The Mystery of Iniquity

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The Mtystery of nniquity An

Expose

of the Spirit and

Namre

ol International Communism By

LOU IS RICTIA.RD PATMONT

"For thc nystery ol

lawlessness

dotb aheady uorA." Thess. 2:7 (R.V.)

-II

Tur

Gnarrrn PusLtsntNc Fresno, Califomia

CoNcnnr.r

TO The Memory of

ZACIIARAY TAYI.OR. SWEENEY Former United States Consul-General to Turkey, Peedess preacher and author, whose

of Christian Americanism were, through

Unwavering ideals

Years of association,

An inspiradon To me

This Book is Dedicated

CoPYRTGHT, 1933

BY

ruu Au:'xcx

Table of Corrtents P.g.

CnaprER

Preface

:

i-in

-

T:avail

I.

The Beginnirg of

II.

The

ilI.

The Mark of the "Other Beast

IV.

The Mouth Speaking Great Things and

I

-

27

Beast

,7

87

Blasphemies

V.

W'ar

VI.

The Great Deception

VII.

Doctrines of Demons

!7ith the Saints

VIII. Victory Over the Beast

LL9

a-

r45 181

-

2L9

LOUIS RIC HARD P,A.TMIONT

Preface setting forth the facts relating to international communism, the author doEs nor make apologies foi the wrongs in the capitalistic svstems now extant in the world-, nor does he defend the evils which dourish under the patronage and pr-otecrion of -these governmental schemes. On the cohtt.ry, lt is hii firm belief that extra privileged svndicalism in capitalistii counrries is as anri-Christian as is the syncficalism now obtaining in the Union of Socialist Soviet Republics'

In

The charse is made that foes of communism are much concerned with the affai"rs of Soviet Russia rather than with pointing out our own national evils. Critics remind us that in the English-speaking countries alone, thousands of miners and other unel'ployed workers are practicallv it"*ing because of these evils, that millions are shameieistlv ."ptoif.d, rhat"other millions are carrying the weight of peri-

for existence. countries organizEd crime, as well told that'throughout"these "has assumed proportions which rival even the as oolitical corfuprion, ieciet diplomacy'and intrigues of nitiohal government. Further, the declarati6n is niade rhat uiless we clean house in these countries, we *iii o"ty intensify rhe resentment and prejudice of internationalincom"an intolerable ryranny and th,e -.rnists,'*ho a..ho* overthrowing Soviet republics are makin g great sacrifices in a new. social exper.tment.' All atterirpts to point out the fallacies of communism, 't ls sald,. only in capitalist ;;l; btt"ei .ip tf,e predatory and- reactionary elements ot bolshevrc population whole the that told further ari \7e countries. Russia is kept at work and enjoys a measure of equaltry not to be found elsewfiere in the world, while for instance in the Unlted States and mil' ;il;, ;h;; five hundred millionaires at the one extreme, to is. attempted it book, this In other. the at underprivileeed ii."r'of .*oor. ,flot" uhholyiot..s, which, protected by national goveqnment' pr'omot. selfish int6resrs which tend to enslave rather than to llberate

odicil

depressions, while being denied their human rights

V. ;r;

the

masses,

author is in accord with the principles enunciated by. C.hrist The -ieimon on the Moorr,, and believes ihat the evils in civilized i. 11is exist in ;;r";i.; ;;t not the result of these principles, but rather been never has Cliristianiry thein. of spite in .loori,ion ro them and Frankfin, that " ch rist' s #"1"""" ?i. i ri"i i# b-.ii;*:, *iin g..i "min with us' are the best ;d tiligion, as he left-them |;;,;;J;;tdt ;i;;;.i.1 ;;;;;;;; ii iiflelv to see," and with Daniel vebster when -

II he says,

will

go.

"If we abide by the principles taught in the Bible, our country on pro-spering . . .; but, -if we ird our posreriry neglect is

instrucdons and authoriry, no man can tell how sidden i catlsuophe may overwhelm us and bury all our glory in profound obscuriry. the Bible is the book of all others for liwyers as well as divines,'and I

piy q.

man wh_o.cannor find in it i rich supply of thought and rule of conducr. I believe Jesus Christ to be th6 Son of Cba. ffre miracles which He wrought establish in my mind His personal authority and render it propEr for me to believe what He .rrirtr.,' The criticism will be made, further, that the tirle of this book

The Church of Christ is an organism whose growth is characterized by the lord's daily addition oT "them that bilieve,,, rather than an organization domineered by scheming men seeking personal adulation. The term, "Mystery of Iniquity," ai used here, frcjudes all opposition to the principles of Christ. No claim is made thar the Maii of Sin has already been revealed as a person. Communism is the antithesis

of the christian wehantcbattrng.'Leninism opposes all the idealism of Christianiry. It gives the lie"to the claims b'f tt. diui.riw of Ter,r, chrisr as well as ro rhe docrrines of biblical rheism in general. "It is the mysrery of iniquity in that it opposes all clairgs of reli"gion and has determrned to exterminate it at all cosrs. The claim is beins insistentlv

pressed that the advance of science (meaninq by this chiefl? the pf,usl'cal sciences, such as biology, geology and altronomy), has'prov.t it.

destruction of the claims-bf -trre Eibre and of th6'iruth br ci,ri.i;i revelation. Any student of bolshevism knows that "orthodox" cofirmunistic science is materialistic in basis, denying all theories of idealism, and that its progress and development is mechanistc, conraning no

III of the spritual. This so-called science is pitted against Christian faith. The interests of the two are held to be iireconcilably antagoelements nistic.

