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created?” his answer was, “It has not been created; it has
existed from all eternity.”
The examination of one of these Deniers or Agnostics, a
peasant trader, named Chichkin, before a magistrate will give
a good idea of their attitude.
“Who are you?” asked the judge.
“Don’t you see that I am a man? Are you blind?”
“What is your religion?”—“I have none.”
“What God do you believe in?”
“I don’t believe in any God at all. God belongs to you.
You discovered Him. I don’t want Him.”
“Do you kneel to the devil, then, and pray to him?” said
the judge, with irritation.
“I kneel neither to God nor devil, because I have no need of
either. The devil is your discovery. God and the devil, with
Tsars, priests, and officials, are your affair. You are all
children of the same father; I don’t belong to you, and I
won’t have anything to do with you.”
These people naturally reject all ownership as now
understood. Their mode of “exchange” is exceedingly simple. “If
you want anything, and I give it you, take it. When I want
something from you, you shall give it me in return.” Chichkin
would have given meat, clothes, money—anything whatever to
the first comer, to satisfy a real need. But he would not give
a single kopek for tobacco, wine, &c. “I would rather throw
my money into the sea than help you to poison yourself with
tobacco,” he would say. If anyone said, “Thank you,” to
him, he replied, “Stuff! you have what you want, you have
eaten; go away content and happy.”
In their efforts to be natural they neither shave nor cut their
hair, and use no spirits or tobacco, so as to preserve bodily
health and the force and beauty of the spirit. They dream of
a life in which every one works for himself, satisfies his needs
out of the earth’s produce, makes what goods he wants, and
avoids all superfluity. They are perfectly willing to help their
neighbours, but altogether refuse to be compelled to work.
When Chichkin was in prison he was shaved, and according to
the rules, he should then have begun to work, but he wouldn’t.
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