives little idea
ol" the distance between tlie Doukhohor \ illa^-es and \'ork-
ton, for the state ol" the roads, the ditlicult\' of rordintr the
I'ivers. and the scarcit\' of horses and oxen amone' these
people, all conduce to isolate the Colonies at the present
moment, llowexcr, the Thuiid"!' Hill colony, u]) in the
corner ol* the three dist I'icts, promises to he a tlourishin^-
one wilt 11 the Dauphin line ojiens up communicaticai with
tlu! outer world for the \ illancs therein situate(l.
The reasons which hroueht the J )ouklioliortsi to ('anada
ar(! \ery siiiij)le ami easy to relate. 'I'o ])ut it tersely, it
was to prevent their exteiniinatiou in the hands ol' the
Russian authorities.
To enter into tlii^ history ol' the persecution of this sect
would he to eoM'i' the period of over a hundre(l and Hfty
years, and t<^ introduce dates and names of people and
places utterly unfamiliar to ("anadian readers. Accurate
details as to tlu history of these peoj)le is ha''d to obtain,
owiim" to the fact that tlie\' are illiterate. onl\' four percent,
beiii*;' al)le to reail and wi'ite. It is doubtful if tlu' archi\-es
of Russia C(julil furnish the material needful for a history
of thi'se i^eople that could be relied U]»ou, for there must be
many pa;:es too shameful for any ( m)\ crnment (i^xeii that
of Russia) to record.
riiH i A\.\hi.\s I •n-KH(Ui()iirsi.
With till' iiiatf'i'ial wliicli lias ol* latf t'oint" into tlw posses-
sion of tlu' wi'itt"!' it is !i('(M'ss!iiT to lir.'l with caif ami
Jn«l;^in<'(it. 'I'lic l)oui:liolp(»r prujilt' aft' siii;;Mlarly lioiicst
aiiil siiii|tlc ill tlirir im'tliod ol' cxpfcssiiin- tlit'iiisci\ cs, hut,
as is so well Unowii, tijulitioii is a <lan;^rroiis article to
hainlh' wlu'ii it (iltfis thron;^fh many lips aii<l luis its only
rt'conl in liiniian minils.
It is thf history of tlu' l)(»ukliohoitsi now paft of o>ii
('aiia<lian |»fi>pif 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,
an<l yet ajnain hy the military authorities on acc(junt of
their refusal to accept military sei\ ice. When one con-
siders that these peoj)le so treated ai'e not only morally a
race of oiiints, l)ut also of immense^ stattu'e and with ^leat
|)owers of endurance, couj)led with the utmost ;4entleness
of ('haracter, one is tilled with ama/'uient.
To (piote from a translation put into the hands of the
writer: " Many were the soi-rows, many were the calamities
they had to heai'. i5anislied to a stran;j,«' land (the('aii-
casus), where the soil, climate and conditions of life were
«|nite uid<nown to them, sui-roundi'd hy hostile trihes. and
])roclnded hy their relio-ious princi])les fi-om usinu' arms
even in self-defence, the I )o(ikhol)ortsi seemed condemned
to perish without leaxin;^" a remnant : hut such i- the
stren;4'th of the commnne principle which forms the l.asis
of the life of this community, t hat . in spite of the c()ii-
tinnal sutlerin;;' from inxasiou. eliaiinr of clim.ate and
fevers, they at last succeeded in adaptiii^' themscKes to
local con<litions, and e\en in re\i\iiin' the trade of the
province so as toliecome the most prosperous sectiiai of t le'
Transcaucasian j)eo])le."
These are the people that lia\(' heen chased to the othi-r
side of the woi'ld to tin<l a sanctuary in our western disti'icts,
ami it au<;'urs well foi' the futuri' of our country that we
shoidd ha\e such a lar^e influx of people, who Miider the
verv worst of conditions could leavi^ such a recoi'd, a
people who ask n«t other privile^^c than exemjttion from
■/'///•; r.i.v.i/'/.i.v DoiKiionoirrsi.
iiiilitary scrvifc, jiiid the I'iu'ht to practise thcif reli_nii>i(
witliout iiK)l('stati()H.
(colonization lias iiiucli for wliicli to tliaiik pei'scfUtioii.
A IJiissian liistoi'ian, s])rakin<j, of tlu'sc |)C'o|il(', ainon^jj tin-
other nmiiei'ous sects that ha\c ai'iseii in southern Hussin,
reniariss that the J )onkhol)()rtsi were, as sectarians oTten
are. the pioneers ol" Russian colonization, and in IS.S(S these
])eoj)Ie j'ornietl a most iloui'ishin^i" colony ol" gardeners and
tanners near Uatouin, the port I'roni whicli they sailed i'or
( an;)d;i, 'I'hat was a little oNer t'le\-en years a^'o, and,
while they have heeii exiles from central and southern
Russia i'oi' o\er a centuiy, they ha\e from time to time not
oidy sutlei-ed IVoni invasion from mountain tribes, ])utf'rom
hitter pei'seeution from the authorities. This ix'rseciition
of late N'ears iiad heen heoun with reiieweil \ i<;'or, and the
liori'ors perpetrated ai'e almost unfit for j)ul)lication.
Sometimes for a jieriod these peo])le would enjoy rest and
))i'os|)ei'ity. and under one set of olHcials would recei\e
])i'aise foi- their industry. sol)]'iety and s])lendid intluence
njion the ]»eople {•>{ the districts to Avhich they were re-
sti'icte(j. Then acain it would seem that the\' wei"e oidv
all()we<l -i I'espite that the pilln^'e nniilit later on he all the
more prt)titalile.
The histoi'v of their relii^ion shows also that these ill^
Were not always from witliout. The term " S])irit Wrest-
lers" has not heen a nnsnomer. 'I'hey did not always hold
their faith with the sauie amount of zeal that is ohservahle
to-day. They <)wne<l no j)riesth'iod to exlioi't an<l keej>
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<rht the abominations of knout, and tloj^ijed for the least
ofience, until the'ir maidiood an(' theii- stature wei'e dwarfed
and weakened. One finds it h ird to ima"'ine one of our
soldiei's beino- compelled to lloo' a helpless feliow-eountrx-
maii until the ilesh huno" in rained strij)s fi-om his (|ui\er-
iivj; back, and the \ictim was at last ilunn- into an outhouse
to die. There are two sides to this military (|uestion, and
oui" An<jjlo-Sa.\on i-ace knows nothini;- of the hoi'i'oi-s of
enforcetl military .'^ervice.
In the yea)' lcS2(), under the rule of a humane man, we
find that the Doukhobortsi were jtermitted to la}' down their
arms foi- a ])eriod and were distributed amono- the sanitary
divisions of the ai'iiiy, in hosjiilals, as dri\('i's, eti-. In
this ai;'e, when what may l)e called th(> 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<ie of
tliat neecl we were only too soon to reali/e. Mr. Jensen
was, ho\ve\-er, indisposed and unnble to ('(jmc with us — a
fact I have great reason to ngret, as his opinion of the
people we were (h'stined to see so much of would have
ijeen of the o'reatest value.
The train was ci'owded, an<i I w;is not a littli- ])uzzled as
to the reason of the innnbei' of jiassengers. evidently of a
well-to ilo class : and this conundi'um lias not as yet Iteen
solved, for, however s])ai'SL'ly settled tlie districts I have
passed thi'ough, tlie same number of traxellers has been
noticeable, e\en during the h,ir\"estiiig.
We dined at (jlladstone, a thi'iving \illage on the line,
an<l had supper at iiii'tle. There was a magnificent sunset,
and the Assiniboine \alley began to unfold a jianorama of
ex(pn'site beauty : hit it was decidedly tantali/ing to be
told that after dai'k we should ])ass thiougli the tinest j)ait
of the valley.
II
1-J
rill-: r.i.v.i /y/.i.v horK iioiKHrrsi.
It was iiiiiliiinht wlini wc an'i\t'il at ^'ol•kt<)ll, and hy
that tiiiir tlic car was iicai'lv <'iin»t\'. At Fox WaiToii wc
ha<l n'('('iv('(l an a<Miti(iu to our ])arty in tin- .shape of ;i
Nt'i'v chaniiiii^ litth- lady, who, like oiii-srlvcs, was destined
to visit that peojile who, like .so many other pioiieei's ol' i^i-eat
setth'nients, liiid lieenthe victim^ of reli;4'ious perseoiition.
Mfs. Ahna 'I'. Dah, of llartmn'. Man., was sent out hy tlie
( )nlario <^)uakefs, or. I'athei-. • l''riends," as they are truly
calleil. to in\('stii;'ate Tully the condition (»!' the ])e<)ple and
thcii- ])i'essin<,^ netds. That she had not t'ai' to ;4'o to Jiceoin-
jilish this task is iierdh'ss to s.iy.
We were not aide to make a start i'o)- the noi'tli eani|>
helore Mon<hiy mornini;', l)Ut l)y nndday on Siniday, Soider-
ixitsky, one of our feUow-trax filers, who had heeii to Win-
ni]iee- with money entrusted to him l)y one of the Doukho-
l)or connininities to jiurehase su]»plies. was on his way
north. ae('om|ianie(l liy Arthur St. John, an (^x-anny otHcei-
who had retire"! from the servi<-e four yin's aec) to heoome
to all intents and purjioses a follower )f Tolstoy — a follower
of Tolstoy lieiiiL:,', as far as I can ascci'tain, a \e_o'etarian, and
a man wlio resohes to exist without handlin<4' wliat is con-
sidered l>y tliem the iDoi of all e\il — money.
These two men were due at the wintei' (piarters, '"Tam-
l)o\'sJ<a. ' where a meetiiiii' of the rei>resentatives 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<l followcil the Douklioljortsi to their new and. we
will hope, happy home, acting' not only as doctor Imt iiurst-
and interpi'etcr ami Liuiilf to many liundred souls.
\ ei';i W I'listi'hkina w.is to accompany me as far as the
most northerly \illa^e of the north colony. an<l there wc
Were to Iea\e liei' to share with the I )oukhol)oi'tsi the vari-
ous hai'dships t hat fall to the lot of pool' settlers in the
e-i'eat Nol'thwcst.
The niornine was cold and damp. au<l a strong; wind
lilew steadily in our f.ices I'or the first three hours of our
di'ixe. 1 was simply conscious of ;i landsca]ie yellow and
mau\e with prairie tldWers, and lone' wa\in^' line> 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<l to sjiy that, lictwcen tlif strfji^tli of the wind
and tilt' (.!arly iicair that wr hail lu'cn ohho-cd to start, I
I'oiiiid my vision of the oounlry shut out hy tired cyt'lids,
atid was soon last aslcfj) : not for lonir, howcxci', lot- we
came to a hit of road that ncoessiiated di.Ntinetly watchfid
i"i(Hn<r.
\ era Welistehkina was last asleep, wi'apped in a DouU-
hohor " hourka," an iiinnense cloak of hlack woollen
material with a imi^h fur like surl'ace on one side. Jt is
really a ^reat circular cloak, and the material must I)e
woven at least ninety inches wide, as the cloaks are tis'e
feet Ion (jj and measure yai'ds and yai'ds round the lower
• 'd^(\ Men and women hot h own th«'m.
We reached our first sto))j)in^'-plac<' at noon, ha\in;;'
passed throue-h a fine ranclnnn' counti'y '// /v;///r, and
havinc^ sighted endless co\-eys of prairie chickens and
seen lliiirht after tlieht of ducks passin*,^ over towards the
Assiniboine. The tiny farm wlieix' we ])Ut up was occu|)ied
hy two lone women, mother and dauohtcii-, and it struck
OIK! as peculiar that they lived in so lonely a spot, e\'i-
deiitly with no fear w hatever as to the conse(|uences.
To m}^ sui'])rise J found that they had seen a ^reat deul
of the l)()ukhol)(»rtsi, who hail passed throuuh. on their wa\'
to Kamsack, and they could nc^t s])eak hi^-ldy enough of
their honesty and politemsss. '• They ai'e o'ood peoplr."
constantly reiterated our hostess, " nood, ( Jod-fearinn'
Christians, and I ho])e they will ^a't through the wint(T
w ithout f^n-eat pi'ivations." She had not (piite so o-ood a
chai'acter to <;'ivi' the (Jalicians, and comphtined that they
wei'e apt to take her hosjiitality for ^'ranted, as wt^ll as the
rii^ht to apjn-opi'iate small articles whose value consisted
L^-reatly in the fact that she was too far fi'om a store to
repk-ice them.
We started anain on our journey about two o'clock,
pa.ssinw' two or thi'ee small lakes, and throun'h a most
.■esthetic tangle of low brush and wild tlowei's : the rose
liushes wre a mass of lirilliant scarlet berries, and the hlue-
lu.'rries. ras])berries ami S.-iskatoons wei'e in abundance.
The delio'ht of my little female medico was unbounded.
•She had been shut up amonu' the sick' .'iml ailiiie- people of
Selkirk, and when not nursing' and c.arini^' for tlie sick had
i)een employed in try ini;' to act as ufenv'ral interpretei- and
letter-writer for the wi'etehed, panic-stricken ])e()ple, who
imay-ijied if their kin wej-c ol)li;'('d to work at ;i distance
:...., .-.^j-i^Ei-S'-^^^^^^^^
;^ rthe^vlovM <>-- .^^.^^. ,,,,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.^''<l t.. ''*'•„, trutl.
■:' «i ' 'i^^rii ';;:;' ;:>;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 har<lshij)s and
privations and these unlettei'e<| women.
" Zdrastic/ti!" ("Wish y(ju ^-ood health') she would cry
as she caimht si<>ht 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<jfue in a straimc land.
We were so(jn in the villa;j,'e of "( )ospenie'' ( Assumj^tion ),
and there we found Cajitain St. .lohn. who was to take us
to the next villaee, whei'e, on the morrow, the ditl'erent
rejiri'sentatives of the xai'ious \illa;^es of the north colony
were to meet an<l di.scuss the situation anu make known
their rtMpiirements. as well as to <;"ive Souleruiisky, the IJus-
sian followei' of Tolstov, a chance of ascei'taininii' how many
men from each village wen- absent, as he was anxious to
tind out their wherealx^uts if j)ossil)le ;ind to delivei- letters
<dven into his chai'i-e at Vorkt(jn by the ( 'onniiissioner of
Immii^ration.
I shall ne\er for<^-et my first impression of a r)oukhob(»r
e\-enin<'' and
we were dead
\illae-e. It was a raw. cold ^ ..- . ..
tii'ed, but as we climbed the sloj)e of a hill and came ujion
the picturestpie scene of this (|uaint ly-built mass of chalet-
like houses, l)uilt of mud bi'icks. \\\[\\ turf roofs, I could
hi
'/■//a; ' .I.V.I/>/.I.\ I>()I KUdllOHTsl.
not repress an cNclaiiiiitioii <»t' <lt'li;ilit. Tlic lioiiscs wen-
<'<)!it('<l with clay piaster ainl prtsi'iitcil a iiiiit'orni apjtcai-
aiicc ; and what struck nic instantly was tlic fact that
alth(>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 <le\(»tion seldom seen. She could onl}' speak a few
words of I'rench, and the lady doctoi' had to act as in-
teipr(!ter.