Again, the reader is reminded of the facr that the aurhor is nor defending the pseudo-Christianity which has retarded, rarher rhan encouraged, the progress of science. The Chrisdan religion as taughr by Christ and the apostles has always been the parron of science, and most great scientists have been devout Christians. Naville, in his book endtled "Modern Physics," has shown that the grear discoverers in the scientiflc world were, for the most parr, devout men: Galileo, Keppler, Newton, Bacon, Brewster, Kelvin, and many others, disprove the charge that religion has not been able to coordinate with-scientific progress. The truth is that all worthwhile achievements civilization are the result of Christian culture.

of

modern

The charge that organized religion also has been responsible for untold bloodshed and horror is beside the point. The teachings of Christianity ate not responsible for the errors of humanity. These principles applied to government, sociology and economics, do not

result in the production of super syndicates which exploit the masses. Indeed, it has been proven that those very trusts are among the most fervent advocates of the communistic syndicalism in Soviet Russia, for purely mercenary reasons. These organizations through their intricate schemes of 6nance, are assisting its perpetuation, enabling the "great red dragon" to give "power unto the beast"-worshiping it by saying, "who is like unto the beastT who js able to make war with him?" It is this beast which speaks "great things and blasphemies" against God, blaspheming His ram.e agd His tabernacle. International

it operates in Russia fits into the apocalyptic picture. restricts the commercial activity of those who do not bear its mark.

communism as

It

The picture of Revelation in connection with the Antichrist is indeed a gloomy one. Vhile we expose the unmistakable earmarks of the "Mystery of Inquity," no attempt is made to prove a biblical analogy of the chapter titles; neither are they of necessiry given in their chronological order. The titles were chosen because of their connotations, and the Scripture texts because of their apPlication to the events under discussion rather than their interpretation. The reader

is left to make his own deductions as to the exigesis of

the

biblical texts. The author does not desire to repeat the mistake made by orhers who, at various periods of the last century, have desig-

IV nated Napoleon I, the Pope, Mussolini, and a host of others as the Antichrist, making Catholicism and Protestantism, each in turn, symbolize the Beast of the Apocalypse.

The ensuing pages are thus presented in the hope that they may serve to warn the Christian !7orld against imminent dangers; the great apostacy, and to point out the necessiry of a renewed interest in the subjea of prophecy and the soon coming of Christ.

The use of the singular first person pronoun in this book is with matters affecting the author's

resorted to solely in connection personal experiences.

Grateful acknowledgemeot is made to the following authorities and sources, from whom we have quoted freely: Better America Federation, Los Angeles, California, the late Lt.-Col. LeRoy F. Smith; The V'onderful !7ord, Harrisburg, Pa., Elizabeth Knauss; Lt.-Col. Edwin Marshall Hadley, author of "Sinister Shadows" and "T. N. T."; The United Press, Eugene Lyons; Amalthea-Verlag, Vienoa, publishers of "Geist und Gesicht des Bolschewismus," Rene Fulop-Miller; Licht im Osteo, '$7'eringrode; and other newspapers ar,d magazines, as well as our opponent, Sherwood Eddy, author of "The Challenge of Russia."

Louts RtcHaRo ParuoNr. Berkeley, California.

May,79)).

CINAPTER ONE

The Beginning of Travail "But all these tbings are the beginxing of trattail."Matt. 24:8. (R. V.)

I The great financial catastrophe which struck in the fall

of

L929

of previous world-wide collopse of the industrial and commercial strucrur'e, followed by famine, fiters., and human sufiering. In the wake of this financial cataclysm, followed a depression, th"e like of which has been unequalled in the annals of mo'dern was merely the echo

Ir has been claimed that thii disaster, afiecting the lives of millions, marked the end of the epoch of a brilliant capitalism which has increased the wealth of the worid to figures that staggtred the mind. It is certain that the depression which followed, seriously impaired in the wodd's history. It iman industrialism never before equalled -extent brought about radical chang-es paired also a commerce whose even in the remotest parts of the earth, introducing modern.commodiries, means of transpoltation, and knowledge, undreamed of by nations heretofore satisfied to live under primitive conditions. Yet the curve of financial achievements was unable to keep pace with scientific, artistic and cultural advance. Progressing upward from the beginning of the Great 'W'ar, the economic scale reached its peak at the time of the 1929 finarcial collapse. It immediately expeiienced a steady decline. No amount of boosting, optimism, "Pollyanna-ism," or ingenious advertising schemes were able to change the cold facts. It is true that Babs-on and other prophets of commerce, whose judgment must be respected, indicated a gradual, though slow, recovery. Yet, even these 6na.rce.

