Dllll . . t ....
II
CHANCELLOR
DR. AVERY PLACED AT HEAD OP
STATE UNIVERSITY.
HIS SELECTION UNANIMOUS
The New Official, Himself a Graduate
of the University, Has Been in
Charge 8lnce January.
Dr. Snmuol Avery, who has been
sovlng ub acting chancellor of tho
State university slnco January 1, was
elected chancellor by the board of
regents. This action would not have
been taken until tho Juno meeting, ex
cept that one of the regents will not
bo In tho stnto at that time, nud ho
wanted to tako part In It. Mr. Avory's
selection for tho position of head of
tho Stnto university was unanimous.
Dr. Avery, himself a graduate of
tho State university, was professor In
chemistry, had studied abroad and had
received signal recognition over there
for his work in thnt science. When
Chancellor Andrews withdrew because
of ill health tho regents wanted to
put a man In his position who wbb
familiar with conditions In Nebraska,
and recognized In Prof. Avery n broad
mlntlod, brilliant man. they mado him
acting chancellor, They have beon
highly pleased with tho way that ho
lias taken hold of tho work, nnd con
sequently dotormlnod to mako him
chancellor.
Dr. Samuel Avery.
In futuro It will bo Superintendent
of Schools W. M. Davidson, LL.D., for
tho regents decided to confer tho de
gree of doctor of laws on him be
cause of his eminence in tho educa
tional work of tho state.
Stringent rules woro adopted In re
gard to students drinking, nnd In fu
turo mombers.of nny organization that
serves liquor at Its banquot or moot
ing will bo expelled. Practically tho
samo action was taken concerning
tenchors.
Tho following resolutions wero
adopted:
fclrst No student of tho university
shall retain membership In nny so
ciety, fraternity or organization in
tho university whoso membership Is
secret, concealed or not mado public
in tho usual way.
Second Hereafter tho general su
pervision and control of tho Pan
Hellenic dance and all similar intcr
fratcrnlty social functions or ovonts
nro vested In the lnter-fratcrnlty coun
cil. Third No student shall be a mem
ber of any secret order or fratorntty
or other secret organization which
exists primarily for tho mirposo of
controlling student affairs, or which
holds or maintains banquets or other
gatherings at which alcoholic liquors
are- served.
Fourth Any studont convicted of
violating nny of the provisions of sec
tions one nnd tlireo, or olthor of them,
Bhall bo oxpolled or uusponded from
tho university. Any conduct on tho
part of the members of the teaching
or official bodies of tho university
clearly tending to support or encour
ogo studentH In tho violation of thoso
sections shall bo doomed an Impropriety.
Colonel Eberly's Staff.
George A. Eborly of Stanton, recent
ly elected colonel of tho First regi
ment, Nebraska National guard, has
appointed tho following staff ofllcors,
whoso solectlon hns beon approved:
Jeromo A. Lilly of Omaha, regimental
adjutant; William K. Kelso of Wlsnor,
regimentnl quartermaster; Del F.
Lough of Omaha, roglmental commis
sary; Itov. Fletcher M. Slsson of Ne
braska City, chaplain.
Denied a License.
Tho Lafayette Llfo Insuranco com
pany of Lafnyotto, Ind., has beon de
nied a license to do business in No
braska by Stato Auditor Scarlo. Tho
auditor hold that tho company was
writing three different kinds of spo
clal contracts and for thnt reason de
clined to rellconso It.
Thompsoh Supports Mains.
Doputy Food Commissioner S. L.
Mnins recently nnnounced that tho
stato law roqulros n statement of tho
IngredlontB of all food compounds to
bo placed on tho labol. Ho Is now
supported by Attornoy Gonornl Thomp
son, and tho latter, In answer to a
question, has held that when food
packagos nro accompanied by gifts,
premiums or prizes such packngos nro
to bo deemed misbranded under tho
law. Prlzo packngos wero not per
mitted by the formor food commis
sioner, but the question is ngaln up.