We went throu<rh manvof tin' houses, and I was o'lad to
lia\-e the chance of following;' my litth^ travellin;^' com-
panion on her professional tour of insjiection, as otherwis;)
I felt ;;uiltyof vulvar intrusion.
The peoj)|e, while as hospitahle as it was possible for
|»eople so cii'einnstanced to he had so dieiiitied and re-
served a maimer, and had shown such haste in surroundint^
themseUes with the privacy of their own homes, after
those terrihie lone- months ami years of e.xile and conse-
(juent hop(dess wanderini^, that one felt almost an intruder.
This trait in itself e.\|)reHses what these people are.
They Were so situated that it would ha\ e secjmed almost
natural foi" them to have I'cmained herded toe-ether like
cattle, as much for protection and warmth as au^ht
else, hut there on the'oleak hillside they had tak-ii all that
was theii's by eift — earth, wooil .iiid water — and fashioned
themselves homes which would ha\e done credit to a
skilled master-builder.
This fact alone sjx'aks volumes for their \alue as home-
makers in our vast West, and in spite of the cry that they
are takini;' the land in r-ality destined for our e'l'aud-
(diildren, the Doukhobor I'e.serves, taken altou'ether, are
not more than a mere " postao^e stani]) Mune- on a tablecloth
of larec dimensions," and the only reei-et the writi'r feels is
that these ]ieojile could not have come intcj closer contact
with the more settled districts of Canada, where theii-
sterlin^^ (jualities as liome-makers would hav(^ received a
moi'(>just and rapi<l ivcoeiiition.
////•; '■ i.v.i/'/.i.v ixii hiiniioirrsi.
)US('H WCIV
III Ml)))!'!!!'-
f.lCl thflt
ted, tlicrt'
\y^ showed
(•iitiTcd .1
•edit to a
iticntH liiul
a lluHsiiui
t rywoiiH'ii,
loin;;' wli.'it
tciidtTncHs
oak a few
ju't as iii-
vas (fliid to
■lliii^- c'oin-
s otlu'rwis3
)OSsible I'or
cd anil re-
irroundiuf;
)in('s, at'tt'f
ind ('(jiise-
inti'uder.
ire.
led almost
;ether lil<e
as aiij^ht
,11 all that
1 Cashionrd
M'l'dit to a
(' as hoiiie-
V that they
our ;;raiid-
^■ethel^ are
I tal)lecloth
iter I'etds is
ser contact
rherc^ their
received a
It WHS iitar the villa;^c ol' (►ospciiif iliat the lainons
|ihotoij;ra|ili ol' hoiikholtor wonieit hann'ss<'d t(» the ploii;;!!
was taken, a |ii('liiie which was the cause of mdjess dis-
(Missioii as to ill.' hiiitaiity of th<' l)«»ukliohor iiii-n who
harnt'ssed tlirir wnmcii to (he |i|ou;4"ii an! tit-aied tln'in
like cattlf. .i> 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 mi<lst will jtaint i picture which
will be a source of pride to the descent la nts of t liese women
who shouldered this burden with the same steadfast cdui
aj^^i' with which they lia\f borne many othei's.
The fact that tli<'re ai'e so many more women than men
must he boriie in mind, as it will e.\plain how willine- these
women of the I )oukliobortsi are to lessen the bui<len that
a,s a matter of iieeessity tin iiii'u are called iijioii to lu-ar.
The eNenine" Was stittiu"' ill and a storm was brewing.
>i) 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 'ea<l Horse ( "reek.' .Marie
llobit/ came with us to hand \\\ her report at tiie nieetiiii;
on the morrow. So ihi'ee of us j.immed ourseJ\es into oiie
seat, and in a jarettu of Hussian and xcry iihlillerent
l*'rencli, we were tryiiiii to make each other un<lerstand the
situation when l he sit ual ion made itself clearlv understtiod.
IS
/■///; r\y\/n.i\ norKiioiinirrsi.
"|)«'ii<l Horse CiTt'k : tliiit s wli.it we striifU," ('xpliiinrd
tllf ill'ivt'l', us Wi' lilllltnl lor tllc fVc^rlasscs of tlir littlo
l;i(|\' (loctor. iiiHJ I usflcssly cxiiost iiliilf(l with liiiii for not
j;iviiin- us ii tiini'ly waniiiiij of tlif rii^fjitriii jiik llmt luul
sfiit lis iicai'ly out ol' tilt' \\.i«,'L,niii
' With that tht'iT iar;^n)ii of <loul>I«' 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'<l
III i"()V not
(hill liM'l
i- wouMn't
^- i.t" it w*
iuiul-i»'>'>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 lil<i' "
ii littli- uirl
id ha<l never
tv wert^ sent
een cold ana
ones schemed
)i" the rooms,
their »)uar-
teis. It was really the resith'uee o|" a .splendid specimen ol'
til'' race. i»n old soNher ol" ninety-nine yearn ot" a;fo, who
liad serM'd lor twelve years in a penal re;^iment in SiluM'ia
and had lieen sent down to the mines to woi'k in irons
several tinies. Wearin;^ a cin'iotis smock ol' l>hie 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<l ,i niiin ol" ^rent ]»iety He constantly exhortcMJ
the people to I'eniain true to their principles, which, so I'ai
as I could see, piactii'jdly amounted to ("hristian .socialism.
Tiic evenine- incal amon;^' the I )oid\liohortsi was a late one,
and thiscNenint; rather a sad one. I'oor \'e'-a Welistchkiiui
hitd no ajipetite, and lierd;irk eyes were full <•!' teai's. '.My
p(jor little hrothers and sisters." she kept repeatin;,^ " it is
not medicine the\' want, hut ;:<)od nulk and tVesh etr<;s."
Tljcre was j)erhaps a distance ol" six or ei^ht miles
hetweeii the twi.) \illii;.ns, and with onl\ a idu^h trail con-
nectine' ijieni, ami these two \illa;^es had only one cow
hetween them, Aiuia Itohit/- told us how a man whose
wile was ill walked at least thirty-six miles eveiy day to
t;et her two cups of fresh milk.
After tlu! evenine' meal was cleared a\\;iy I l)roti^ht out
my fancywoi'k. thinkine- that it mi|L;ht ilivt/ri the women
from their anxiety and sorrow, and induce them to sliovv
mr SOUK* of their own handiwork. The ex))(M'im(;nt was
successful, and in a few minutes I liad a crowd of women
ahout me, all keenly intereste(| in the materials I ha<i
to show them, and most anxious that 1 should see their
own handiwork and veiy superior it was to mine! The
])rettily-wovcn patterns in their tahle-cloths, edeed with
knitted linen lace and <'ro.ss-stitch endiroiderv, especialh'
* I ^
attracted mv attention, and the "drawn linen woi-k " they
>\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<r u]i
I saw a mother puttini,' her little ones to hed. and the
jrentle hummin<; was the re])etitioti of the Psalms hy the
I'hildren. Their .sole education seems to consist in the
'20
■/7//V rWini.W DorKllolloHI'Sl.
tcjichitij^ Wy wonl nt' mouth oi cikIIcss I'saliiis Jiiid liyiim>.
;iii«l it is due to tlic car and meiiiory l><'iii<j,' so well ti'aiiicd
tliat tlif cliiMrcii an- so (|ui('k in j>iekiiii4 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<las " inmuui'rahle, 1 slij)|)ed ott" to my tent. Tlu le.
to my annisenicnt, I found that these dear |)foj)|c had
pi'eparecl a hed lor nie w itli their down pillows and leather
mattress of l)ri;4lit (piilte(l cotton, while an innu'.'nsi'
' bonrka was used as a co\'eile(. I insisted that my kind
hostes.scs should return the l)eddin;j,' to thi' respective
owners, as I had a cajiital camj)inii" outfit, wilh heaps of
warm be<ldinu' an<l pillows.
I did not learn until afteiwarils that I ha,d i)een ;j,-uilty
of a ni'e.'it la(d< of "manneis" in not acce])tini!; their kind
and generous hospitality, thou^^'h they did not know that
with the keenness of woman's sision I had noticeil how
badly ittl" they were for the vei"y articles they had so
kindly heapeil u]>()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 clothe<l the ^I'eat sweep of
tiie prairie that jirairie destined to be a ha\eii of i-cfuoc
to (he people of the I)o)d< hoboi'tsi.
II.
Neak KAM.s.\t'K, A.s.sA.. August 27th.
It was tovvjird the end of August. The sunset had been
threateniiii,'. and bid'oi-e mornini^- tin- wai'uinn' it conveyed
was made clear. About four oclock a ti'iritic thunder
stoiMu was raii'in^. ,iccomj)anie(l by rain and followeil b\- a
j)erfect huri'icane and <lrivini;' I'ain. The curious featui-e
of the storm was that there apj)eare(| to be at Kiast foui-
thuntlei'storms dispoi-tin*:,' tliemsehes at the same time at
the four points of tlie ci>mpass. 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<no\v that
lotiecd lioNV
\\v\ iia<l so
as a hed '.
(. of prairie
drive across
3p dn^amin};-
nd the royal
at sweep ol
• n ol" rerut:''
i^vist 2Tt.h.
ist't had hecii
• it eoiiveycd
•ritic thuiulfr
ollo\ved l»y a
ii'ious icatiirr
at Ksast I'our
same time at
of the hail on
astonishing-,
■n ininiitis at
rvinii" its Itcst
foi-tunatr that
two inMhrrllas had lieen left in tlu> 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, an<l
ri!mained faithful to the care of our " su|)jilies," as \\v had
a Vn\)x ten days' journey hefoic us and would without
doulit rei|uii'e the store of pro\isions laid in. So 1 assured
him that I was' all I'i^ht ' if he would ei\'e the tent l)eiL?H
a few extra lili..,s with the axe, and fortunately an axe
s\ ;is handy and the tent reinaine(| tiaie to its trust.
Iletween ti\e and six 1 sallied foi'th to\iew the deso-
late-lookin'4' laud. I found a i^rouj) ol" woehenone nu>ii
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<j,ht of
wine minified with costly pearls, in com))arison with the
fai-e that these poor hard-workino- women had partaken of.
Durin;^- all onr forty-eiii'ht honrs stay in that villa^-e I
felt ])erfectly miserable. Onr sn[)]ilies were not suthcient
to allow of oui' sliai'in^' them even with the sick and dyini;,
as the length of oui' stav anion*; the vilhiiies depended
iii'eatlv on the leniith of tinu^ our food would hold out.
Everywhere we went th(> 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<hvn weak and i^aunt for want
of food. an<l to see such peo])le ready to share their last
crust with an\' stranger who comes to their villajxes.
Several people ha^e been most interested in the com-
munistic ])rinciples of these terribly persecuted people, but
to one who moves amon<r them comnninism seems ordy the
natural outcome of their position, just as venctarianism is
not so much a matter of relieious principle as of the uin-
versal con<lition of the ])easantry all over Kuro{)e, where
meat is in truth th<' (greatest luxury.
The l)oid<hohortsi haxc only been vegetarians foi' about
four yeai's, and at this date many of them ate fish, and in
some instances fai-mers lia\e tohl me that the vounwr men
are be<4innino; to eat meat in small <|uantities. This pos-
sil)ly is due to the fact that farmers' wives are not prepared
to bake enon;L;h bi"ead to satisfy tli(> 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<if what tlieii- sunposed pi-inciiiles
wi
thl
Tl
ipos
lold
le people as a race are of ma<j;nitlcent pliyf^i'iue and
77//-; ' '. I .V. I /'/. I .V />()(' KJJO/iOUTSl.
•j:{
itt!r. Tlii^*
with Hiiiall
nihbletl 'u\
My own
ormed into
with a <lash
(h'aujj;ht of
)ii with the
partaken ol".
lat villaji,*' 1
lot sufhcient
< and 'lyincj,
OS depended
Id hold out.
311 was the
live foi- t('n
unt for want
ii-e their hist
ilhigcs.
in the coni-
'd people, but
.ems only the
.('tarianisni is
^s of the uni-
luro]ie,
where
ans for about
te tish, and in
younger men
cs. This pos-
■ not invpared
of a stalwart
^ of necessity
ist extent, will
what was tlu-
'oin to use thf
V-
trates that the
ist'd prineiph'!^
|)1iysi«|Uf and
ic(juii'f sti'oii^- food. I'raetical farmers in the west wli<>
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,' foun<l themselves in (K'bt. Their moic
[)iovid(;nt brethren were anxious to put an end t(j what
they considered an undi'sirable condition of aHairs, and pro-
poseil to find nieans of ])a3'iiio ofl' the di'bt incui'i'ed. Tod<»
this it was necessary to ile])i'ive themselves of one of the
very few luxuries they could call their own. Meat proved
tiit^ "ireatest luxury in that part of the world; so meat was
accordine'ly renouiiee(l, and the money so saveil was used
for their bi'others l'i,i<linH- that thev could li\e wii hout
meat, the idea occurretl to them that ;is a universal brother-
hood they should not take the life <»f any animal — created
even as themselves by an Almii-htv Beinu' — so no animals
were slauuhtered. Krom this train of thouiiht the\' fob
lowtxl the idt^a that to beai' ai'uis a<>ainst 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".'<imiii;.'
vt'iit^tarians. In aiiswiji' to his ri'(|iicst I insert llii' following: :
" Serins; the clVt'or of (lrinl< on sonn- of 'licir incnihci's. lln'V '_'a\c tiiaf
nit: amlthfri. I think, toltacco and sniokinj.; Tin' yiv in^ up of llcsliealnii:
ua,'- not . mnii'itoil with tilt," poverty ipirslion. hnt arose, as ii n.itiuallN
does. Ir.iiii ,1 repuLinanee to killinL' animals."
Till-: t'AS'Ahi.w DocKiioiioirrsi.
Wo liiid lijirdly tinislicd hrriikfust bot'(>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 <lirections. A ]iretty
woehe'^^one lot, they \\ei-e. The storiii had |)asscd over a
lar<i'e ,,rea and many of these men had heen "footing' it"
since daA'hreak. Their ereat ' hourkas '' lia<l protected
them from the rain, hut the visions they hi'ouelit with them
of their tiejd.,-, ;iiii| ^•a^dens ruined ly the hail was not a
cheerful one.
Souler^-itsky hroUL;lit a tahle into the open and r;injn'ed
the primitixe lieiiehes in rows, thai he niie'ht Ijetter athlre.ss
the "-roui) of ahout fort\' men assembled. Uut a drenchin<r
rain came down and they were oldieed to take refuiic in
the lai'e'est room, ilescribed in my last letter.
A curious scene was that ineetiiim'. Tlie shel\ es on cither
side of tlie I'oom served as the d Weill n_i;'-])lace of se\'era.l
families, aii<l half of us were ranecd on either side of the
lonn- narrow tal)le. just under the skylie'hts. which let in a
<lini lieht and a eeiitle ilrin t^f rainwater. 1 e'reatK'
I'eu'rctted not haviiie' an artist friend with me, to sketch
Aviial was, in fact, the first I )oid<liolior as.semlily of the
North-west colony.