prophets admitted the precariousness of the situation. In comparatively of unemployed have been walking the itreets; and, though Soviet reports are grossly exaggerating the suffering and privations in the states most severely affected, it must be j:ro-sperous America m-illions

adiritted that the gloom and pessimism of the depression had a ter-

rible effect on the morale of the people in all capitalist countries. Only those who are familiar with the tactics of red agitators, who have assumed the leadership for world communism, have been able to discover that this beginiing of traaail throu$hout the wodd has, to a large extent, been engineerEd by these wodd plotters. Rioting

Tnr Mvsmnv or INrquttv

2

and sabotage were and are being inspired systematically. Armed revolts

are skillfully planned. The world market was cleverly manipulated

whenever there was a chance to do so. Methods of dumpnig, buying, and selling basic commodities to provoke consternation of business men and demoralization of existing markets have been an effective strategy of the Red forces. The capitalistic governments of the wodd, including that of the United States, have become aware of this sciendfically systematized scheme to destroy confidence in present insdrutions, and to inspire the belief that Soviet Russia could feed, not only its own people, but also the wodd, and supply every market with basic commodities. Bolsheviks are reluctatnt to admit that many millions of people are doomed to starvation in the United Soviet Socialist Republics as a result of communist mismanagement, and that other millions are forced to subsist on the scantiest rations. The facts regarding the miserable existence oo starvation wages, in crowded quarters unfit for human habitation, and a thousand other evils suffered by the unhappy population of "The ITorkers' Paradise," are concealed as much as possible. Instead of making such conditions public, communist propaganda pictures only the padded "glowing successes" of the Five-Year PIan of industrial'ization^ and its Suildin[ and engineering programs. No mention is made of the fact that the price for this "success" is streams of human blood and the despair of millions. Industrial depression in caoitalist countries has made available to Soviet Russia the best brains of^ the world and certainly those of the United States. The gliaer of Soviet gold has been so attractive that great capitalist syndicates are making enormous efforts to increase the gains secured by their cooperation with Soviet Russia. The press has been polluted through its tiint; and erstwhile patriots in political, educational, and industrial vocations have sold tlieir holy birthrights for it. Godless materialism and selfishness are at the bottom of a condition which has robbed millions of happiness and contentment, making PauPers of other millions who have bien disillusioned regarding the lasting reward of honest

toil and thrift. After years of

ceaseless scheming, the communist-socialist-bolsheat their command vast naual resources, a rich territory, comprising onesixth of the area of the globe, and the servitude of perhaps 160,000,000

viks have iot found the promised fiiopia. The leaders have had

people, brow-belten into submission. In place of the workers' paradise, Russia has been changed into a gruesome hell of suffering and

It\ilcs iI thc Ur:rl seateri ir irout 0f their dugout.

Group of condcntn-

erl

l1 osco

stu(lerlts

rt:

rr,

llussirn Soviet sr:hool childreu rrrartlritrg siLIr their teirchcl u ,J(,$ eNs trom Ne\\' f.

orli.

Tnr Mysrrnv or INrqulrv

4

duped .sympathizers and misguided press agents are elaied because "sr6ps aie Seing taken by the Soviet authorities to relieve the present acule food shortage by rushstarvation. Instead

of facing the facts,

ing to completion a number of large food plants throughout

the

country." Since the revolution, there never has been a time when the popuIace was not forced to obtain food rations of meat, bread, s,lgai tea, clothing, and other necessities. Even water is often apportioned in

a similar fashion. Communism has imposed hardships on the Russian people which they never experienced tnder the old sysrem. Foreigners, who for any reason must stay in Russia, frequendy must bring their own food supplies. In view of these facts, it is hard to understand the mental processes

edy

in

history aird

still

of those who can witness this ironical tragthe communist experiment is

recommend

human progress. C-oncerning pro-communist wrirers, outside of Soviet Russia, and their views, one can only postulate two explanations. The most charitable of these is the supposition that they-are deceived, first, because of their ignorance of thClanguage, and, iecond, because of the clever strategies of conducted tours. If this supposition is denied, one is forced to the conclusion that these persons are insincere, paid agents of the Communist International itself.

By reason of years of residence in various countries of Europe and

of knowledge of the European languages, including the Russian, and by avoiding Soviet "tours," this author has been enabled ro ger ar the real siruation and to corroborate the unbiased evidence preiented by others likewise equipped.

Tnr

BrcrNNrNG oF Tnavarl

5

tariat" ever held forth for the masses. The population of the cities and the happy villages was, for the most part,- well fed and conten-t. Evangelical-ehristian1ry, though often persecuted and suppressed, made wonderful Drosress. A wholesome litErarure and a distinct an made for the deeire#ng of the Russian soul and proved a boon to civiliza-

tion in general.

