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Uev. Elias Newman 223
Madame Novikoflf and Mr. Stead
For a frankly-fair exposition of the late Russian governmental
theory of "toleration" I would refer you to an article by Madame
Novikoff in the Contemporary Review for February, 1889. It is a
review of the late Mr, Stead’s "Truth About Russia," and is called
"a cask of honey with a spoonful of tar," the "cask of honey" being
the somewhat fulsome account Mr. Stead gives of the Russian govern-
ment, and the "spoonful of tar" the gentle remonstrance he ventures
upon with regard to religious persecution. Madame Novikoff boldly
asserts:
"Russia tolerates all religions and prosecutes at law only sects who
propagate immoral and criminal doctrines which would not be per-
mitted in fact in any part of the world where Christian morality is
accepted as the basis of legislation,
"Russia established perfect religious liberty long before many of
her civilized neighbors."
This sounds well; but next we are enlightened as to what the expres-
sion "perfect religious liberty" means:
"In England and in America, where the Christian faith is ’split-
tered’ into a hundred sects, it may be not only possible but necessary
to allow liberty of religious competition, or propagandism. The
sporting propensities of those countries discloses itself even in the
field of religion. With us it is not so. Our Church prays daily for
unity of all the churches—we consider every schism a plague whose
infection has to be stamped out. We have no hankering, I assure
you, after the ideal of possessing as many creeds as there are sign
posts. As for us, we are content with one absolute truth, based on
the Gospels, and explained by^ the seven Ecumenical Councils.
Before even the duty of defending the frontier from invasion of
hostile armies is the duty of defending the orthodox faith from the
assaults of sects, heresies. Hence, while we permit every man to
practice freely in Russia whatever creed he professes, we cannot
permit attempts to pervert others from the orthodox faith.
"In Russia you may be Protestant, Catholic, or Mohammedan, and
you may practice your rites, and worship God in your own way, and
also bring up your children in your own creed, but in mixed mar-
riages, with a Greek orthodox, the law of the country insists that
the children shall belong to the established faith. Besides, you must
keep your hands off other people’s creeds and other people’s chil-
dren. Nowadays every quack soul-saver thinks himself entitled to
pervert our simple-minded peasantry by filling their hearts with all
kinds of nonsense in the name of religious liberty. Now, why should
there be more liberty given to spiritual quacks than to medical
quacks? Imagine a splendid hall, brilliantly lighted with numerous
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