Soulereitsky is in truth a self-constituteil leader of the
entire Douklioboi' [leople — a Russian by birth, and an artist
of considerable merit. He is, first and foremost, a born
leadmof men. niae-netic t(» a de^^'ree, and has sei'xcfl a o'reat
j)urj)ose. and aided the l)t'])artinent of Inniii^iration ur(>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'<l
ht with them
III was not !i
n and ran_!j;cd
)etter address
t a drcneliin^f
fd<e refnue in
l\rs on cither
icf ol' se\'ei')il
IT side ol' tlx'
^viiieli h't in n
1 oreatK
Uie, to sketch
cnihly ol" tlic
loader (d' the
and an artist
(Ml lost, a horn
-;t'i'V(!d a. o)-oat
ration u'vcatlv
^(
»it'.
)n;dity, botli
iiall, well-knit,
iiiodellini;-, hr
V the (lernian
hristns." The
; <'y('s under a
most exquisite
textiwe 1)1' skin aiid coJoiiiiP-, i:a\e tile mail an almost ideal
aj)j)earance. The curious transparence ol" comj)lexion, in-
ste.id ol' indica,tin<^' delicacy, ^•ive one the impression ol' a
superaJanidant vitality that horders on the supernatural.
Merry as a child, imjietuous as a woman, and withal as im-
perious as a military desjiot, he coiiihiiies with these con-
trailictory characteristics tiiose of a liorn administrator ol"
alfairs, and has won the admiration and esteem ol' all the
oliicials with whom he has come in contact. He is the son
of a hookliiiider in IJussia. and has, like m.-my ol' his
countiymen, worked out sonic of the prohlcins of adminis-
trative just ice in a ilnssian pi'ison.
Prison lite in llussia has become im])ortant in the
cducalioii ol" tlu' llu>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 meetin<jf |)rocresse(| without aiiv intcrnnition until
the door opcneil and the best looking;- sjiecimtui of manly
licauty li ha.s c\-cr lieen the o-ood foi'tune of tlie writer to
lichold entered the room. This was a llussian ccntlenuin.
"Maiefski." as the name is proiiounccil. who had taken up
his residence anions these jieople. Alter Mons. ^hiiefski
came aiiothei- specimen of a man devoteil to the practical
ajij)licat ion of the humanitarian cree(|, Mons. Sinet. a
PaT'isian l)y iiirth. ami an ai'tist by ))rofession. Po(;r lad,
he w;is little more than a boy, and had ser\'ed for two
yeai's in a military pi'ison in France tor refusinn- to con-
form to -ome of the military re<i'ul;itions in force in that
country which has so curiously interpreted the motto of
the repulilic, 'L'lli'i'h', h)j(illh'/'f Fi'ufrni'il'''' within the
past year.
.Mons .'^inet, like ('aptain St. John, is one of those
■f
2()
Tl/h' CAXAD/AX iHtU kiiohuhtsi.
who prefer to dispense with the use, or, as they chiim,
abuse, of the " ahui^hty dolhir." and live vvliat is known
auion^- a certain section of society in Europe as "The
Life," on the i^eneral ])riiici])les advocated by the ehh'r
Tolstoy. It may be that in ^reat centres of civilization
such a. movement is Mie natui-al form of reaction from a
vitiated form of society. I>ut in this j^reat West, under
conditions wiierc the stru<i;^le for existence is rather
Miiiiinst climatic conditions and certain natural obstacles
than ai^ainst an une((ual division of the j^^ood thinjjjs of this
life, the man who has enouj^di food in the house for one
meal divides it with any waif or stray, fultillinjj;- without a
thoui^ht of communism or socialism the <>reat natural law of
universal brotherhood, which many books written in many
ton<;iies are endeavorino- to spread bi'oadcast amon<jf the
Euj'opean countries teemini;' with pojiulation.
Towards the end of the conference, held in a lan^uajj^e
I would ha\'e ii'iven worlds to understand, one man stood
out conspicuously from the crowd, and all the arguments
appearcni to be levelled in his direction.
Maiefski, who sat ne.\t the writer, was o-ood enoujifh to
translate into French the substance of the conversation.
It a[)peare(l that formerly conumuiism was practise'd amon*^
the people en iikiss(^ but sinc(^ they had divided into vil-
laLTCs, of in most cases a hundred and forty souls, each
villaire formed a conunune in it.self. and to one xiilaire there
would perhaps be apportioned only one pair of horses or
oxen, these poor beasts having- to do the plouejhintf and
carting- for the whole village. The man Iven Ivin, who
so attracted m\' attention from tin; vii:(»r and force with
which he declaimed his view of the case, had been tlu^ i-e-
cipientofa loan fi'oni Prince HillkoH", and with part of the
money had bought a pair of splendid farm hor.ses, as well
iis some a^^ricultural implements.
iven Ivin had been calh'd upon to admit that the hoi'ses
w.re the common property of his village, " Michaelowka."
He had done so, but found that as common property the
horses could not do half the amount of work that under
his especial care and (guidance they were capable of ])er-
formine-. So he took them into his own stable and
announced his intention of beino- plouo^hn)an in chief for
the future. "A rift in the lute.' Connniuiism was not
a(laj)ted to the practical woi-kin<;' of everyday life. It had
been all iMi^-ht while these people were living under extra-
rilK cAXAhlAN /lOI K/IO/iOkTSI.
27
tluy claim,
t is known
pe an " Tlic
)y the elder
civilization
tion iVoni .a
West, under
.*e is rather
ral obstacles
liiniis of this
aise I'or one
)<r without a
atural law of
ten in many
, amon^ the
1 a lan<;uaj;e
le man stood
e arguments
)d enouijh to
conversation.
2ti.s<'d amont;
de(l into vil-
.st)»ils, each
viilam' there
)f horses or
oui^hinif and
n Ivin, who
force with
been the 7*e-
1 part of the
)rses, as well
it th<' horses
iehaeiowka."
)ro))erty the
that under
ilde of per-
stable and
in ehief for
ism was not
ife. It had
under extra-
oi'dinary conditions, but tlu; (trdinarv conditions demanded
another arran^c.-ment of st)cial economics. It wri'c Itest to
conb ,s to a secret thrill of joy that our country was
alicaily tiaehin;; these dear [x'opic the practical lessons of
fvcrvdav lib', an<l that all the iheoj'iijs of men and an<rels
could not altci' that i^reat law of nature that makes the
power of individuality assuJue its pi'oper place in the
ordering;" of the whole.
Then njsi" the "ancient Simeon, " the nini'tv-nine-year-old
patriarch to whom I alluded in my last letrer, and foi' at
least half an hour lui exhorted Iven Ivin to remain true to
the princij)les that had bt^come tlu'ii-.s throui^h the li;;ht
sIkmI from the tire of pc'rsecution.
It was a. ma^niticent burst of oi'atory, my little friend
V^'ra. Welistchkiua, assured me, and the impa.ssioned ges-
tures and resonant voice of the splendid old man luade a
dramatic picture I shall nevei- foroet. Uut to my di lio;ht.
some days afterwards, when we arrived in the beautirullx
situated villae'c; of Michaelowka, close to the Swan rivei I
was introduc(.'d to Iven Ivin. wh(» had the best house in
the villa<.i;e, three I'ooms and a stable, and in the stabh^ a
vvell-o-roomeil pair of hoi'ses in go )d condition. While we
were at Itreakbist he passed on the way to the ij^reat
earden of the conuuunity, and I knew that Mr. Iven Ivin
and conmion sense had triumphed, and that the ])oor
horses were not to come t(j an untimely end through the
hamJlinu' by man}' mastei's.
The meetine' over, the people dispersed as if by maL,dc.
each oru! wearine; either a she('j)skin coat or the o'leat
" bourka, ' and carryiue" lono staffs in their hands. Tliev
were all desii'ed to look out for the lost woman and <^\i\.
and Captain St. John ^ave them all a jtieee of pajier with
the ri'iiuest in Knulish that anv farnuM' tbe\' miii'lit meet
would do his l)est to assist them in the search for the jioor
lost ones. (,ba\ civ and with iri'eat courtesy they bade e'ach
othei" adieu. Some. 1 am uiad to sav, with letters broue-Jit
from ^'orkt(.>n 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 Souler<ritsky and a man named
Ih'onch were on their way north, and Maiefski, in his
waijfon. struck strai^'ht across the iji-airie. bearin<jf with
him .Maiie l*ol)it/ and Mons. Siiu^t. Marie IJobit/ was
L'S
/■///•; <i.v.i/'/.i.v i)i>i 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<l\ to leave the \ illa'-'e- word came to
('aj)taiii St. John that the woman and child whose alisence
had caused uricI' in tlu' "serai.' as the hiiildiiii;' holdinu' so
many ramilies is calk'd, had come hack, lia\ini:,' been shel-
ti'i'f^d in a C'anadian i'ajiiidiouse for two niiihts alter one
terrible nij.;ht spent in the open. The tenderness and joy
w ith which the two lost ones were recei\-ed was aood t*)
.see, for insjiite of the liardships and privations these pc.-ople
ai'e endui'ine, they ha\'e never lost the womanliness and
••ttl'ecticjnate dis]>()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 an<l
v/et of theearlv mornin''-. ('ajitain St. John canui with us,
and by the side of (jur wairotm walked a stalwart Douk-
hobor liearino- under his arm three oi- foin- Hat cakes made
of dou».;'h mixed with wild oheri'ies and raspberries. This
was his breakfast, and as we hail made a wvy early stai't.
he nibbled bits from time to time in the pauses of the
conversation. ('a])tainSt. John was to settle a uuestion
w
hich was troubliiiL^Mtie I )oukliol>ortsi ^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<if
llif CiUivas ol'
otakc rcl'iij^:"'
)\inli in rvcrv
won I c-anu! to
vhose al)st'nc<'
n«>- hoitlinu' so
in- been shcl-
lits al'ter one
M-ncss an<l joy
was iiood to
IS llit'sr pcoplr
iianlint'ss and
1 tlu' lii<ilu'st
Viii-ust, 'i'.ttli.
hka,' or winter
n tlie t'old an<i
\ came witli us,
tahvavt Douk-
\:\i cakes made
il.eiries. Tiiis
erv early start.
j)auses of the
tile a .|Uestion
tlv.
They had settled upon a vilia^fi site, and the I'linioi- had
eone forth that the unlucky jieople had encroached upon
hind si'.t apart l»y the <«ovcrnniont for a school section.
The humor of tla^ situation did not strike my companions,
hut to me it was excpiisitely funny. W C ilrove for u Ion;;
time, jolting' o\-er the worst ti'ail it has e\-er heeti m\'
lot to "st)ike, and not a si,'n of man or hou.se in an\'
directi<in, only the ^reat lonely piairie. jind here an<l there
a little hlutr like a I'aeeed Mift on a li'i-eat ereen mat.
'^hrou^•h the soakinn n-rnss ai^'ain and aeain Captain St.
.lohn waded, at the re(juest of the I )oukhol)(a" who stroile
|)antiiie- at oui- side, an<l it was oidy to find that the
surveyoi's stake had heen eithei- pulled uj) liy Indians or
un"sa))]>i-(»j)riated hy .scane lawless trani|i. .\t last the
1 )oukhol)ortsi"s fears were set at ivst, and the <freat Educa
tional Dejiartnient of ('anada escaj)e(I the dan^ei- that
menaced it.
Wo parted with our houkhohor with the usiial courteous
salutations, his mannei's adndttine- of tio detei'ioration
even in the wilderness, and went our weary way with a
cold damp wind di-i\ in^ in our faces and precluding; any
possibility of enjoyment.
Wriuiile, wrii'i'le. hnmn, l)um]>, — 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<l by noon we
reached a \illae-e, wh(a"e a halt was called, and the poor
tired horses were rested and feil. The cai'e that our
teamsters took oi' their respective " eees " was most satis-
factory, and in spite of bad staliline and the hideous state
of the ti'aijs we tiaverse(l, the liorses seemed iioiU' the
worse for wi-ai' at our joiuMu.'y s end. Strange to say, oats
and ha\- were scarce in that <n'<'at Lri'aiii-])i"oil\icin(>; coutitrw
thoueii ill the \ ieinity of ^'orkt,on \ saw the finest cr'o]is of
oats in the Northwest Teri'itories.
We Were \vilcome<l with open arms at the \illa<^(! wdier<'
we made our first stop on our way to Koi't Felly, where
eamp was lo be struck for the iiiLi'ht. Tt'i'penie (l^itietice
was Ihi' name oi' the xillam', where Vera Welistchkina
found several "f the wwmien sht^ had crossed the Atlantic
?i
•M)
rill-: cASM'iAS i>ncKii(>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 ma<le sleej) for the three of us
])ossil)ilitv ;
but
iiciore nionmiLT
I I
(tun<l in\st
' tent an nnp
'If the sole (jccu)ian
t of
the lent to w liom slee[) refused to come. Jt was with no
little wondei- that I contemplated the freak of fortune
which had bi-ouuht me into close (piarters with tiie two
interestine- women slee])in^- ipiietly one on either side of
me — one a Russian Socialist, and a one-time political
j>iisoner, 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 rcn<U'n'(l it
reaching;' Pdly
H'lv tlu' jioin^-
i(.(l about us in
I'oit, (k'ud tired
kept by a Mr.
. it is a louK-
it r;)ot'tMl with
\\\\\v\\ was one
IS n»ass ol' j^old
lie surrouiKlinn-
hand, and the
tlie I'o)!, made
put up a large,
vere soon hard
(.- the smoke
tos at bay. Hy
our bhmkets in
btei". The inos-
le three ol" us
II ini])Ossibility :
;()le oeeu])aiit oi
It was with uo
i-eak ol" fortune
rs with the two
11 either side_ ol"
e-tiuie political
nH'ering; on the
to til*' Ontario
Si)cietyi>r l''i''ends, u most, e|(H|iient and able woman and
yvX the most practical, orii;inal, and interesting specimen
of ( 'ana<lian womanliood.
The eoyotcs Wire liDwliiig not far oil', and the niosipiitos
had hunniiel themseUes to sleep, and, thank llea\en! at
last 1 was able to follow their example.
Thr morrow loimd ns at lumlr lor the most northeil^
\illage of the north colony, lying <-lose to the j)oiiit where
the three djsti'icts of i\ssinilM)ia, Saskatclunvan. and Mani-
toba join. The N<ath (or Thinider Hill ) ( 'elony eomprise's
thirteen \illages,
.September 1st.
It is not a little sad to see that even under the existing
circumstances Doukhobors are victindzed by some peo])le
•iddicted to smart jiractices. A Diadshobor lioiight a pair
of vouuif steel's, with the idea of briakinir tluin I'or the
plough. Tlu- price was seventy dollai's, and the payment
in cash. Within a week after he had taken the oxen l)onn'
tiiey disapj»eare(l, ami he hear(b on in(|uii'ing from some ol
his fellow-villagers who ha])])ened to bo em]">Ioye(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 \illa<j;es I noticed that thev
were using only the best implements, and these were well
sheltered from the rain, a, fact not always noticeable in the
farmyanis of the xVnglo-Saxon st>ttlers.