Now, sweeping changes for the worse are taking place. Russia is bleeding frori rnany wounds. The more than 150,0O0,000 peo-ple of that vait area of approximately a million and a half square miles, extendins from the brltic S." io the Pacific Ocean an,i from the frisid sfores of the Arctic to the torrid steppes of Turkestan, are unEergoing untold sufiering. The remnant of th-e best blood of Russia is beiig Exterminated. Individual effort in industry,- commerce, and art, as -well as the right of religious worship, are being strangled. The people, with the-exception of the terrorists themselves and the Red hrrirv,'are in the thrbes of starvation and want. A very large o"r.".rt"n.'of the population has been thrown into rurmoil and contusion. th. *.tt.i fiaoe'become discouraged and disheartened. Because of the cultural backwardness of the greater part of the oooulation: for onlv this wpe seems to have survived the red terror, 'communists, aided by an intricate political organi' of i s'mall minority-efiicient spy system, successfully rules and ruins the zation and an country. The population is'iniimidated thtough the G. P' U. .(Sowiet policei, and 'otlier subordinate organizations, which are pledged to if,. p,iipot. of abolishing all privaie ownership and. of exterminating all religion, along with every other bourgeots rnstlhrtlon'

of private properties in the cities, as well fiave been.robbed oJ their fossi:ssions. The methods used were over-taxatlon and trumped-up chirges. The object in view. was al*ays the confiscation of the vittim's lroperties, goods and land' il. i.rp..tire owners not only losr their iosiessions, but were pressed to the'last desperate degree'by the ex6cutors of the government's oid.rr. Extortioh and im"prisonment for debt were the order of the Shopkeepers and owners

,, p*ui,r,

duy.

Governmenr rax debtors were forced ro perform hard labor without receiving compensarion for rhe same. Tliousands upon thousands of oeoole h"ave blen deprived of all rights because of their former ;;ri',# i"-iife. or becarrle of their belieT in God. The lishensy (dis' iranchised) do not have the privilege of sending their children to

Tsr MysuRY oF INrqulrv

6

school, nor do they have any voice in matters of public welfare. Red ration cards, granting to the holder the privilege oI buying bread and other necessities, are not issued to them. They are doomed to starvation unless they possess secret resources or illegal means of support, or else are enabled to survive by the mercy of other human ECings who are willing to share with them their meagre food supplies.

But even the vast army of (poorly) paid workers which enjoys the favor of the government is suffering from want of food.1 \Therever one went in the U. S. S. R., the cooperatives arrd the governmenr lln the Daily Skerch (England) there was an article (entitied "IITomen !7ho Waitl(ait") , written by Iver Bryce, which is a short and clear desciption of the situarion in Russia under the Bolshevik. To quote: Ir was a shock to me, on my return from a fortnight's holiday in that sixth of the wodd's surface which is the U. S, S. R,, qo be confronted with an arricle in the Daily Sketch entitled 'I7here Women Are Happy.' I saw plenry of women in Russia. They fill the streets morning, evening, and ni*htwomen.waiting in queu-es for food, for tramcars, for cigarertes, oi for wagts, and chers ,ust warfln8, tor lack ot any other ocapatlon. A few are walking tropelessly up and down the streets, but the vast maiority are waiting-waiting with a little empty basket on their arm. when I left my .horel io rhe morning for rhe day's sightseeing-still waiting . rUTaiting, when the evening. I returned for dinner in There is only one alternative to waiting in Russia, that it to do without. go You must ro Bus_sia-you musr -see for yourself those rows of resigned, hopeless faces to realize the hell thar daily round can be. The least to be pitied are the young peopl-men and u'omen who have erown uo under the Bolshevik regim-who have never known other conditions, and w6ose onlv knowledge of the outside world is drawn from the propaganda wirh which rhev are surrounded from the cradle Everybody (except a fiw hundred Bolshevist officiils in the Kremlin) is equal in Russia to-day. There is no denying that. The leveling has been complete. The only objection that a caviller could raise is thai this universal level is lower than the _lowest standard _ of rhe poorest and mosr miserable members of any civilized nation of the post.war world. I most solemnly aver that I would rarher lead the life of a convict in Dartmoor Primn than that of an ordinary member of the Russian Drolerariat. The convict is io even way more.to be envied. He has.bener food, better clorhes, more inrerests, and, above ali, the most important thing there is-the hope of bener days ro come. From our gid guide, th_ough many of her remaiks are rhe stock argumenrs, every day repeated, some litrle personal touch occasionally leaks our. She is pleased with her dress, which is new. ft is rhe firsr she has had lor a veer but she hopts rhis year rhe- Srare will get enough clorhes ro le aUte rc-diiiiiL*";oih;;: . "It isn't I quesrion of money," she explains. She has plenry of thar, but n",riiiiy rhere rs nor otten anythlng to buy. "And, of cour.se,". she continues,- "rhe State can only procure the cheapesr quality . of materials, and the clothes do nor last very well"Yes, it is sometimes rather cold in winter, but thinss will be better soon. "It rould be wonderful to have a new pair of shoi!-perhaps they will issue some And

" . "4q,," I argued, "I Moscow." to in

soon.

saw some women's shoes in that Government shop you rook us "Oh, .thole.," she .replied. "they-..were beautiful shoes. and only rhirty-one roubles. I woutd-gtve fltry roubles tor a pa,r like rhar, bur we are nor allowed to buy them,,'

"Not allowed?"