ANADA has put her
official stamp of ap
proval on tho Douk
hobors. A Into report of the
Canadian interior de
partment is devoted
e n 1 1 r o 1 y to ' this
"Christian Communi
ty of tho Universal
Brotherhood," ns tho
Doukhoborscall them
selves. In It nro em
bodied tho results of
n careful official In
vestigation thnt wnd
provoked by the Hood of adverse
criticism during tho last ton years
agnlnst those "Spirit Wrostlora"
over since thoy first sottleil I
crn Cnnnda. Us obvious purposo Is
mo inaoracmont of tho Doukhobors
as citizens of tho Dominion and tho
discouragement of any fnrthor nt.
tempts to malign them.
Tho report shows that Instead of
bolng "gold-bricked" bv thn riniil.-.
hobors, Canada really not nn irrnl.
lent body of citizens when sho
brought tho "Dcuks" over to this
Pete-r
VeRlGIM
n MMI M MM ITT T TIlWTT I I W I I Ti
iHHHi vmam' mmsixB h 1 affls2saarr rr i, r "r"wmmr -r
rsKmi r'' ki warn, jmstssy y .
only shelter wan tho winter sky.!
Somo went bareheaded and barefoot
cd, and nil rejected leather footgear!
Many wont crazy and a few died from
exposure.
Tho niost startling fcaturo of a por
tion of this mnd pilgrimage, howovor,
'was that a smnll portion of theso
Doukhobor zealots, not content with
throwing off their outer clothing, de
nuded thotnsolvcs entirely "to Bhow
nature to humanity, nnd how man
should return into his fatherland and
glvo back tho ripened fruit and its
seeds," thoy snld. In passing through
mnny of tho Doukhobor villages this
naked band wero driven out by their
co-rcllglonlsts and beaten with twigs
until tho blood ran. At night in tho1
rain and snow nnd wind they clustorcd
Into ono heap nnd lay on tho ground,
ono on another, for warmth. Straugc
Vr enough It Is snld that jiono of them
was seriously frozon. This stratigo
march Continued until 28 of tho un
clad ones reached Yorkton, w)icro thoy
wero met by tho mounted pollco nnd
wero arrested. Thrco months' Impris
onment wns their lot. After thoy
were rolenscd nil but ton of thoso 28
nude innrcliorfl abandoned their curi
ous beliefs nnd wont back to work.
These ten nttomptcd another out
break, destroyed somo of tho breth
ren's crops and burnod somo of tholr
machlnory, but finally, woro subdued
and Imprisoned onco moro. Tho noxt
year thcro wns anothor attempt at a
pllgrhnngo, but by that tlmo "Father"
Verlgln wns In control and it amount
cd to nothing.
About tho tlmo that Verlgln camo
Into tho full powers of leadership a
movomont wns sot afoot to porsuado
tho government to tnko back tho
largest part of tho original grant tol
tho Doukhobors. Thoso bohlnd tho
ngttatlon claimed that tho community
had moro laud than it over would bo
ublo to uso, nnd that a part of thoi
holdings ought to bo inndo avatlnbla'
r
DOUKHOBOR FAMILY
sido of tho Atlantic. For years tho "Douks"
woro looked upon as a Joko and Canada was
laughed at and ridiculed, but now there Is a
different tnlo to tell. Most of tho stories that
brought tho immigrants Into contempt woro
based upon tho doings of a small minority of
tho communists, religious zealots whoso fervor
led them into extravagance of conduct such
as could bo explained only by mental do
rnngoment. Theso zealots wont naked In tho
middlo of winter on pilgrlmngos through tho
snow In search of tho Messiah. They would
not work and they would not sanction work
by others. They oven turnod looso tholr
tTorscs, cattle, sheep and hogs (given to them
by tho r Canadian government), because thoy
didn't believe thnt horses or oxon should bo
mado to toll for innn dr that sheep or hogs
should bo eaten by man.
Tho majority of tho immigrants, however,
wero industrious and painstaking and had lit
tle sympathy for tho fanatics. These Indus
trious ones have built up tho community prop
erty until now tho Doukhobor colonies nro
among tho best In tho Saskatchewan country.