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 lia<l to
atjopt i-ustoiiis ami iiltas loiriMh to a iirasaiitry. 'rin'r<' is
a saying' that with the knowlcfjor ot" a new laiiyiia^^c conirs
ii new \ista. (»t' tlioii^lit. and without douht. taktn ;is a
whoit'. thtsc |Hjoj)lr lia\r made ^icat ">ti'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 <M)untry — uiassrs ol' the pea sine e^i-owin;;" in
;;iTat i|Uaiit itics, and the hay meadows ready I'or the
scythe: thouyh, l»y the way. in all my wande)'in;j,s thrcai^^h
the West I ne\ei' saw either a scythe or a sicUle I'hcy
Jtelon<r to a pre-Adamite ,iec. accordiiie- t(» the xounifei'
Ljeiieratioii ill 1 his country.
The tirst stoppine jilaee was ipiite a iar^e \illaee. where
we lunclie(| ill ahue'e " Sel'i, as the other JKMlses WCl'e not as
yet haliitaltle. The day h;id chaiiecd I'roui hein;^' inteiisel}'
hot to atem|)erat uie calculated to ;;;i\ »■ us maeiiificeul a|i|M-
t ites, ;iud w e certainly were ia\ enously hiui;n'ry. Tliei-c were
a ;j,')"eater numlier of men in this \ illa^e than in any other
I had \isile(|, an<l tliey wei'e all ixisily eueaucd in huildiii;;
their loe' houses, in many cases puttin;; the staMt- a;;ainst
the end of the li(aise, with a do<»i' connuiuiicatini: with the
main l)uildin^'. The arran<j,'ement, it' not a \ ery ae;reeaMe
one. was at least a humane one. as l»y that means they
insured the hio'ses h "\iui;' some oi' the warmth Irian the
ii,reat clay o\eii, whici .'.ley told me M';i\e out a steady and
healthy heat. 1 lound this hard to real i/.e, hut the Men
maiites ha\e tried the eXpelilueilt with success, (d'teti usiu;^^
straw I'o!' fuel where WdoiI is senrce.
The wood, la'ou^-hl I'rom i he ' lil.iHs." was stacked like
the skeleton of an Indian ■ tepee. " drying' in the sun. hut
the e'l-ejit part of theii- fuel is to he collected after the
leaves lia\i' fallen, when it is easier to i-'el the dead woo'l
out from amoiin- the underia'ush
There are f
ew corii-
jilaiiUs ill that part <tf the wia'ld ahoiit I hi' .scarcity of
fuel, aud one mar\t'ls at thi' content with which they slack
what, after all. are poles no lare-ei' than the fae'ots" of
!-,uiiipeaii eountries. White [(ojilar is considered ;^'ood fii-e-
\\o(i(! hilt the hlack species is eondeuiiied as " rottcii statl.
■|\ K't tn tin-
•ticuliiils' the
collSflAMtiMll
Ml to sWiTVC
'lli'sr |M'<»Jtlr,
IlllVi IijkI t<»
, V. 'I'linv is
limiMl^f CotlK'^
(. tilkcll its !l
s sine- tln'V
s ill i«-;ility •\
lie M;r(»\\ill;^ ill
i'.kIv I'or 'Ix'
riii^s tliroii^li
sickle 'rii.y
the y«'»in^'«'r
\ jIIm^c. whriT
HI'S wcr*' not as
icini:" inteiisrly
^nitiffiil !i|iiM-
•\\ 'riicic wt'iT
II ill any oiIkt
_.r.l ill l»iiil«liii<:
stalilc against
'atinii; will' t'i«'
\frv a<ji;f('cal>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<l m;(), 1(1 tirc-
is '• rotten stuH.
■^:<<<^^
n i'i< \ I. I'll! i\ iinr.i a; i aia. \ nm \.'>\
1
77//; CAX.U./.W /K)r/<//()/iO/!TS/.
;■.;{
A llussiiui pcHsaiit thinks iiotliin;; oi" the tronbk- oi
l)i'in<.niiu- wood t'oi- liis house lor a distanet' of ivu iiiilos,
aiul very ot'toii a ioi( house is titled r()i((^tlK'r cloHe to the
Vihifi' whence the loo'.s are taken, and hiter on transjiia'ted
[liece by ])ieco to the viUa^c site. Economy of hibor does
not seem to be theii- motto, jjrovided they e;in turn o)]t a
neat [)iece of work.
The interiors of the liou.ses weri; tinislied witli some ivlea
of areliitectural beauty, and in several eases a rude sort of
CJirvinu- was attt-mjitt'd in tinishinf^otf a jutting' i-after witli
a curve or soroH. The plaster work 1 found, as usual,
excellently neat and well tinislied, and Avlien one eonsidcMs
that^all this labor is performed with the rudest tools and
under (^reat difficulties, it is eertainlv U) the credit of tin'
people
While waitino for our rnidda\- meal J watcluMJ the
woman who ha,d taken upon herself to act as hostess-in-
chief brinif in a snow-white table-cloth from the u'ras^
wliere it had bren bl<'achin<i^ ni the .sun, and spreadin<jj it on
a rude bench, she rolled it tij-ndv round a sort of "rolling'
pin," and with a tlat piece of wood about two feet lonj,^ and
three inches wide, one side of it notched like the suiface
of a washboard, sht^ saweil it rapidly and tirmly over tin-
cloth, seiidiiiii' it from one end of the bench to the other,
the result beini;- that the cloth came out really very well
presst^l, looking as if it had lu'rn through one of ihr
" ma-nLfles" used in our laundries.
The Doukhoboi'tsi us(' no kin<l of into.\ieatinsi' lieverauc
i)ut in a lai'gc barrel close to the door of the room when-
we luiirhcd f found they ki'pt a. <listinctly non-enticing
drink, eonijtosed of tloui" and water, allowed to ferment
until it tasted like mild \ii;i'gar ami water. It may lie
wholesome ; it ei'i-tainly was refreshing, but 1 should
imagine it was an\'thing but a blood-making bcveragi'
We Wi'vc .soon on our way farther iioi'th, having left
some lemons and e(aidensed milk foi' the invalids, who
were unfortunatelv man\' in that villa.<>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^' aii<l tui'iiinoas if playin;;' hide-
and-stH>k 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'' " <xees."
We were no sooner on the new ti'ail h.'ailino- to the
vilhiiie o'i Miehaelowka than scuddinii' on before us in the
deep rut made for heavy wheels was a large l)adot'i-.
" After prairie ehiekens," shouted our driver, and for a
"•ood two hundred \ards we chased, trying to run Mr.
Badger down. The horses did not relish this ])erformance.
for bado'ei's have an awkward wa\' of suddenly ehariifinii-
for the leiis of the neai'est animal : hut this time he found
it convenient to dart aside an<l give us the road to our
stdves, and as he scuttled through the grass and stunted
rose bushes, a great tlock of chickens tlew for sheltei" to
a tiny l)luff' near by.
It is all so intei'esting, this great northern country, and
tlin climax was reached when we arrived at the rivei-bank,
\\ here we found that, to icach our <lestination, it would !.«'
necessary to rio.ss thr i'i\er (which had deepened and
wiilened) on a I'aft, worked as a feri'y by a r(jpt' stretched
across from shore to shore. The waggons, lightened fi"om
their load of jiassengersand supplies, were to ford tin; i-iv(!i-
lower down, just abo\e the rapids, and we were ti'ansferred
t<t the frail i"aft made of lough-ht'wn logs piled across each
other.
On the farther baid< a gioujt of brightly-dressed Douk-
hobor women were waiting to pull tlie raft close to the
shore. In fifteen minutes it was all over, and we were
watching with great interest tlie crossing of the teams -
decidedly ticklish work, for tlu- loose stones at the head of
the rapid might, with the aid of the strong current have
caused the hor.ses to slip, and a slip wouhl have in all
probability caused a tragedy.
One girl had already lost her life in crossing the river,
and Soulergitsky is earnestly petitioning the (government
to build a bridge at this particular point, as the villages are
many along the land skirting the river. We had passed
close to many villages, l)ut had not had time to do moi-e
than cry " l)ol)ra ("bass" (good-day; as we passed. Many
14;
/■///•: ' .1. V. I />/.!. 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<i' the river,
e (lovernment
he villages are
Ve ha,d passed
lie to do more
passed. Many
women we had met lirawin;!' loiis inr the houses the men
wt're huildino-, jiiid two liy two tliey drrw th.'m, with ti
rinv pair of rouii'ldv-niadc wooden wheels, witli a cr(x;s-l)ar
on which I'estcd tin- lu'a\y ''nd of the Iol;'.
The ^^ardciis wc saw looked in a fair comlition, hut the
weatluT was o-ettinu' xcry cold, and if these pcojile did not
o'et what potatoes they had ]iitte(! hefon^ the iiiiddl(! of
October, the\- had sinall eliaiiee of saviiii'' them for wint(M'
use. (^'ucumhers and radishes seem to do well, and they
had what is known as th<> 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<i Assiniboia, and known anion:;' the Kn^-
lisli-s})eakine- people as the " Thundei- Hill ' colony.
The Hrst sillai-"*' had been l)uilt close to the watei's edire,
on low j^round, bnt the peo])le. tindin^' it unhealthy, were
biiildin;;' a new \ :lla;4'e on a lovely [ilateau overlookin^f the
old site. It was a ])icturesque and beautiful spot.
When V ■ arrived wt- found Sou ler;- it.sk v seated in the
midst of about forty men, most of whom had come in from
the suri'oundiiif^ \ illae-es to dt^jiosit their earnin*:;s in the
common purse, which was to be entrusted to SoulerL^itsy
for tlie pui-|)Ose of biiyiiie; supplies.
The men were ail busy either workin;^' in the fields or at
railway eonstraicl ion. The haiiphin line, which is beincj
built by Messrs ^hlcken/ie vV Mann, is eventually to come
throtmh the heart of the .North ('olonv, and at this date
ouii'lit to be some twelvt' miles fcom Michaelowka. If this
line can be ke[)t open dul•ill^• tlie\\inter months it may
pi'event the dan^^'er of a serious sliortae-e in the supjilies
needed for the .North ('olitny.
The part of the line in process ()f ('onstruction from
:'^.
•imtf'^ivnf^
36
'/'///■: r.i.v.i/>/.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<j|; the roadbed at so muc]i ]ier cubic yard. Tlie
work is most (UtVicult in this pai'tieular instance, and there
were no other men who would undertake to do it at the
price j)aid, as it meant standin<,^ up t(^ their knees in water
for at least eioht hours a dav. and the Doukhobortsi were
all more or less weakcni'd by malaria contracted during
their exile in unhealthy <listricts, conse(|Uently the work
was found to l?e terribly trying:;.
It was sUiriJft^'Mted that thev should ask for hio'her ])aA-.
as L.osc who had to do with the or;;anization of tiie labor
parties fi-lt that the conti'actoi's were takin<i^ advantage of
an unfair condition of atlairs. This may have be(^n true.
l)ut the writer ventures to point out that each foot (»f the
wo)'k accomplished was bi'in^'in*;' thf railway nearer the
villages: ami it would hardh' be wise to hazai'd anvthini--
\'\\<.(\ a strike which mi<iht in any way projudice the em-
])lov<'rs apiinst the em])loyees, and ])ei'chance turn that
l»'aneh of the line in another <lirection.
The labor <|uestion, even in that remote <listriet, threatens
to become a hydradieadeil monster, which snarls at you
from the depths of a iJritish Cohnnbian forest, or le'aAes its
slimy trail acrossthe vastness of the western |irairie.
The Doukhoboi-tsi ai-e most anxious to have what thev
call the • o'ood-will ■' of their fellow -men, and an examjjle
of the dilHcuhA' the\' tind in ol)taiinnL'- it mav be eathered
from the followini;' little story: iSoulernitsky had placed a
ijfood manv of the Doukhobor men on farms, the farmers
payini'' what thev considered a fair waii'e, considerini; the
fact that the men c(aild not speak Kn^lish and w^ere un-
skillecl in our methods I'i aoriculture. Havino- occasio:> 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<le aj^ainst the importation of foreign laboi-. "The
Doukhobors weie lowering the price of lalior, and taking
the bread out of the mouths of Anglo-Saxons." P)ack to
the north hui-ried Si»ulergitsky. This would never do
■' r..ittle brothers,'' he crieil, " we. a universal brothei'hood.
are hurtint;- oui" Canadian brethren: we nuist ask foi- tin-
f
•/•///; r.i \-. I />/.!. 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
<y had placetl a
Ills, the farmers
considering the
1 and were un-
in^'' occasioi> 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
di<l not eousidi'i' the language adapted for feminint* cans.
I am still at a loss to uiidcrstaiid that great labor rpies-
tion. Rumor has it in tlu' great grain -growing districts,
that, in spiti' of a most Ixjinitiful harve.st, many farmers
must .sutler. Why ' iJeeaust,' there are not niough men
oi- iioi-srs to take that great harvest oti" the land. Ten thou-
sand \\\(\\ were wanted from (hitario, and only eigiit
thousand could begot. Among tli«' 7,M()1 Doukhobortsi in
Canada there are 2,000 adult men — and these are eoutiiKMi
to what after all is a comjiaratively small district.
Wti found at Michaelowka a Russian girl of about nine-
teen, who, with an elder sister, ha<l givtm uj) exerything to
follow tiiese peopir into thf wiMerness. When 1 say
" eve'rvthint''," I mean literalU' e\ erxthini;'. She was d(;-
voting herself to the eau>e 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<!nty, with
a dt'C]) liaritone voice, occupied a central position. The
music was very quaint, l)Ut to those who liaxe heard the
chants of the(ii'eek Church it was not unfamiliar. The
deepei' voices tjf the men are used as a soi't of accompani-
ment : the notes, sustained and deep, are in perfect har-
mony, while the phiasine; is most curious. The harmonies
are eX(|uisite, l)Ut the treble has a strane-c pathetic " protest,"
the beat fallini;' on the most unexpected note, and at times
{)roducin^- the ertect of the fii'.'.icdfo snajipin^' of a violin
strine;.
The sone- that struck me most was "The Son<£ of the
IMouij:!!," sune- Ir; the women to cheer tlu> 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
lnnidre<ltli time J leoiottcd the ah.sence of an artists brush
to trausffj' tilt' picture to can\as. The mist lay low ovi-r
the riser, and befoi-i- tht; ()j)en doors of tin' houses rose a
tiny (;olunni of Ijlue smokf iVom tin' " smudijfes " lii^hted to
protect us fi'oni the mosijuitos: Init e\en this precaution
was not sufficient, ..nd a houkhoboi' womjin l)iou;j,ht a
^aily colored 'kerchief that 1 miii'ht conci- my head and
thix)at from the assauhs of those pests.
At the end of the village street Souler<,^itsky sat am(>nt,'
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 i<lea of the oecjuranhx- of ( 'anada. Here
and there was seated an elderly man, with a ^roat sheejiskin
coat thrown ovei- his shoulders to pro' t him from the
dew that was beo'iiuiint;' to fall ; but bareheadetl Soidei-ait-
sk\ stood, the li<>ht 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, <)win<j; to the weakness of
the f(>vcr-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 potte<l meat oi' salm(.)ii.
JO
THE I'AX.iniAy DoiJKiionoirrsi.
wiTf iiDt to l>t' >t'aM('(l .uul i»)ickf(l anion;;" oni" suppliiiH.