"No, only foreigners are allowed to buy in rhe shoDs.', This conversation ended in my wife briving a pair'of rhese shoes (the kind that crn be bought-in a.ny central Eur-opean markerplacd for'a few strillingsi,- r;A-si;i; il;;-;; our liftle lricnd wtapped wirh great secrecy in a sheet of the ..Isvestia.,, Until wc rcalizcd thar roublcs (whicli cost rhe foreigner ovei is. each ro buy) havc

Upper photo shows "bezprizornie" (homeless) children sleeping on-floor photo shows a nine year old boy engaged in laying a street pavement in Leningrad'

of u-iJiiioia station at Pe;m. Lower

Tnr Mysruny or lNrqunv

8

stores were unable to supply the needs

made

up of those who

possessed

of the people. The bread lines,

food cards, often extended rnany

blocls. Women and children were obliged to wait for hours to get the coveted vicruals. The bitter cold did not cause them to eive uo their turn for the purpose of purchasing bread, s,,gar, milk, or Jtotfri"g. The most pathetic sight of all was the great number of homeless children, herded together at the railway stations. Theirs are the most pathetic, appealing faces in all the wodd. The people generally were virtually in rags. Even the best dressed were uniformly drab.

Diny old trams crawled around the streets, crowded with miserableJooking people in whom hope seemed dead. The women conducrors wore men's caps and lacked all feminine refinement and charm. It seemed as if someone had cast a spell upon the people, forbidding them to think or feel or plan for the furure.

A

hard chilling atmos-

phere of fear and suspicion held them enthralled. They stood about ^,h. ,tr..t, in huddles,^ seemingly because there was t o'*her. else to go, and because, in 6ne weather, the streets were preferable to the overcrowded ill-smelling moving picrure shows or to the ten metres of floor space which is their official allowance for a "home."

An order had just been issued to permit the peasants again to trade on the open market places. There were few peasants, however, who dared bring their waies for sale. Most of the food they offered was stale and oiioriferous, or else beyond the purchasing price of the average person. Hundreds of people lay on the sidewalks begging for food.-Away from the large luxurious hotels which the government a real value of practically nothing-we found it strange to see the quantiry of money wbich sims to catry in his pocket. When eventually we giasped that basic facr ir explained, among other things, why 90 per ceor of the few shbps that do exist in Moscow and Leningrad are only allowed

every Russian

ro sell to the tourist.

Every rouble received from a foreigner means so much value in gold brought inro the if they were to accept thCmoney from a totarisbcb (comrade) they would be giviog-.out metchandise of a re-al value i_n exchange. for bank notes which represent nothing more rhan a tew seconds work of the Soviet printing press, This is a solendid svstem at Dresent. and orovides the wherewithal to buv the brand new Rolls-Roycis of which we siw four or 6ve gliding luxuriously in and'out o[ rhe Kremlin-

country;'but

Stalin

all its resourcc, is moving A sixth of the surface were not born on it-

friends

the reason why Russia, self-destruction. stars, gentle reader, rhat

\/iew of Russian atheists desecrating churches. Photo b1' Inteluational Newsreel.

Tnr Mysrrnv

10

oE INlqurrv

keeps fot the patronage and irnpression of foreign visitors, food was scarce. One was ofren obliged to go hungry iith the resr of thc people, or else subsist on edibles *['ich, eliwhere, would be classed as almost impossible.

_ The housing-problems were appalling. Many were forced to take refuge in the outskirts of the ciriesl living in holes dug in the ground and covered with waste sheet iron and. orher water-iroof malerials. Houses and streets had the appearance of neglect uird *in. prbli.

buildings wer_e crumbling. Priclically no repa-irs were being made. The famous Saint Isaac Cathedral in Leninerad had been ihansed into a cheap muserun. Churches were being- closed on every haid. Many ministers of the gospel were being airasted, and theii houses of worship were being desecated by rhe-anti-God societies.

_ At Leningrad it was possible to obtain first-hand information on the economic and religioui siruation. Nor following the specific direcqion go register at the- luxurious Hotel de Europe, wiricfr ii maintained for the special beneft of visiting foreigners, -we were not forced to submit ro being paraded to the ''special places of interest," intended also to impress them favorably *ith the Soviet program and the progress of the Five-Year Plan. Instead, we visited th6 crowded and ill-kept quarters of the working people. In some cases, a half-dozen a.n{ m_ore housewives, Jl"jlg- in a small ,trouse, were fighting to get their chance at the single kitchen stove. The governmenr-store-and Zooperatives were unable to supply the demandifor food. Only a meagre slpply of-bread, tea, and sugar was on hand. The only m'eac obta"inable was horse meat or camel and dog meat. Even ration cards were useless in many cases. The same conditions obtained in Moscow. In spite of the claims that there was a shorrage_ of laborers, the unemploy?d were much in evidence. Thousands of beggars were in the strieti. Many children, victims of free love and an iresponsible government, piesented a tragic picrure. The plight of rhesi unfortr,riares was iie'art-rendine. Chariry for the srarving was akogether an individual matter. Th"e extravaganr claims of- communism were advertised everywhere. Life was made a burden for most people. Family privacy and home life were being discouraged. Publishid governmeni pi.ns liroposed to build more workers' barracks, workers' clubs and fictory-kitchens, instead

of

homes.