Thoy aro as deeply religious as ever, and they
cling to tholr old Qunkcr-llko customs tena
ciously, but thoy no longor nro looked upon
ns a problem by tho Canadian government and
thcro will be no moro talk of dispossessing
them from tho magnificent domain they oc
cupy. The Doukhobor has mndo good.
The first shipload of Doukhobors left Bn
toun, In Asiatic Riifisln, In January, 1 SOD, bound
for Cnnnda, nnd by the middlo of that year
moro than 7,000 of them had Bottled In tho
far northwest. Now tho number of theso pe
culiar religionists In Cnnnda exceeds 10,000.
Tho creed of the Doukhobors is Bomowhat
vague in many details. Tho principal points
of tholr belief, however, nro these: Thoro is
0116 Ood: tho Holy Trinity is beyond compre
hension. They do not bellovo In praying in
temples mado with hands, and sny that all the
ccromonles of tho churches, being useless,
woro much bettor left alone. Luxury In food
or dross Is condemned, and going to wnr, car
rying arms or tnklng oaths of any descrip
tion nro forbidden. Their mode of llfo Is
strictly communistic, nil laboring for tho com
mon good. Thoy nro abstainers from alcohol
and tobacco, and, for tho most part, aro vego
tarlans. For many yenrs tho Doukhobors lived In tho
neighborhood of Kief, In what Is called "Lit
tle Russia." In the reign of Alexander I.,
they nil wero bnnlshed to the Wot mountains
of Georgia, In tho Caucasus. Thoro thoy lived
for many years nmong the half-savugo Ma
hometans, who hnve been tha rulers of thnt
region for centuries. Tho crlslB In their for
tunes camo in 1887. A uuivorsnl conscription
wns declared throughout Russia. Every
healthy adult male wns ordered to bo ready for
service In tho army.
For tho noxt three years tho Doukhobors
woro persecuted unremittingly. Thcro wero
Innumerable banishments, imprisonments,
floggings nnd tortures that cannot bo de
scribed, but tho Doukhobors were Immovnblc.
Their condition wnB pitlablo In tho oxtromo
when Count Tolstoy nnd tho Society of
Friends in England enmo to tholr rollof by
raising funds for their emigration to Cnnnda.
Thcro was little difficulty about obtaining
sufllcient Innd at llttlo prlro for tho 7,000
DoukhoborB who camo to Canada during tho
first yonr. Each malo over 18 years old was
allowed to tako up 1C0 acres subject to a pay
ment of $10, which wob three years deforrcd.
Tho Dominion government also gavo a grant
6f ' to each man, woman nnd child, who
reached Winnipeg boforo Juno 30, 1899.
The region whero those Hussion exiles have
mndo their homes 1b In
tho provinces of Asslni
bola and Saskatchewan.
Tholr total holdings arc
botweon COO and 700
squaro miles of splendid
land for agricultural pur
poses, now In tho heart
of tho wheat bolt. When
tho government allotted
this land to thorn, ten
yenrs ago, It was consid
ered by exports too cold
for wheat, but slnco then
tho gruln belt hns moved
nor hwnrd sovoral bun
drc Ib of miles. Tho Douk
hobor Innds to-day aro
worth anywhere from $15
to $40 nn ncro, nccordlng
to location, which would
mako their total market
valuo considerably more
than $10,000,000.
If It had not been for
tho forbearance of tho
Canadian ' government,
howovor, tho Doukhobors
might havo lost tholr land
through tholr own stubbornness about oboylng
tho lnws. They received tholr land under tho
terniB of the Cnnndlnn homestead act, which,
among other things, requires thnt tho person
who takes up a homostend shall reside on it
until ho "proves up." Mow tho solitary llfo
of the homesteador hns no attraction for tho
Doukhobor, with his ages-old fondness for vil
lage living. The result was that tho Douk
hobors, lnstond of remaining on tholr homo
steads, established themselves In a string of
vlllngcs, between 40 and fiO In numbor, that
sprawl across tho plains for a distance of 100
miles northenst of Yorkton.