They <lriiiU very wcn.k tea, and the way in which th(iy
wonld thiink iis lor the small (|Uantity ol" tea left in tho
tin hiuikft that served as our" teapot," was out. of all pro-
|)ortion with the niaeiiitic'eiicc of the ;;ift.
We weiv to U'avc Vera Wt-listehkina at Michaeh)wka,
,is she was needed in the North Colony, and, wlien 1 saw the
i|nai-ters slie was to share witli Saelia Sat/., my heart said\.
Xi'ithei- of them nad any e.lothes snital)ie for th(^ cold
weatiiei' that wa.s rapidly ajjproaehinj^-, and they both
looked so frfiil and youne' to faee tht; privatiojis tliat awaited
them : not oidy the delicacy of their j)hysi(pio,s, lait their
intensely sym|)athetic natiu'es would i-ender their suflerin<4H
acute. Tlu' women of the Doukiiohoi'tsi appeai'ed to have
.iccepteil suH'erin^ as the counnon lot of humanit3^ and had
<'oui|Uerei| much of its l)itterness hv the calm dienitv with
which thty recoi;iii/.ed the inevitahle. and sim|>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 tau<dit to
ima;jine that, fi'om the moment of the arrisal in Canada, tlu;
way would be made smooth for these s])lendi(l people.
They aic unable to understand that, as a mattej- of policy,
it wiiuld 111' unwise for the ( Jo\ crinnent of a country likti
(\aiiada to ■ spoon feed " a lar;L;'«' influx of settK'rs in oui-
western j)iairies. The connuittee of men wdio are lookiui^
after the settlement of the.se people do, however, reco;;ni/e
this fact, and are most anxious that the condition of these
[leople shoidd be ameliorated mainly by their own (^fibrts ;
and. iudi,^n^• from the fruit of tho.se etiorts already
e\idence(l, tliere is no doubt that tlie people i-oco;;nizo
the wisdom of their advisers.
The Doukhobors thiMusehcs do not ask for "charity,"
and are only desirous foi- the opportunity to earn moni^y.
Ihit the erave ([Uesticn ai'ises as to how suthcituit employ-
ment can be providtMl for fifteen hundred men durino- tlio
winter months, to enable them to sujiport the number of
cliil(b-en and women depi'udent on them. The pro]>ortion
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<ji,
11 1 .saw th(!
heart sank.
)Y the cold
they both
lat awaited
■s, hut their
rsuH'eriii^a
ired to have
ity, and had
liunitv with
i])ly lal)orcd
viiin- Hih^iity
he coniimiu-
nlies. I'hey
y a 1-0 called
in^,' it to any
at. misled as
•chohortsi by
11 tanj^dit to
I Canada, the
iidid people,
er of policy,
country likti
ttlers in oui-
are lookiuiT
ej-. reco^iii/.e
ion of these
own efforts ;
)T'ts already
le reco;^ni/e
r "charity,"
earn money,
ent eniploy-
I (lurinii' the
3 nuiid)er of
3 pro))ortiou
i»r women and ehiMien is not ^icai wiuii \iiu coiisidtr the
numlier »'[" m«'n exiled in Siberia, \>\\{ 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<jj them are not si> 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' kin<lly and humane administration
of atlai rs : but ha\ e I he otlieials in ( "ana da cn cr had to face a
parallfl situation, and aiv they fully ali\e to the ditliculties
that till- winter may briie^' to tliesi' jmioi' pc()plt', w ho lia\'e
so lon;j,' l)een subjected lo pri\ations calculated to under-
mine the strongest constitutions' This is a i|Uestion
which deser\('s much ^-rave considei'ation.
d'hosc who are workinj;- amono' the 1 )oukliob(a'tsi e.\))ress
an unwillinj^'iiess (o open subscvij^tions for the pur})ose (jf
helpiuM- these peo))le so lony' as employment can b(^ foun<l
which will eiialile them to lielp each other; b>r 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, settin<r out tor their w(jrk
in the eonununal i^ai-tlen ami farm. Our Russian friends
were still fast asleep when we left, as we had saitl adieu
th(^ nioht hefoi-f, knowing; that we had to make an early
start. ^
Captain Ni. .lohn was \. ry anxious that we should eall
at a villaiji' on the left side oi the rive)-, where he wished
to see souu' of the Poukh.ohortsi who had crossed the
Atlantic with him. We ])asspd over the same part of the
river as on the previous day, and, after half an hour's drive
through lovely country, found ourselves on tlu* ed;^e of the
bank waitinir for the raft that was to ferry us across to
where a lot of bri<rlitl\' clad women and children formed a
welcome hit of colf)r aixainst tin' soft L^reen of the willows
on the farthrr l)aid<.
We left our teamsters to look after the horses, and
crossed the rajjid-tlowini; river, all three of us keenly
• 'inovini'" the heautv and noveltv of the scene. The ijreet-
in^'s between C'aptain St. .h)hn and his friends were very
hearty, and we were inniiediately ushei'ed into the best
house in the \illao;e. In front of the house there were a
nundter of the women's winter coats huni;' out to aii", and
cond'oi-table coats they wo'e. very thick and well made.
The ti^ditly-tittin;4- eoat part was exceedin^jly well cut, and
they eich and all hail full skirts bordei'ed with a kind of
curled Iand)skin. Ca])tain St. John tells me that the
women are all ca])ital tailoresses. and cei'tainly the cut of
the men's coats eave one the impression of bein^^ the work
of skilh^d labor.
Tlu' Doukhobortsi h;ive as ,i i-ule an excellent idea of
hai'mony in design: ail t'nMr woi'k is even and symmetrical
to a dei^n-ee. TIk^ ver\- form o\' the women's headdress has
■/'///•; ' I .V I /»/.! .V l>nl K iKuioirrsi
\.\
Ass A.
It <j^f(jetL'(l
ir licfore
1'' villuiTc
\illiiL;o in
the ail-
to aH'fct
IlK'll t)!'
ir work
.11 iVit'iids
i.iiil adieu
.' an caily
lould call
le vvislii'd
osschI the
irt of tlie
urs drive
l;,^*' of (lie
across to
rorin('<l a
It' willows
>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><l.
Before we left, the adilress which .Miss Alma T. Dale
hatl brou<dit to the houkhobors from the ()ntario JSocietv
of I'^riends, was read to a i^'i'oup of the villa^'ers ly ('ajitain
St. John, who had translated it into Ilu.ssia.n. I watched
curiously the faces of the ^roup as they drank in (he
kindly words of welconi- from tln^ir (. 'airidian brctthreii.
The men stood with uncovered heads, listenin^j;- intently.
and they all apyieared to apj)i-eciate the synqiathy an«l
ijood will of whieh they were assured.
It is ratlitM- dillieult to place oneself in the j)osition of
these [)eo{)le. who reo-;trd l)rotherly lo\ e anil its outward
(expression as the ])ractical manifestation of the Dixiiie
lU'iiiL^ dwelling- within each inili\ idual. We. who ap|)reciate
brotherly lo\'e only when it takes the form of material aid.
are incliiK;d to dei-ide their oreat desire for tlie constant
recoifuition (tf universal brotherlioo<l in its widest sense.
To try and e.vplain just, what (he reli<;ious belief of the
Douklujbortsi is would lie to undertake a task unsuited for
a newcomer amon^' them Thei'c apjiears to be a <^reat
diversity of opinifjn as to their belief, but. whatever it.s
eharacfei-. there is no doubt that its result is excellent so
far as an onlooker can Jud^e, Tliat is. if sobriety, honesty
ami <irderlines-. in every sense of the word are excellent
.\miel has defined tact as-asj)irit of kindliness."' and
there is soiiii,' (juality possessed by the^e people that
inspires one with contidentte and a feeling- of security.
Before the true spirit of universalism the barriei- <*f
lan<'ua"-e and nati<.)nalitv counts for nothin<'-, and this is a
ei'<Nit factor in the ])romise they ;j;ive of bt-c anine' part of
the hi teroir^Mieous mass of people wdio enroll themseKi-s
under the title of '' ( 'aiiadians.*
n
/■///•; r.i.v i/i/.i.V ItniJKIKillOliTsi.
The .idilrt'ss litn iii-4 Imcm n-jul, \\v wm- irivitcil to liiivo
ii look ut tlif ui'i'iit U'lnlt'ii, wliicli. liki-iill t!u> 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
villa<jfers, n.nd as we swuni£ t)ut into tin' stream the crowd
of women and men on shore liroke into n ehorus of siaii:^,
whicn lasted uiuil W(» v.-ere all packed in oui" wa^'^ons
ready for depai'ture.
TIm: day had become tei'i'ibly hot, and an almost tropical
sun blazed down, and when Wf halted to take our midday
ujeal we were obliji>ed 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<s for the
lui.'.'h we insisted on sharing- with them.
It will bi! indeed a s])lendid tiling' for the Noj-tli ( 'olony
wdien the Dauphin line comes within reasonal) e distance
of the villae-e of Michaelowka, and these louo- journeys
from ^ orkton with supplies are no loneer neces,sar\'.
77/A r.iAM/>/ i.v iKn;Kii(Ht<nirsi
>r.
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<huh(irtsi as setih'rs lor that \wv\ of the
country He had in his emjihix at that dale two youn;;
Doukiiohor men, who, lie said, if.i\e i-rcat satisfa('tit)n
although when the\- tirst caine he iuiauiued thev wei-e not
j((iiii^ to lie what ai'e called it, that part of the WMild
"hustlers' He soon found, h((wevcr, that the trouhlc hud
heen insutlicient uourishuient . and that jtist as soon as they
ha<l j^ood jilain foo(|, with a certain deoree of \ariet\ to
insuri' <;()od health, they were i(uite e<|nal to any white
man.' He also ji^ave them an excellent charaeli'r fitr hon-
eHty ; ha\in^' had. as he said, e\ ery kind of foreii^iier round
tluit part of the World, he was ahle to form an opiidon o|
human nature pretty accurately, and his experience led
him to state without hesitation that he had never in he
whole coui'se of his careir met a more honest people than
the Doukhohortsi.
As to the mattei of their not eatin;: neat. .Mr. .Mackeii-
zio was very positive that it was only a matter of time,;ind
thoy must how to the law ot i.eeis^ity and reeouni/e that
.self preservation is the tirst law of nature. However, the
writer is not inclined to advise any kind of jn'oselytism, for
the restraint which they exercise over theii- appetites in
this respect which can har<lly he called part <if theii'
relij^ion) may he an aid to the |i)actical workine; of their
moral code, and. as this is an undoultledly hiLi'h one it i^
hottei- to •' leave wt-ll a'oue '
By some jieojile di>-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'i</i<H!(>irrs/
K'lii 1)1' I'duc'itioii is solved ill this way. As for tlu' actual
laiiuiuij, tlu' jaittinii- in oi" crops aii<l the takini;" oH" in the
autninii, if iloiu' on a conmnnial systtiii.do not at all ncccs-
sitatf 'he farm lamls hoi no- close to the village. In many
I'ountrics tlic scctlinu' and rrapinn' arc pt rfoinicd l)y tlu'
\illai2"crs I'll iinissr. and tin- roncei'ti'd cti'oit iiisui'i's the
sufetA' of tlu- (TOJ).
There is much else to he said in faAorof the sillayi' com-
nuuiities. There is a vast amount of respect jtaid to tin;
u]»inions of old<'r men, and a <'eftain disei])liiie is oliscr\able
not altouetiief from relicious j)rinci})les, Init also fi'om tiic
force exercised 1)\' j)ul)lic t)pinii)n as rej)rescn!-d in sillai^e
life.
For the youni;' people es|tieially the \ illa^-f life is the
llealthie^^ and happiest, and it is to l>e 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<linn' us with water as tln'\' ticw.
Till': lAXADIAS /H)IK/.'l>/{()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> <ye of a Whistler. It was
luii'd to realize that all was not the work of some master-
hand at landscape <;ardenini^, so wonderfid was the eti'ect
i)roiluce(l |)\- the massini-'of color and constant ciiaii<re d'
scene.
A perfect trellis of moriuni;- i^lorics in delicate tender
sliades of ])ink and mau\r covered at times the low shi'ul s
horderine' oiu' route, and here and there a hrilliant mass of
deep ei-iuison iiei'i'ies showed themseKcs aeanist the l)ack
^■round of the tane'led underhrnsh. ' Hush cranheri-ies ! "
exciainuMJ oui' drixcr, as he handed me a ereat branch of
the drooping beiries amone- their lam-e-cu' lea\es. I
recoeni/ed at once one of the ornamental shrul>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 foun<l in
ipiantities on the ri\ei- iiank. ami the eraid)ei'ries would
j)ro\e a most health ^ivine- food for the Doukhobca' peojtie.
M\- companion Vera W'elistchkina, informed me that eran
lM>rries 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"<l piece of urt)mi(l, oi' rather bo;;, called
in that |)art of the world a "coulee,"' which is in reality a
tiny ort-shoot from a ri\e)', a oveU that iinds an outlet
throuiih a small liulK'. ami i-hooses to tiltei- throuiih the
soft, (luakini;- i^arth helow the tr»'acher()us "hunniujcks" or
tufts of coai'sc j^iass. in many cases these tiny quagmires
have cost an inexperienced man a t;ood horse. Once let
tlie beast sink ov(M- a foot, and there is nochance of yetting
him out aijain.
l>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<l its pur))ose. and the next day we met the oxen at
the very s[)ot, but hap])ily on the ri;;,iit side; the crossing'
havin^i:; l)een accoinplishei] in safety.
'I'he Russians iii-ariy always drive three horses abreast
in their own country, and a mans orcat ambition in some
parts is t«) harness as many horses to his chariot as is
possilile. In this country these poor people are at present
content to have one horse between, jterhaps, ten families.
Apropos of this subject, the (|Uestion of whether it was l)est
tf) expend any money ■••ix'en for cattle (jn liorses or ox(»n
bi^came one of importance, and led to some discussion
amone- those authorized to purchase the an'mals foi- the
1 )ouklM»boi'tsi. 'I'he usual im]ii'ession amojiy" practical men
in the West is that for the purpose of bi'eakine; land, etc.,
oxen ai-e I'ai- Iietter than horses, while a certain section
maintain that, in a (-(luntiw whei-e ilie season is .so short.
and time is of such \alue. it is :ibsiifd to use the slower-
footed animal.
On the other liand.tli<' stayiue- powers of the oxen are
snpei-ioi-, and these animals do not re(|uii'e half the c;ire or
noui-ishment of a. horse, besides which, in the Ijiti-r ]^art of
his caree)-, the ox attracts tlie attention of the lal•^•e meat-
packin^- establishments in the States: thouuii tle^re are
iMMiiors to the eti'ect that many of the ancient farm horses
near the border b'tch a very fair price in the same market '
.liidj/ini;- from observation, the writer is inclined to think
that a lai'u'er perc<'ntaee of oxen ai'e to be found amon*; the
Nilla^es !it the jM'esetit moment
THE (lANADlAN /Xir /< //OBORTSI.
4H
Vll.
YoiiKTON, AssA.. SepU'inbor 6th.