In

the country, brigades of ciry workers were doing their

best

THn BToNNTNG oF Tnavarr

11

to aid the collective movemenr. They were seemingly unaware of the fact that their presence added anothe'r burden ,o ,ir'kotAhozy (collective farms) which were, in some cases, already strained to ihe point of collapse. In spite of the many evident failures of these collective fatming enterprises as social experiments, the communists in charge of these AolAhozy were eager to demonstrare rhar they were achieving real victories for their Marxian undertakings. Elsewhere success wai being achieved ar tremendous cosr, measured in human misery and suffering. .Theatre and school, alike, were being used principaliy for propaganda rather than for art and education. The communist hatred for religion had assumed destructive proportions. Cut-throats and adultereri were held up as heroes and^ examples for youth to follow. This hero worship of the leaders of the revolution amounted to idolatry. The plight of-Christian believers was a pitiful one. It was dangerous ro make any profession of faith. Moral conditions were most alarming.

The tragic picrure of the situation as it unfolded itself before the writer's vision was too overwhelming for description, for his was not a_"hermetically sealed" rour conducted by alert Soviet guides. The sole.duty of the latter is to spare the tourist any possible-glimpse of conditions which may arouse his suspicion and disgust. The foreigner is to be impressed only with real achievements and progress, an-d is constantly reminded of the cruelty and the represslon of pre-war -homes, days. "Sample" medical institutes, a few modein children's

excellently equipped supply stores, as well as "model" factories, recre, ational centers, and the few up-to-date workers' homes are ever contrasted with the inferior institutions of the old days. The foreign visitor is never told that these up-to-date and modern workers' cottages arc avallable only to a yery few favorites. The masses still live in houses built during the old regime, and these houses are not occupied by one family, as was the case then, but often an entire family or else numerous unrelated persons, of mixed sexes, dwell in a single

room. The standard of living, generally, throughout Soviet Russia is lower, not higher than in pre-war days, and improvements of sanitation are to be seen, for the most part, in Soviet statistics and reports, and apart from "show places," rarely borne out by the actual siruation.

Iior the most pert, human rights and cornmon decency are disregarded in the G. P. U.'t dealings with those who have incurred the disfavor of the ruling class. The marvel is that so vast a majority of people, not in sympathy with the government, patiently submit to

Tnr Mvsrnnv or

L2

INrquIrv

these inhuman outrages. The entire frbre of the present regime would long ago have collapsed, but for the cunning and highly efficient strucrurC of this secret Cbeha (police). The United Commissariats head with a vengeance the work against counter-revolution and spying. Notwithstanding their braggadocio claims of suppressed crime, the filthy prisons are overcrowded, and there are always exile transports on ihe rails. Many of the unforrunates are innocent victims of jealousy, hate, and betrayal.

In spite of cruelry and force, the methods of persuasion employed, the people cannot be converted to communism. The staging of anti-

of priests and preachers or their condemnation to exile and virrual slavery, the changing of houses of worshio into motion picrure theatres and clubs or their destruction with dlnamite during a^nti-God orgies and processions will never move the masses to embrace the philosophy which promPts such actions. Methods like these do not win the Russian heart, in which religious feeling is firmly rooted. This fact is evidenced especially during the Eastei and Christmas seasons, which are observed as faithfully as ever. The church is still a mighty force in Russia, in spite of the claim of Soviet propagandists that, for the most part, it has been liquidated ar the reques[ of the former members themselves, relig'ious exhibits, the execution

An article in

issue Nu.mber 2

of the BefiozniA

states:

"Many of the proletarian families have brokeo with the Christian celebra-

tion and with religious prejudices. Many, but by no means all, have done so. There are still laSorers,-especially peasants, whose children's minds are still being beclouded with the myths of Christ aod his birth, Christmas trees, etc. . . Very*often even non-religious parents celebrate such Christmas feasts, preparing Christmas trees and carrying out the usual customs for merry-making with their

19,"s:"4a"&,.

THr Mvsrrnv or lNrqurv

L4

children and friends. Thus, there is stored in the child's mind the foundation for religion and superstition. But what has been impressed upon than in their youth is hard to eradicate later. It is customary thai the eldeis of the families, the grandfathers and grandmothers, and often also the mothers, lead their children to chu-rch where they may ptuy . . The chitdish hunger for knowledge is satisfied by divers religious and superstitious stories and explanations. All such teachings and stories create within the child a certain fear. Through this fear the child not only loses his equilibrium of nerve, . . . the appetite, digestion, etc., are also impaired. For these reasons, children should be protected from faith and superstition, and raised in opposition to religion in their early lives. For it is from our children that we raise the later aciive laborers and builders of socialism. Is it therefore plausible that these people should believe in such secret powers as God, the devil, etc.? No, they should nor! such faith leads to a weakened will power. ]{7e must use all our strength to awaken in the children moods which will fight against faith and superstition."