In duo courso tho government gently ro
minded tho Doukhobor lenders that tholr peo
ple woro In danger of losing tholr homesteads
through tholr failure to live on thorn. Tho
stolid refugees paid no attention to tho wnrn
lug, ami, In tho ond, they had their own wny.
Tho powers of tho Dominion decided to let
them hold tholr land and live ns thoy wished.
This Is not tho llrat concession tho Cana
dian govornmont hns mndo- nnd It Ib not like
ly to bo tho Inst. Not long ago a movomont
was stnrted In cortnln qunrtors whero tho hos
tility to the "Spirit Wrestlers" wub marked,
to urge tho authorities to mako all tho men
tnko the oath of nllcglnnco to King Edward.
As It Ib ono of tho cnrdlnnl principles of this
religious sect thnt thoy shnll tnko no oaths of
any description, doubtless tho Instigators of
this enforcement of ono of tho Dominion's
laws regarding allon settlers hoped that thoy
would move and Icavo their lands open for
purchase at n low prlco. Tho government
know tho Doukhobors probably would rofuso
to tnko any oath, partly on nccount of tholr
belief and partly bocauso thoy would fear that
It might lead them at somo tlmo to bo forced
Into military service Thoreforo, tho authori
ties forbore to press tho mnttcr of tho oath of
allcglanco, but contented themselves with In
timating to tho Doukhobor lendora that his
mnjonty King Edwnrd VII. would tako It as a
personal favor If tho "brothron" would como
nround whon thoy found It convenient and
promise to bo good subjects. Thin plan Is
working fairly well. Something llko 800 or tho
nblo-bodled men In tho various communities
havo takon tho oath voluntarily during tho last
18 months. This hns beon duo nlmost entirely
to tho Influence of their leader, Father
Verlgln,
Peter Verlgln has been tho greatest powor
among tho Doukhobors for nearly 2C yoars.'
10
i
i mm
i Am 7fmm 1 1
mmmammmmdjm
immmv
For 15 yenrs ho was an oxllo In Slborin, to
gether with six of Ills brothers, but thoy all
woro released finally, nnd roached Cnnnda
about six yoars ago. H1h rollowors almost
dolfy him, as thoy had his six great prodoeoBsorB
who ruled llko tho kings or prophets of old
during tho tlmo that tho sect sojourned In
Kussln. During his long oxllo ho becamo a
linn convert to tho theories of Tolstoy, and 13
years ngo wrote un oplstlo to IiIb followers
which Ib mndo up cltlolly or passagos borrowed
verbatim from Tolstoy's "Kingdom of God
In Within You," nnd containing In particular
ono long passago from that book a quotation
of Tolstoy's translation of tho Declaration or
Sentiments which William Lloyd Garrison
drew up In 1838 ror a Poac convention hold In
Ronton. This oplstlo Is part or tho sucrod lore
of tho Doukhobors. It contains no ncknowl
edgmont or tho fact thnt It was takon mostly
from Tolstoy. Thoro probably nro moro people
In As8luIbola and Snskatchownn to-day who
riiu repont tho long pnssngo from Garrison's
declaration than thoro aro in tho United
States who over henrd of It.
Tho disturbers among tho Doukhobors be
long to tho reactionary or ranntlcnl clement,
and theso mndo thcmuolvcs felt to such nn
extent before Verlglft nrrlved in Cnnnda that
nt ana tlmo thoro wns serious talk of bundling
up nil of tho thousands of DoukhoborB and
shipping them out of Canada no ono cared
imicli whither. At that tlmo It was con
sidered thnt the czar had played a colossal
joko on Canada by letting tho 7,000 odd Douk
hobors Icavo his realm, and it wnn a matter
of congratulation among tho Cnundlnns thnt
tho 10,000 or moro who stayed bohlnd In tho
Wot mountnlns of tho Cnucasun woro too stub
born or too fonrful to emigrate.