Umcc ;i;;fiiii we li;i,il l»i(|<|«'u .Mr. Mackenzie, ol" Kort
Pelly, adieu, IV-elino- convinced that he wa?s prepared to be
a triend to the Doukhobor jiedplc, of whom he spoke in
terms of the warDiest prais.-. though eonstantly lame-nting-
tlie Tact tliat they wei'e not scnsiljlc enough to eat meat.
The hardships of thi; cominj^ winter, he prophesied, woidd
be fjreatly a^-;^ravated by jlicir rel'iisin^Mhe (Het necessary
for a northeiMi people.
I cannot say that we had passed an excehcnt nij^hi
before starting' on oui' iiomeward journey. The iiK)S(pnto!s,
and other insects less noisv, thouy-h eiiuallv vicious in th(nr
assaults. ;.^ave us HttU' lest, and we were not sorry to see
the dawn. It had been a close ni<dit, followine' a sultrv
day, and one was j^dad to throw o[)er» the Maps of tiie tent
and breathe the frtish mornino-air. The dew had drenched
everythine' and seemed to have even ])enetrated tlie thick
canvas of the ti'Jit.
There is a rule which ouj^ht to be im[)ressi'tl on those
who (hdi;4ht ti> 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<i
j)asse(| through the Cote Indian I'eserve, meetini; on oiU'
way some of the Fiidians comiiiif in foi' Sunday ser\ ice on
th(> morrow to the 'ittle '-hajjel ;it the Ae;ency. A curious
lot they wei'e, hu<Mled uu'ler theii- blankets and carefully
"cari'vine- their Sunday hnery in their hands Ni-ai-ly all
their lo^' houses wi're des.'rteil as tliey prefer to spend tlie
summer in their ■ tepees." and here and tlu't'e am()n;_' the
t,rees the sjiloke fidin I he con- shaped dwelliuLl's I'ose lilue
in the air. The Indian farms ..ppeareij fairly well cuiti
\ated, tIlou^•ll in many cases tin.- crops had been left
apparentK' standiii;^' too lone-, the ln<liaiis luMn^- employed
in another |iart oi' the countiy takin^r ii: the crops of the
\\
liit.
men
50
THK <1.\ AM />/. 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<l(h'n
shower came on, Jind ue were ohlii;ed to wait much lonjj^er
than we had anticipated before crossing' the river.
It was hite in the afternoon when we (h*ew uj) at a
hospital)!*' farm-house not very distant from the first
Houkhohor viUam' wt> 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<l warm, and we wn-e olatl mouirh to
(■•\st for a ft'w mitnites whik' wr made a few pui'cliases of
fresh bread and deUcious butter.
It was very pleasant to hear the kind words that all the
womenkind of the household had to say for our Doukho-
l)or friends, thou;,di they had not a very cheerful account to
I'ive of the health of the connuunitv lujarest them. A
ti'omendous amoimt of fevei-. they said, and the chilly days
seemed to aii^ravatc the disease. I'hey found the women
fi'iendlv and readv to <rive a helpinir hand whenever
reipiired to <lo so, and the "gratitude of the viilao-ors, they
informed us. was very touchint^^
There is one spji'udid thinjx about the women of that
i,a'eat lone eountry. and that is their readiness to appreci-
ate the ^"ood ([Ualilii's of the women who eome their \va\'.
if there was any e^rumblin;;' abont the incoming jieople
from lMiro])e it was not fi'om the women of the eountry.
They are deliehted to have a muidier of their own sex who
call undeivstand the thousand and one little thin:,rs that )X^'>
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 <lau^'h'.ers of the soil, jtioneers b\- force of
circumstances foi- years ))ast. are to be to the lonely women
of our prairies is not to be calculated. 'I'here is sdmt'thiiu'
in their demeanor tliat brin;;s eonfidence and a feelint»' of
itomradeship, and this is not b'lt in renanl to all the women
rill-: I'ASMHAx Dof'K/ioijoirrsi.
;")!
that hiive coiiii' into our couiitrv dI" late I was frreatly
struck with the hearty ;;(mi<1 -wili with which tiic thrifty
ohl Scotch lady sjiokr i>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 hoar<l shelf
that ran d(.)wn one side of the house, they piled thereon
hrilliatit scarlet cushions and a many-colored (piilt for our
use. I am afi-aid that even a thick layer of fur rohes and
Hudson l)ay I'laidsets did not make us forget that we
slejtt on a series of po))lar poles resend>ling 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 laii<l. 1 had no remedies with me
that \V(!re worthy of the name, but we ;;ave the poor
woman a hot tli'iid\, and later on a dose of phenacctine.
hoping it mi^ht t,dve relief to the a^onizin;^; headache that
is one of the worst symptoms of the fcxei".
We rctiretl to our lions •. and, ;;ieatl\ interested in our
novel surroundin^^s, Wi' txannncd each bit of work in the
eour.se of completion. " Good work, ail of it, was tue
verdict of my C(*mpanion (no m(\'ni jud^^e of carpentering,
as I afterwards discovered).
The room must have been ten liy fifteen, and the slo{)in^f
I'oof six feet fr(jm the Moor at the lowest ])art. Thecenti'al
beam was utilized to sustain a sort of hauL^in^ shelf that
proved a most u.seful i'ece])taeli'. Se\(!ral stout wooden
f)e}j^s. such as we use for hai'uess, were fitted into the
upri<jjht j)oles that suj)])orted the weii^ht of the double «od
roo!'. the eeiliu''' beinj'' neath' |)laslert'd with elav worked
into a sort of ceni'iit mi.xed with tine cho])])et| o'lass.
The lloor was ti'odijen hai'd and swejit as chan as a boai'<l.
Tlie li<ile left in the roof I'oi- the eliinuiey we clo.sed in a
most inL,^enioiis manner, and one which neai'ly caused the
lo.ss of a valuable umbrella. The uml)i'i'lla was ]ioked
through the hole, then opened, and a bat;' of hardtack tied
to the handle to ki'ep it from sailini;- away. It was, how
ev(!r. oidy the sharp eyes of our hostess that prevented our
leaviiii^- it behind with its l)allast of hardtack. I iiave often
wondei'ed since what insane freak induced two S(Misil)le
women to sleeji in that <liippinii' ^^'^'t house, an expei'iment
worthy only of lunatics,
N<;.\t mornino- we weie to attend the religious service
held soon after suniise in one of the newly-l)uilt luaises.
The j-oom or house chosen was just about in the condition
of th(,' one we had slept in, and in spite of ^nvat anxiety tn
see the whole of their i-elii:ious ser\ ice. I could not Iielp
insistinir Hiai my friend, who was (piite usee] np after
riiK <AS.\i>i.\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<e the j nsenl fashional)le cuH' to
(Mil" sleeves.
'Ihey were very trim, thes.- men, in their apitearance,
and the village liarbei' had been l)usy on Saturday ni<'ht,
while the liatli house hail all Satui-da\' been tilletj with
bathers, as the '■ Saturday tuli " is ipiite a feature of their-
social life. It i^ mnst cur ous («' see if their eleanl\- habits
will sui'vivf the I'io-or of wintei' in th<' far west, and or)i'
eaiuiot heli» bt lin^' doubtful as to tie' wis(lom of steam
baths With the lliermometei' any wlere below xeio. llnssian
[»easants as a vn\*' are not conspicuous for cleanliness, I
believe, i)ut the.se people tak'!' the sayini;', that "eleaidiness
is next to I'ddliness in |je literal sens-, the result beinir
their takin;,^ the ni'eatest troid)le t<i keep both theii- person
and ciothini:" flean.
fi4
77/ A" ( M .V.I />/.! .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 thou<dit little of them-
a. ^^
selves.
We stopped for a few miiuites at a villa^'e built literally
in the side of a hill, the ])eople h;vvin^ come tli<!re early
in the season and Itiiill the liest houses tht.'V were al)le to
under tile eii'cumstances. Tlun' were movin<;' to a new site
over the hrow i>f the hill ;uiil huildine' better house.s, well
ventilated an<l li^liteil All the peopli- were in their
Sunday clothes. In some eases they had attempted t)
mak'' little y'ardens in front of the'i' sod homes. The
appearance of the \■illa^•e was inferior to anythin*; we
had y(^t se<'n, and as the day was cold and a driz/.lini;
rain <lrivinn" in our faces, the im|)i"ession conveyed was not
a pleasant one IJut the condition of the ]ie<)ple could not
affect theii" respect foi- Sunday observances, and there was
nothinii- that the most strict Sal)batarian could ha\-e foun<l
fault with in tlieii- demeanor.
I wonder, if we were shut oti" from the ;,n"eat body of our
co-reli^ionists and lixin;^- as the.se people are, on the far
outskirts of civilization, would we, as a p<'0[)le, V)e so
punctilious in the oltservance of Sunday '
The remainder of the sui)plies Mi's. Dale had with her
were eiv(Mi to these people, and what they valued most was
a baii' •>' "^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<le.
We drew up at the house of a ivmclier not many miles
fi'oiii Vorkton to \<'Vf\ the. horses ami take our mid day
meal. We had leally two invalids by this time, both
Captain .St. John and Mrs. Dale biMU^,^ ijuite ill. We foujid
the snuii; "shack ' guarded by two splendid deer houmls.
but they |)ro\ed as liospitalJe as the owner i-ould ha\t'
■/'///•; '. I. VI /;/.!. \ hot Kiioiioirrsi.
nn
l>''«'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 'li<l ii.,t. tor I foiui'l my poor little
eoiiipaiiioii. wlio luxl prt'crd.Ml us, last aslooj) under lier fur
rohc's oil the h.'d of our ahsent liost We li-litcd the
kitchen stove, set «>ur 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 <lit!erent
direction, and 1 oould not helj. en\yinw- her the chance
which lay in her kindly and practical hands of ^iivin^--
innnediate aid to the peojile.
I found Ml'. (*rerar, the Immiijration Atfeiit. iirealK
inter.'sted in all we had to re|iort rei;ai'dinji' tlu- condition
of the people, and he lost no time in niakino' a<lmiral)le
arran^'ements for my slai't next niornin;^-. ^'orkton seems
the centi't' of Murope at IIh' jtresent moiut-nt, and om.' couM
open a colle^'i' for lhno|>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 <if ('anadian clothiiiii;. The
[)ictui"es(|ue costumes which are to lie seen ahout \'orkton
are <l(»omed to extinction hefoii- two yeai*s have pas.sed.
Possibly, from a political point of \'iew. this is rather a
m)od thini'', hut <»n tlu other hand, the' national costume
has a value in indicatiu'j a certain standard in <lre.ss. the
re'sult Ijcini:' a iletinite <'tfect to aim for. Conse(|uently,
their pictures(jue ( 'esses iiU'aii a (k'sirahle amount of sell
respect, 'i'lie l«i\'e ot' color and artistic a<loi'nnient surely
.)•)
Till': i'AXAhiAX rtn/Ki/nimirrsi.
inili('att!.s a better CDiiditioti ol' hoaltliy instinct than iIooh
tlie imliseriniinato niasH of color an 1 form that wc aiv
pleased to eall "(viinadian fashions."
The Doukholior men, who had Ljocd suits ol' daik hliic
serjxt", were I'ar hecter di-essed than any other men ol' theii'
class J saw in tlu' west, and in every respect these people
showed their keen a{)j)reei}ition ol" i'«!.dly ^ood nuitenal.
VVhnt they had was ;rood — no shoddy. I'erhaijs this caine
from the fact that the iiaml lal'oi-, which demanded time,
was employed on raw material of tin; best quality only;
that mechanical ap))liances have meant the intiodnction of
sev«M'al classes (-f raw material, the conse(|Uence ltein<; a
deverioration in the (piality of ^o xls used hyonr jieopIeMsa
wliole. Then auain, tlu constant clianui' of fashion amoni:
a,ll classes icndei's the mai'kc^t for caie durable ami costl}'
line of mateiial nn*ertain. '''here are certain arguments in
favor of a national "ostume, which, from an artistic ])oint.
are undeniahli!, and fj'om this sta.ndpoint it is i^reai.ly to
be i'eLjreit(!d that these national costunies are doomed to
extinction.
VIII
YoRKTON, AssA.. SiptendnM- 7th.
Wo were bound for the Douklioltoi- colony at "' (iood
Spirit Lake, accoi-din;;- to the map, or '' Devil's Lake," as
the inhabitants call it. The Indians an*, I fancy, respon-
sible for the latter aitpellatioii. as. like the Chinese, .ill
" spii'iis ' are to tluMu 'devils."
he morinnLr was cold and
bitter wmkI blew ni oni'
faces. riic ilrive was, lio\ve\ ci', interest inir, and so was the
yoiinn- Dutch ;4'entleman who had kindly con.seided iv> 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.sin<r
many men cutting; Iiay i-ound the mari^in of the iinmensj'
slouoh.s. Now and then we missed the trail owin^- to tla;
wind-bent <»rass obliteratini: all marks of the wheels that
had passed throu*;'!) bid'ore.
I w.is i2-rea,tl\' interested in this Doukhoboi- settlement.
riih: I 1 .V.I /)/ I .V ixuKifonoirrsi.
57
>iH Ix'l'ort^ If.iviiiH- Ontario I li;i<l iraW an iiutf IttU-i- iVom a
settler in this district, com plaining- that ut least ii hundred
setthu'H were (>hli;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<t Corth in that
letter.
it was neaily midda_\ u Iumi wc rtiaclu'd the .shores of thc^
<Jood Spirit Lakr, a tiny inland st-a, to-duy lashid hy
the wind into a mas.s ol' thick wooj-iikt' Toam, 'V\\v trail
led alonu the heavy sami ol' the shore at the head of the
lake, ajid lor mile.s there was hardl\' a iioiise to lie .seen ;
nothin;^^ hut l(tw hlntls and the stretches of sand co\ • fed
with llyiii;;' tlecks of this curd-like foam. I cant help
fancyin;; that the water must he impregnated with some
mineral substance that would account for the peculiar
character of till- loam, that was as tt)Ui;h as the whipped
white of enu-.
The lake is looked ujion a,-- the furui'e sunnner ve.sort of
that thrivinii' little cosmopolis, NOikton. ^'imI faiilv irood
^^ I. «' r^
tishin;^; and shootine- are to he found in ilie \ icinity.
Aftei'an hour's drive alon;;- the laki; shore we came upon
the ranch wher^' we proposed to 'put up" for lun(di. In
spite of oin- arrival heiiiLf most inopportune, we had a
kindl\' Welcome from the mother of the youn^ ranchei',
whom we fouml liusy with his liayine'.
Our host and hostess were keenly alive ti> 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' a<lmitted
that the nationality of the incomine- people had nothine to
do with tlie (|Uestion. A rancher nnist ,i;'iNe way before
close settlement, and she h.ad nothini;- but kindly words for
the Oonkhobor peojtie. to whom shi' had l)een most kind,
ti'vine- to ^ise them what help she could, and (indine- the ni
readvt'ido all in their power to tottn'u liei* neiehborly
attention
It is needless to retail the (litliculty that the ditleicnt
ailministrations ha\e had with the ranchine- eommunity
in the west and the natural antipathy that those whose
cattle raii"c on free ja,nii have towards the incomiuf^
r»8
riti-: r i.v.i/'/.i.v iKHKiKUioirrsi.