Another correspondent, writing in Number 12 of the same publication states: "The sectarians write godly letters, and ye't rhe homsomals7 (young communists) are not outraged. The young people in . . the Don region have not yet been disturbed with anti-religious activities. It is, therefore, no rare thing for young people to go to church, especially during the religious holidays. Io one village the kortsomolsy are even circulating a petition to liberate their arrested priest, who has for years been engaged in contra-revolutionary work. A komsomlka (young woman communist) from this village went to attend a religious celebration . . The hilahs and, the believers hinder us everywhere in our work. In one place they are distributing leaflets which state: "'Brethten in Christ! The antiChristians want to lead us, but disregard them . , . and pray for the forgiveness of your sins. The terrible judgment of God will come upon sinners who follow Satan. . . . The time is near at hand!' This tract talks about the fight of opposition which these enemies of ours are engaged in under the guise of religion, and it should inspire the Aonsomolsy to

systernatic anti-religious activity."

Of interest also is the issue of the Besbozni* of March "A Mennonite Paradise." To quote:

which complains about

"Not far from the city of Khiwa in the

Republic

of

,,

t93L,

Usbekistan, are

a

of German Mennonites. The sweeping Socialist building prograrn, the collectivization, the liquidation of the hilaks, all this makes no impression on the Mennonites there. In all of those viliages there is not a single communist, komsomol, or pioneer (member of communist children's number of colonies

organization)."

IThatever one's view may be in regard to the apostacized condi-

tion of the Russian Orthodox church in pre-war days, one thing must be admined; the Russian Easter-the oational Pascal Feast-always

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BrcrNNrNG oF Tnavarr

t5

bore a distincr Christian character. The greeting "Christos Voskres!" (Christ is Risen!) was heard throughout-rhe lird. Uniting the high and the low, the rich and the podr in Christian brothelhood, tfis

for centuries. Christmas, in its significance and appeal to Christian faith, has always been observed. These traditional religious celebrations bore a distinct testimony to the presence of a living reality-the Christian religion, even though this reality

custom has- been preserved

often was obscured by a meaningless ceiemonialism and empty formalism. The distinctive religious.aspect of Easter was a symbol'not only of the resurrection of oarure, buf it took on the joy and color of thos-e fine traits of Russian Christianity, a deep religious feeling and its fruit, a widespread and unique hospitaliry. These virtues daie back to dre primitive church and have always been practiced wherever the Gospel of Christ has been preached. Present restrictions imposed upon rhe people by their despotic lovernment require all workers ro reporr ai ttrEir places of e-iloyment during ttre Easter season. The iemi-official godless society carries on an intensive campaign ridiculing this age-old cusrom, through posters, motion pictures, radio broadcasts, and public speakers and actors. This campaign includes the serving of refieshmentl (an alluring gesture in view of the shortage of food which usually prevails) and the distribution of hundreds of thousands of free show tickets

during the Easter season (the shows consisring largely of anti-religious propaganda). Yet, in spite of the danger involved in observanie of the celebration, a vast majoriry of the people still clings to its traditions. The tragedy of the Russian people is reflected in the dismal nature of this observance. Official opposition has compelled secrecy, but at the same time a solemniry and spiritual significance have been added which cannot be other than beneficial and conductive to spiritual growth. The fire of persecution only refines the faith, long much obscured by mere rituals and forms. Thousands are put to this fiery test, and primitive Christianiry, with its heroes and marryrs, its trials and triumphs, its challenges and its love, is being restored. In this tribulatioa period, the church of Christ is being purified from the dross of worldliness and from a worship which is devoid of power and from an indifferencc whiclr paralyzes rhe soul.

II. Observations everywhere convince one that conditions are not materially difierent in any part of the country, and that the sraodard of living affecting the massEs is considerably lower than it was before

r6

Tnn MYsrrnv or INtqurrr

the war when no food cards were needed to obtain the necessities of life, and when commodities were notably cheap and plentiful. In view of such facts, it is difficult to understand why certain interess and apostacized Christian (?) leaders in capitalist countries are clamoring for the recognition of Soviet Russia and hence the Cornmunist International, which will mean the perpetuation of this blot on civilization. Internadonal communism is not content with the work of destrucit has wrought in Russia. The wholesale slaughter of .innocents which it has perpetrated there has onlv increased its determination to brins violencd aid sufierinq to other parts of the world. This horrid' bloofthirsry Beast of comniunism has'purposed to bring about world

tion

revolution at all

costs.