It wns this fanatical element that was re
sponsible for tho "pllgrlmngo In search of
Jesus" In 1902. Thoso fanntlcn bolonged to
tho Yorkton colonists nnd professed tho ho
ller thnt tho uso or nnimitlo ns boasts or bur
den was unscrlpturnl and thnt Christ would
soon como ngaln In person. Thoy sot rreo
nearly 500 animals which woro caught by tho
authorities nnd sold bnck to tho more sober
minded Doukhobors. Menntlmo somo GOO mon,
women and children sot out ncross tho snow
covered prnlrlo, whoro thoy expected tho Mob
slab to meet them and lend them to ovangollzo
the world. Thoy woro poorly clad, thoy wero
without food, oxcopt such ns thoy could got
from charitable people on tho way, nnd tholr
for other nnd moro profitable settlers. "Father" Vorigln
at onco saw that it waB "up to" tho Doukhobors to mako
nn ndequato dofonso, nnd ho sot about it In a character
istic way. At tho fall mooting or tho community nearly j
$100,000 was sot aside to bo Used for buying now land
Immediately adjacent to tho Doukhobor reservation, and
nit talk of cutting down their holdings ceased forthwith.
Anothor evidence of the quality of Vorlgln'B leader
ship Is to bo soon In tho systom of elovntors and gran
orlos that Is found in ovory center of population In tho
community. Tho Doukhobor farmors nro thus undor no
compulsion to sell their who at and flax tho moment it la
hnrvosted, but enn hold It for wooks or months ir neo
essary. Within the last two yenrs a systom of flour
mills also has boon installed, nnd tho export of flour Is
beginning to bo a considerable item of profit. Plans nro
afoot for a narrow gaugo railroad to connect tho vari
ous villages of tho community. Thoy already aro connect
ed by private telephone lines. In each village thoro Is
ono Immcnso grnnnry or n modern elevator. All tho
farm implements nro owned In common. Much of tho
machinery used In cultivating tho soil Is of tho most
modern typo obtainable, stenm plows bolng
numerous.
As n clnss tho DoukhoborB aro a big, tall
race, falr-halrod, with tho flat noses that aro
peculiar to tho Slavs. Each household holds
itB rcllgloiiB sorvlco at four o'clock ovory
morning. Thoy hnvo no civil courts, but set
tle tholr differences In n religious wny, based
on their Interpretation of tho Scriptures.
There Is snld to bo no crlmo nmong them.
Thoy nro famous throughout Canada for tholr
llvo lUock, and will pay almost any prlco for
tho finest blooded brooding anlmnls.
To the Touch of Love
"We hnvo two Mary Wallaces hero," said
tho morguo koopor. "Funny thing, too. Both
brought In to-dny. You'll havo to bring some
body with you who enn soo somobody who
knew your wife bororo sho can bo Identified."
The sonsltlvo foaturos of tho man contract
ed with suddon pnln, and his dull, roving oyea
sought tho direction of tho morguo keopor'B
volco. Ills stick tapped bororo him on tho flag
stone ns ho moved n stop nearer.,
"That Isn't necessary," ho said. "I I'd
know Mary nmong a million! Sho has tho
softest hair"
Ho extended n hand; tho slim, dextrous
flngors moved gently, caressingly. Tho morgue
keeper understood. Ho hesltatod n momont,
and then grasped tho blind mnn's sloevo.
"Como!" he said.
They walked through tho ofllcc Into the
renr npartmont. Tho air wob chill and tho
blind man shivered. Tho keeper released his
arm nnd there was a sound llko n drawer be
ing pulled out. "Horo," ho said, rather
gruffly.
He caught the visitor's hand again and
guided it to nn uncovered face. The blind man
started at tho contact, so cold was It. Then
hlfl fingers wandered swiftly ovor tho marblo
llko countenance, nnd finally rested for Just
an Instant on tho dead woman's hnlr.
"No, no!" ho snld. ."That's not my Mary."
Tho drnwor waa closed and nnothor pullod
out. The visitor groped his way forward.
The Instant his flngors touched tho shnrp-set
features or tho dead woman his own face was
transfigured. "Mary! Mary! I havo found
you, dear," ho whispered. "How thin your
poor face has grown. How cold you are."
Ills fingers strayed to tho harsh, thin hair
of tho corpse, hovering thoro caressingly, "But
the softest hair tho softest hair," h invf
mured,