Hcttlcis wild propose to tiUc lip iiii.\('(l I'ariiiin^, and con-
!«M|U('!itly r<'iic(» ill tlu- laml.
Tlif story my li(»st«'ss Iwul t(t tfll of licr own <'xp('rii'nc('
was most interest iiin-. She was the widow ol" u sea captain,
aiiil had travelled r(tinid the worM on her hnshaiHl's shi[i.
Alter his death she had lir(»ii;;hl her youn;^' family out to
('anada and imested lu-r capital in cattle. The result was
ap])ai'cntly sal isfactorw and, as she liel(m;;ed t<» that splendid
type of pioneer women who have in reality madt' (Mir country
w hat it is, she was ahle to ap|>reeiate 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 lia<l n-ad
w ith much interest in a Toronto paper had Keen authorize<l
as it were. l>y the settlers of the <listriet, hut I found that
the writer was not a /n fsmm (intlii with my hostess, and I
learned that the e\a^-;;,t'raie<i terms in which the leiter liad
l)een couched h->d disndsted the e<lucjlte(l settlers in the
district. On eiwpiiry i found that there wert' only about,
twenty families in the whole district, and the nationalty
of the incomine- peojdc had nothinLT to do with their .seek-
ine- fresh pastures.
Later on I met the author of the letter in the midst of a
most wondeiful hay meadow, and I felt t|iiite sympatlietic
witii his desire to retain for his own use as much as pos-
siMe of this lieautiful park-like country. I had lieen
warned that the suhject of the l)(>ukhol)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<;<j:le. and that strujx^Ie has left its imprint
/■///■; ' i.vi/'/.i.\ iKK i\ iKir.iiiri's!.
. ;•
oil tlifir i-M-v^ iiiitl slifir|iciii(| tli.'ir iiiti'Ili;4cncf to nn
fxtraonliiiiirv tlfMiTr, Tlitir \vorl<iii<^r om ,,1' lilV's (N'-'p
jirohlciiis would iiHtoiiisli many a man wlm luis followiMl
out tlic saiiii' lino nl" thoiii^lit with tlic aid of iiiiiiiy Ixioks.
The prac'tic.' of such a ri li:;ioii has im-vt attracted iiuiiiy
iollowcrs, and the people an' cotitciit to exhort and con
stantly iir^c to hiiihrr Tonus of practice aiiionjr themselves,
without tryiii;; toi»rea(di their gospel to the worM at lar^'e.
The reli;^don is in itsrlf (tl).>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\- sa<l. Ten davs
liefore several <if the women had come to her raricli
hrineine- with them one of their (»liler women who was
sutlerin^' terrihiy from a felon on hei- hand. Mi's. 15- ,
our hostess, |.:iiew little ahout medical scienei'. for-, as she
saifl. 'the one thine' ahoul tin- prairies is. that there is
seldom sickness to he heard of. and doctor.vdo not thrive."
Howe\'er, she lid what ^^he could, and poulticed the jioor
hand, makinu^ the sufl'erer juit it in a sliiie.
A day or so after she went t(i the \ illa^'e and aeain put,
on allot jioiiltice. and thought the patient looked better.
but at sundown the ]>re\ious I'vciiin;^- the\' ha<l come in
liot haste for lur. and she saw her husband showinjx
unmistakable '.ii^'us ot trouble, and they arrix-ei) to find
(;i)
/'///■; 'M.\ )/)/.!. V horKiiDiioirrs!.
the |i()()i- \voiii;iii liio.'itliin^ \\y',Y last, <'\ idoiitly liuviii;^
suL'Cumlicil to lilood |)()isoniii;;'. " It was licart-ltreakiiii;',"
slic said, 'to think that, a laiicr inii^ht hii\t' saved that poor
woman s hlc' Then slir wt'iit on to tell iiic all the details
ot* the i'uneral and the last sad duties that wert; pci'toj'ined
foi- the dra<l.
It was jus; as the sun went ijowii, and wr had shut the
dooi- Ih'tween *^he tidy living' room and the kitchen whilc^
Wf washed up the sup|)ri- dishes, and I will always retain
in my mniioi-y the woi'i.inly. ti'udei- way in which mv
I)rii;ht yoUM;,' hosti'ss told mr, with hushed Noice, ol" the
way the <itath auii hurial ol" that [)oor woman had im-
pressed her. She had wished that some ol' her An^lo-
.Sax<>n 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 <lid not know, l)ul
thf simple eotlin apjtcared as if hy maeic, with its stainless
white inifU sheet, and <'rimson pillow i'o!- the jioor cold
foian. "They seemeil \eiy j)oor, she said, 'l)ut they liad
laid their mother out in spotless elothine'. No <letail ol' the
toilet was I'orLj'otten : the poor discolored hand was hidden
liei.eath a richly emhroidered handkerchiel'. A service
was held in the hottse, ami then two da ui;l iters, the son and
son's wil'e lilted the eollin \\\<x\\ on their shoulders, and
althouo^h the way was lone-, the trail roui;li and utd>roken,
rhey carritMl their de.ir one to the i^rave, which was neatly
j»rej»are(| with l)ou;^lis ami leaves to hide the newly tuiiied
(•ai'th. .Men l)eaiine' the li<l of the cotliti I'oliowefl, aiel alter
lurther recitation of I'salms ;it the t;'i'a\;' they knelt iu
prayer There was a heart-hreakine- fjirewell take--, of
theii" de.ii' dead, ami the lid was at last faslene(| Miid the
i;otIin was <rentlv lowered into the ei-jive.'
No one left the or;i\,. until it was neatly covered with
sods and hranches Then they insisteil that Mrs. \\ — -
"hould come hack to the -illai^'e to ha\»' some refi-eshnients.
Tliei-e a lon^- tahle was set, with the little they ha.il to
oll'er laid on a line linen tahle-cloth It was a .sad feast,
she said, and after it w,is oxer they trie(| in every way to
express to her then- ^ral 'lude for her ,sym|»,it hy ami nei;^!!
I) alv kindness. Tie- son of the poor woman I•rou^•llt her
a haiidkerehiel' that, his mother hail worked for him, and
insisted on her takim;- it as a keepsake "They .ire such
i^ratefiil people. >lie kept re|»eatine-. ■■ j-'am-y ' .My hus-
hand lent, theni his u,i^^un for some work, and i\ hen lhe\-
rill: c.wMtiAs DoiKiKinoirrsi.
(>1
l)i'ou^f|a it liack, tiii'v siHiir<l Id ask lluw niiicli ' ( M'
course, we woultl imt takr anything-, so tlicuirs wlio liad
drawn it s-x miles ihink ol' it, four L;i lis : ihc iru'Ji and
lioisf wtTc all hard at wotk tln'sc i^iils caiiif hack I Ik*
day al'lfi', and shyly hrou^ht nut thrtf of ihci!- hcst
pieces of linm as a <;ift just lor tin- loai\ of a \\a;:;;()ii."
Mrs. I! was kiMiwn as ihr hcst lHmsekee|n r in t he
tiisti'iet, and iiit intcn-si and delight in these |ieoj)|e knt w
no hdund.s 'riiry wnc tiyini;- hatd to learti a little
Kn;4lish. She said the way the women reinemhei'ed the
names of \arioiis kitchen utensils slu showed them was a
mar\fl
I found hei, in tinth delighted to !ia\e these xillao-es
n(;ai- theii- I'anch. as sin- told me that hoth she and hei'
husband found thi'm inieicstino id a deei-cc. The nn-n
they had had working: for them uaveeieat satisfaction. an<l
as their ■' choi'e hoy, a youne" JMi^lish e(iitlenian, had t;(»ne
north, they had taken a l>»Md\h()li()r liny in his ))laee. and
she was ama/.ed at the amoinit <if work he took oil her
hands.
It was a \ er\ jileasiiiU evenine- that we spent in that
cosy \i)'^ hiius(\ and the result wasthat our hostess expressed
hei'self more than willin;^ to dispense any medicine oi-com
forts that we mi^ht he aMe t^ send liei foi' the fevei-
stri<'kcn peoplr in the villai;es durine the winter. "' There
isn't uuich room in here.' she said, hut I will turn uiy
dairy into a st^r-' house, if you like. We ,sat late lonkin^'
o\i'r her iiwn lie.nniful hand sewin*f. and disciissinif the
women who had sueli a hard winlei- hefun' them |*\ir
theii" work she had a e|-f,it, adnnration, and was pn paring
to learn some of the knitted lace anil drawn woi-k ai
which they ,ire --< • pmlieient
We had ti I m.d\" an early s|,i|-| in t ii.- mornin;^, and mucli
to our diseusi We fnuud a pouriue lain cotdrontinu' us.
iiowi'Ner. We went to s(»nie ol the fart her \ illa^es. ( )ii( in
parlicular impressed me s( i -,i,||y ,\ <j;\< \\\) of men and
women (•.•tne np to \\\,- carriaee (,, sjie.dx to ('aptain St.
John, .iiiil to lell ]\ni\ that the letters which had Id'cii
received from l!us>ia --poke ,it the hopelessness of j^ci tin;^'
their dear ones lilierati il from Siheria There wci'e several
of the Women ;ind '^u'ls whose hushands and fathers were
in exile, and I !ie pit il'ul expression of i heir faces as they toid
their sad s|or\ w ill reiimin on my nnnd lor man\ a da\
\nimpul~i tint wa- iri'es|x( ili|e made me l-e^ ('aptain
()-2
'/•///■; 'M.v.i/>/.i.v 1)1)1 Kiiniinin'si.
St. -iDhii to It'll tliriii that tlii'ir yoiiii^^ Iviissiaii Knij)n's.s
was t'le chilli (jf <)m' (Juitm's most loved .uid <'Tiitl»!
ilaun'htcr. ami that 1 knew the day woulil coiin', and not far
• listaiil, \vlnn till' kiiowiiMlnr (tf how and why they sufft'iiMl
would rciich her cars, and that tlif dauijhtci' of the loved
I'riiice.ss Alice would, in the Micnioi'\- ot" that jjfi'eat sorrow
that lel't hci- motherless, restore' tln'ir dear ones to them.
( )ne so associates all that is most sacred and closest in
i'amily lirs with our own royal house, that I s])()k(^ the;
w(jrds 1 felt to he true. ( Jod ••rant the\' nia\- proxt- so!
The weather turned •)ut so bad that we had to hasten
our retuiMi to \'orkton, huri'iedly passin;^' throu^^h th<!
villages (in oui* homeward way.
!l was late when we retuj'iied to V'oikton, and on our
way we met the hushand of oui' hostess of the nij.jht hefore.
\Ve chatted for a time, ami 1 leariu'd from him that he
lamented as u'reatly as others did the e.vaiiii'e rated and
injudicious letter sent to the ( )ntario papers, which tended
to prt'judici' the ('anadian people aL,Minst a law-al>idin<f and
worthy people who have sou<.,dit sanctuai-y in our (;r(!at
westei'ii country a country so \ast, that in two or tin-ee
yeai's, when these pec^ple have ;^ainetl con(i<lence and ^one
ofi' one hy one to claim their homesteads, tliey will l)e
.swallowed uj) in what is now an immrnse uid>roken tract of
country, ea(!h one doiiii^' his share in moulding' the foj'tunes
of OUI' iri'eat I )onnnion.
l.\
Ti)i;<>.\i'(), I )('cend)er.
< "anada is fast heconune ,i ^reat country, and, as the
people of a L;reat country, ('anadians are called upon to face
lu'w problems in renai'ij to the settlement of their land.
The mass of the ('ana'lian peoj>le have heard of the ad\cnl
of the unfortunate exiles frum the Caucasus and < 'y])ius;
hut Ix'yond the fact that the (.'anailian (lovernnient has
seen tit to iirilie- these ])eople in lar;^e inuidu'rs to the North-
west of ('anada. they iu reality know little of the inijior-
lanci- of the --U^y taken l»y the I )e|iait nient of Immin'i-at ion
to settle a hitherto un(»ccupied part of the Dominion.
NcNCr before has the hepartiuellt l)een calle(| U))on to
face the ditlicidtie.s that at this moment beset their path.
Till-: r.w'ADi.w DDiKiioiioirrsi.
(i;i
I'Ik' otHcial coi'jjs have lia'l six iiioiitlis ul' trciiitiuious
resjioiisibility, uikI it c.iti he >ai'l t'> tlirir crrdit that tliry
h.'iN'' aeroinpiisliiMl \\<)ii(l('i->. Tin vvy that the (i()\t'!'ii-
iiieut hail intioiiiict.Ml a paupri- iininio-i-atidii a|t])('an'(| at thu
Hi-.st i^-laiic't' iii)t \vith(.)iil jnsliHcatioii, Tor in truth these
[Xiople liad been i lej)ri \(m I ol' ahiiost the l)ar<i neces-
sities ot" existence, auil tin- unliappy r<'sult is a])j)areiit to
the most casual onlooker: l)Ut the woi'k done by these
pe(jj»h' iluriui;' the last eiolu iii()nlhs, vvork accomplished in
sj)ite of ni-(>at physical weakness and lex ei-, loudly [)i()cl.'iims
tlie Tact that these ai'<' no jjaupers who claim the rin'lit
to enroll themseK'es as ( 'anadians. Wherever they have
been life has been sustaineij by the ell'ort of their own
hands, and the libei-ty ol' spirit that m.ide them the
\ictims ol" persecution has rendered them serfs in name
only, and has kej»t them from shaiin^' the def^ividation of
theii' class in Russia. 'I'he [(owei- that Chi'istianity in its
ti'Uest sense has of ci\ili/Jn^', in oui' acceptance of the word.
is made manifest in this instance. These jieople, deprixcd
of even the few neces.saries of lift' common to the children
of thf soil, lnnit(!d fr(Mn j»illar to post, made to herd like
lieasts of the field, l)eaten, ill-treated, mothers separ-
at'Ml from tlieii- children and wi\es fr(jm their husbands,
are to-da\ the most [)oliti'. oi'derly people it is po.ssible to
imagine. The Nilhrnc^ the\' are buildini:' testifv to the
[jowers of orn'ani/.ation and inherent oi'derliness of the
people, the results of self-disci j)|int' are apj)ari'nl in the
peo])le as a unit, and the \ ei-y core of t heir I'elioious con
\i<'tions is self ]-cst raint
The al)sence of anN'thiui:' like noisiness oi- excitabilit\
strikes one the instant one moves al>out anions; the \illa*i'es.
The Very children ai'e curiously (juief and i;entle in their
mode of play, and they are miniatures of their eldei\s in
more than their jiicturesipie costume. I he (piiet di;j,'nity
noticeable coiic's from thr bi-st possible iidluenct\ the
pan-iits ha\iu'4 appan-ntly little troiilile in traininir their
children (itlirr than by the i-xample ol their own ipiiet and
industrious li\es Tlx're is somethuiL;' uinUti'ral)ly pathetic
to those who li\e in this wrauiilini,, noisy wurld <•)'( tin-
nineteentli century to see the woiniMi and children of the
Doukholiortsi (juieily and silently bearini: wiih a ;;'real
patience the load that is laid Upon t heir shoulders. The
innate diL^'uitN' of the wone n and theii' uncomplainiiii.;-, un-
tiiini;' patimce ha\e perhaps bicn (lie reason that they
64
nil-: cASMHAS horKiKtuonrsi.
lijiive had strcnotli <n\('ii tlnin to midure lo the end triuls
that tlK'ir uiii^niHi'i'iit j)h3'.si<|Ui' could not alone have
(Miahlcd thcni to withstand. I'hcy are a j^Tcat [)('o|))c —
that is undcniahh': and while they are the chihlren ol* the
soil they are the aiistocracy of tlie soil. |)eoj)le who, to use
lluskins woi'ils, have loinid that all true ai't is .saei'ed,
an<l in all hand la})or there is something' of diviiKniess."
Their hand lahor is niai'vellous, from th(> finest end)r<adery
to the hiiildin;:,' and plasteiin;; of their houses.
The situation that tin- majority found themsehes ))lac<'d
in was OIK' which ealled fo»' decisivt; action, and the DouU-
liohor women, as all ijreat-heai'ti'd women must, I'osc to the
occasion: and it is t(» tlu'm, as it evei- was to the <;reat
pioneer w«jmen of our country, that we are to look for the
host results in the settlement of our Dominion. The men
of each comnnniity were called upon to hire themselves out
as fa!*ni laborers and railway navvies. The distances in
the West are ••normous. and it meant simply the e.xodiis of
the men fi'om the \illaues, and an ahsence that was to be
cotuited l>y weeks oi* months. Then, too. in a villay'e of
j)erhaiis a hundred and twent\- -;ouls the\- tni^iht ha\e a
yoke of <».\en or one juiir of horses, and these were to
pl(iu<'h, and carrs' lumber for the frames of houses, and.
more than all. transport Hour from a s^reat distance to feed
tin- conuiuuiiiy. The (piestion was a uj-ave one; wint<'i'
comes (juickly in tln'se latitudes. Hut the ijuestion was
answei'ed i»y the women, who turned to, h<'lpe(| the few
men left in the village t<t build the houses, and not oidy
trod the moitar and used their hauii-^ as trowels, but carted
the loijs, <irawin;j,' them for miles with the aid of two simple
little wooih'U wheels, which were no l)i'''(rer than those of a
child s ;^o-cart. 'I'he e.irth for the mortar was eai-ried on
tlieir backs in l»askets woxcii df willow oi- in hu^'e plattei's
hewn out of Ions: tin- water wase.irriecl .it times for half
a mile in t' buckets hewn like platters out of trunks
of ti s ail unn' at the end of a htn^- sjipljuM ^\ ,](.(!p
trench was ■, ;•. and by the eilnc .sat a score of wonu-ri less
strong' tha . .leir Spai'tan sisters, chopping with a rude
hatchet hay or ^rass to mix with the water in the trench
of pit. IJwcket after bucket of water was poured in fi'om
tile ]irindti\e wooden |»ails. while six women with skii'ts
kilted uj) nearly to tiieir waists t i-od the mortal until it
was as smooth as paste, .\nothei- <ran^f of wtimen carriecl
it in tile wciodeii Irou^'hs to tin- houses, wliece six or eiijht
/'///•' i'.\.\.\ I't.ix noi KHonoHTsi
r.5
utht'i's pliistcfcd tlic U)^s l»(>th iiisidr and mu willi (Ik cdid
clfi}' paste.
Tlu! ncaliu'ss dl" tin- work was aHtoiiisliin<r, To?' whik- in
sume eases l();^s lar/^c ciuninli to huild a lo;^' house were to
l»e found, in otlier.s tiiev had to bo woven out of coarse
willow hrauehes, the u|iri|nht posts alone heini^ of suflicit^nt
streni^th to sup|)ort the roofs «jf sod (two layers) laid on
with a neatness and precision that is si-ldotn seen in this
country: and the walls of the houses tlieiuseives weic not
only stuffed with clay, l)Ut presented, hoth insi<le and out,
as smooth a surfaces as if the trowel of a first-rate plasterer
had been at work. In nuiny eases these piH)ple hail neither
tools nor nails, and the t-ai-jienterinj; work of the intei-ior
of the house.s is a marvel of in<:;eiuiity. Tlieii- oi-eat ovens,
mouldeil out of clay, always presented a synnneti-icd
aj)pearance which the a))pellation nnid oven does not
convey. They are built close to the entrance, and occupy
a space about ti\e feet sipiarc There are always three or
foiu" niches which are used to ke«!p thin;L(s wai'm and act
as tinv cu])boards. while tlw tlat top, about four feet from
the roof, is occui)ied on cold days by the old j,jrandanie
with hei- T)ever idle knitting; nee(lles, and pei-haps close to
her svvini^s the curious cradle covei-ed with a ciu'tain (b'awn
clo.se round it. and eontaiiiiiii; a chuliby baity swaddh'd.
like most of the peasant race, in i"''a,l sw add 1 i n;;- cloth I's and
lookino- for all the world like a parcel tied uii with broad
ribbons.
There are not many Itabies X,o swin<^ from th<' ceilino- in
the Doukhobor houses. The t-irilile suffering' that the
people havr been called up(»n to bear made the mother
heaits of these ^reat women rebel against the sufieritijr for
the tiny atoms of humanity who had not the ijreat faith
ami reas(»nin^- pow-rs of their parents to sustain them;
and aecordinj^h' the women of the Doukhobortsi resolved
that for th( future no small atoms of humanity should
come into the world of almost unendurable sutf'erin^r.
These women were ready to renounce all that was swi'et.est
\\\
tl
leu"
lives
h>r thi
sa
ke of those the\' loved: and no
w
thank Ood.our eoimtry eaii i,nve them the \\)f\'\ lo be tlir
mothers of little ones wliom thev eherisli with all the
tenderness so lone- denied their i^reat mother hearts. It
is no lie'iit thin;;' for«'anadian women to nu'ditate on t.he
sut
tleriic <tf these < liristiaii sisters, deprnt'd ot so mueh ol
bo<lilv comfort. depi'i\ed in many instances of their dear
»)«
rift: c.WMH.w DorKiionoirrsi.
ones l)y oxilc, and cvrii deprived of tin- joy ol" i't'cliii*;- the
liny ltiil)ef^ nestled to their hoisonis; and it iniist l»e a ^reat
laith that has i\e|»t these same women tVoni losing their
tendei' Nvonianly dispositions muh-r such terrible circnni-
stanees; ;ind that they have not lost it is testified toby
all those whose ^ood fortune has led them into close ctai-
tact with these people. The l)arrier of jannua*;e is a j;reat
one, and one I'eels so helj)less at times when desiring- to
tell them ol' the sympathy and respect that woman I'eels
tor woman : hut they are nt)t, in the real sense of the word,
an ignorant peasant races I'oi* the most cultmed woman ol
the nineteenth century will find a ready r(;sj)onse to the
universal lanjj^ua^e of her se.\ which expresses itself in a
thousand and one little traits common to the whole mass
of womanhood who share the Christian faith — a faith that
inculcates the dignity attache<l to motherhood and wif«'-
hood as the iii^hest possible ideal for the sex. This is
what one feels so clearly while in the midst (jf the><e people
— the .sacredness of fiimily ties, the anxiety for the well-
i'einji of the counnunity.
They are in truth primiti\e C/lwistians, and the writei'.
w ho attended theii- service held on the sexenth dav of flu-
week in the early hours of the morning just after sunrise,
saw in the worship of tlu'se jx'ople a stran;;e likeness to
those ^atherin^s held in the Catacombs and in the chamber
of Home poor home in the fai' Kast. The orcat lonely
prairie stretched away to the hoi'izon : the walls of the house
in which the sei'viee was held were yet damp with undried
plaster, and throuji'h the vifhifje Cyprus fever was rampant.
All week lonj; these pi'ople had toile«l early and late, many
w<^rn out with the tfiort to perform theii work wliile in
the ^rip of intermittent fever, livini;' on bread and water,
with broth made from the leaves of a low shrub. And yet
as the sun rose on that Sunday mornini; men and w<»men
in spotless clothini; wended theii* way to that well-swe|)t
loir house; and the women, ranged «)n one side of the room,
either recited their Psjilms oy cluinted in harmony the
hymns that the men followed with ;i full choj-d of .solenni
.'iccomjtaniment The PsaJms sun^' and recited, the saluta-
tions of the blessed Trinity were < xelian^red. The saluta
.ions of ever-endurinn' brotherhood followed; then the con-
fession of sins, as for a moment thev knelt with foi'eheads
piTssed to the eai'th, nnd enti'eated, " ( )h, Lord, foi'>jive us
all our sins." This was followed l>y the usual j'leetini's.
rill-: I ASA I > IAS IXiCKIIOliltHTSI.
«7
tiinl tli()s«: wliu w»;rc ill (»• iiiijililc to attend tli< scrvicr
\vi!i'»' visited mill fleeted in hiotliorly love, mid the icst of
the day was spent in (|uiet an<l repose, o\\\\ the necessary
t;i,sl<s l)einn- peitoviiiiNl.
('avil as they may at the iniportntion ot what sonie are
pleased to eall ' paiij)er enii*;iants, ' theie may Ije a ;^ain for
('iinada that the average politician little recks of.
The I )oul\hohortsi ai"e placed \ery far from th<; inass of
the Canadian |»eoplc. This is a matter of neci-ssity, aN
heinu; children of the soil ami a juirely ai^ricultni'al jieojilc,
they nerd much land to suppoi't them. The seasons in tin-
|»ai"t of the country where they are located are short, and
there is no time foi* a se(;ond ci'op ; therefore the surface
r(!(juir(Hl for their suppoit is inunense. The fact that they
must be so isolated from the ('aiiadian people is to he re-
L^retted. Krroneous ideas rej^^ardinjj,' tiii'in are spread
broadcast, and the o])inions of the settlers amoui.' whofo
they live do not ic.u'h the centr"es of civilization. Hire
and theiT! a disurnntliil rancher will write to the pa|)ers
exj)ressin<' his distrust at the intiux of foi'ei<rn emiirrants
as neio^hbus. • Neighbors " in the ranching- c(anitry mean
the takinn- u|i of land which has hitherto becui free pastuic
land, two or jierhaps three miles from tlie rancher's shack .
an it is well undei-stood that the ( Joveiiunent has ever
founcJ the lanehui;;- element a ditficult one to deal with in
respect to the subject of immini'ation. The rancher as a
I'ule is ea<j;er to assnn- inti iidiii<j; settlers that tlm land
within many miles of hi^ particular raneh is no ;;'ooil I'mi-
farmin^i' purposes, and if the (le\ elopment of the country
lay in the hands of thr ranclu'rs we should hear little of
the " crow inu' time" The countrv nrotits little by rancli-
in;;,'. The mixed farminu; of the West is to be the industry
which will develop thi' eoiuitry on permanent lines, and it
is mixe(l farming that is to hit a |>roper avera<;e and main-
tain ail e<|ual>l'" state of afl'airs.
Thus it is that an enli<jht -ned polic\ introduces a farm-
iiM"" class who must icprrsi nl both a pi'oduciiiLj and a
consuming class at tin- same timr I he rancher «'mploys
little labor and !ei|uirt's b'W implements. Tin' bii'mrr
who raises mixt'd pro luds employs much more labor, and
consumes a more varied ran^f of m.iteiial.
The Donkliobortsi ha\f alrea<ly pro\ e-l tlu'ir ada](la,bility
in utili/.in;_r to lh<' liest advantage the raw products of the
earth as no .Xn^lo Saxon eoulil attem|pt to do. That they
t)H
/•///■; 'I.V.I />/.!. V nncKiioiioitrsi.
will not Im' coiitciit tt) .lilttvv this st.ati' ol" lliiii;;s tocoiitimu;
is shown hv thf I'ju't th;it throiioh th'' incxixTicncn ol" one
ot" tlifir Ifjuh'r.s they wcir .idviscd to make tli»'ir own
\va<rm)iis, and wood was l)oiii>ht for thcuj to nianut'acturr
iIhmu. Ihcy soon saw that wa^i'^^'ons madr Ity a iTotilur
nianiirartiinT were lai* hettci" suited to th»' (•ountr\', ami
to-day in rieariy «;vt'ry villa^^i^ fortunate »'iiou<;h to j)Osse.s.s
a wa;;L,''on you wdll find one ol' the ln'st luaiiuractuie, and
the man who undertook to provide fhe wood tor home
manul'acture has it on his hands.
The men are eairer to learn, j'nd the need that existed
this sunnnei' tor tht • tak'- f lositioiis as jiireij I'aini
.ahorers was one vvhiet- :'-•• .."ov'mj an in\alual)le I'aetor in
edueatin<r them in Catii. . .i) m 'th(;ds of a;:iiculttire. al.so in
teaching' them somethin;; . i r.lie 'ia»>nH;i;;t' and of the |»eoj>|e
amoiiir whom thev have come tii ve. The law of com-
pensation is cleai'ly to he seen when one I'eali/es rlint while
the women have had a teri'ilth^ share <jf the work in\(»lved
in settling- on the land, and Jia\e heen depri\ed of the help
anil cond'ort of their meidsind, the sam«' menkind have
lit(M*ally been in the l»est ])o.sHil)Ie position to aecpiire the
kiJowlediTf neee.ssarv for them in the comin<>' strujfiile for
existence, and it has meant that their food was better
suited to the re(|ui)'ements of hard lal)or than they wo(dd
have had in the villa;;es. There are many problems to be
faced in re<(ard to the future of these people, iait it is safe
to say that no l)etter class of emigrant h:is evei- be»>n
broui^ht into the Noi'thwest of ('anada: and if the next
twelve months <;i\e as ;j;ood promise for the future as have
the last eiij^ht, Canada has reason to coniii-atulate hersidf
on the ad\ent of an industrious muiI moral ])eoj)le to lu-r
•i^reat. Nortliwest.
li.AI.LV PjKKNMU).
AIMUiNDIX
The t'ollowirii: report has Ixuiii put into the writer's
hands at the (hitc of publication, by Mr. H. V. Archer,
who has just returned t(» the Kast after a tour throu<;h the
different Doukhohor Hettleintnits. The report has been
compiled from ti;riji-(.s obtained from two or three ditTerent
.souices, and if not entirely accuiate, it is as correr' x report
as can bt; obtaint'd undt'i- the exist in<; circumstarii iS.
srM\lAflY OF DnrivHOI'.OR STAriSTr(.S.
COLONY
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14!l 1812
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•Plenty.
UKM.VUKS.
Nr . of Soulii.- Tlif Iota! arri\ Ills in (.'nimda iiro 7,.'''ll - .'i -iliKlil rrroriiifjetf.ing
ili'iallH from lln' villim'i's.
Birlhs and hculh.i. Thrsi; nvv siiuif acUiiil iirriviil i>ii tlieif lanil, and do
not incliido a ffw deaths during livsl winter, when tlu- l)oiikhobi)r-i were at
variouH pointu previous to ^''ttinw out, on lluur land. 'I'Ik! tlKnre-. iire approxi-
mat.ely for six inont lis for li.OOO souIh, HhewiiiK a deaLli rate of 12 per I, lOD per
itnnum, and a liirt.h rale of 12..'J;? iier l.tMH*
lIKUHKUr 1'. AUCIIEU.