Dr. Nicholas Murray Butler, President himself a liberal, recently admitted:

of

Columbia University,

"It is openly declared by the leaders of the Russian revolution that it is onlv by violent aition that LiLeralism, or what they call the Capitalist state' can be 6reithrown and displaced by the dictatorship of the prolet_ariat. It follows that the revolution in Russia will not allow itself to be considered as merely national, but rather insists on being regarded as truly international in scope and significance. Were it not so, tEe revolutionists tpach, a communist state in Russia would itself quickly b6 the object of the violent attack and overthrow-b.y the entrenched foices of the so-calied capitalist states throughout the world." Already the evil effects of the communist state are felt thpug-! our the *oild. Violence and agitation has been the experience in all lands wherever the red slogans are carried. Trouble is brewing wher-

ever the red flag has been-hoisted as the emblem of organizd- government and sediti5n. "Dull minds" that object to the inroads of the red evil are condemned as "obstructionists" to the "greatest historic success." More than three thousand American engineers and managers of the first Five-Year Plan. Credits of over worked for the comPletion -extended by many wealthy American-corporadons. $250,000,000 were

Other countries, too, have helped the Soviet scherne by exending credits which 'arnount to smpddous millions' Instead of increasilrg American prosperiry, the export of American rnachinery has had the opposite effect. The depression has become more acute and is increas' irij with each new "s.rtcess" of the U. !. q. R. The entire wodd is in"a state of consternation, and tbe beginning ol lrauail is spreading like a loathsome disease. Financially, the balince of trade favors the

Tnr

BTqNNTNG oF Tnavarl

L7

nations concerned, but actually, the trade relations favor the Soviet. It has been estimated that the quantiry ratio of trade exchanges is about five to one in favor of the U. S. S. R. Thus it hapoens thai the wodd market is flooded with Soviet commodities. The'riatural result is unemployment and the lowering of prices and rhe consequent lower living standards. Since Soviet Russia-s labor is paid with all bur worthless paper money, the government's gain in gold is considerable.

The Five-Year Plan included a program of religious extermination. The Godless organization is supposed to number over 50,000,000, with members from every country of the wodd. Christianity has been stigmatized as the arch enemy of communism. Only atheism is conducdve to the establishmenr of international communism. Institutions whose sole purpose it is to teach atheism and to train anti-religious cathechists are being established in Leningrad, Moscov/, and other centers. Hundreds of students have been enrolled in these "anti- theological" schools. Comrade Krupskaya, the widow of Lenin, is an outstinding leader in this movement.

Milleniums ago the seer Daniel foresaw the present distress of the nations, saying, "There shall be a time of trouble such as never was since there was a oatioo." In Christ's parting discourses with the disciples, as recorded by N{atthew, we have an even more exact picrure of such a situation in the statement: "All these things are the beginning of uavail. Then shall they deliver you up unto tribulation, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all the nations for my name's sake. And then shall many stumble, and shall deliver up one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets'shall

arise, and shall lead many astray. And because iniquity shall be multiplied, the love of the many shall wax cold." (Matt. 24:9 R. V.) Further light upon present-day scenes is thrown in the record contained in the sixth and seventh chapters of Revelations. Restrictions upon religious practices in Soviet Russia are continually becoming more drastic. In the aim to accomplish more speedily a conformity to the standards of godlessness, an order has been sent forth, calling for competitive efforts in the cities and villages in the work of restraining religion. Evangelism is prohibited. Young people under the age of. 18 are not permitted to attend any church, and the criminal code provides:

in

"Teaching of religious beliefs to young children and persons under age, statc or private educational establishments and schools, or violation of thc

Tnr N{vslrnv or INIqutrv

18

regulation on this sub.ject, is punishable with compulsory labor for a period not exceeding one year. (Acnrally the punishment is often banishment and

death-the Author.)

"The collection of contributions on behalf of

groups is punishable with compulsory labor months or a fine not excceding 500 rubles."

ecclesiastical

for a period not

or

religious

exceeding six

Ali Sunday Sci.rools ha-ve been closcrl. The reading aloud of the Holy Scriptures to the children has at times been punished by death. The burden of believers is increased daily. No new churches may be acquired since the state has claimed ownership of all such properties and is diverting them to purposes other than worship. The second Five-Year Plan includes the closing of all churches.

The anti-religious decree, which became effective M^y 75, in Paft in the "Advance Guard of Youth," described ^PPeared af the journal of the Pan-Unionist Commission Extraordinary 1932,

for the Fight against Religion. The complete decree is said to have 118 articles divided into five sections, corresponding to the five years. During the first year measures were to be taken to close all religious schools, academies and Catholic seminaries and to discontinue the teaching; of theology. During the second y€ar, the edict is quoted as saying, the campaign is to be conducted to the end that "from May L, 1937, there ihall not remain a single house of prayer in soviet territory. The very concept of 'God' will be expelled from the soviet union as an insrument to oppress the working masses." From 1933 there is to be organized a drive against religion in the home and in the old convents. It is expected that all soviet institutions will be "purified" throuch thc absence of persons holding religious beliefs. The printing of religious books, brochures and reviews for the use of religious bodies will be rigorously forbidden. The preparation of objects necessarv to religious worship will be punished with- extreme severity. Special attention q,ill be given to the inculcation of "intelligent irreligion into the psychology of the masses." Among the things io be use.l ilre iltlreistic films, of rvhich rt least 150 havc :rlreatly been c

reated.

During the chird yeir Bre.lter ecitvity is to be organized in all who give religious instruction

atheistic groups. During that year

Tur

BTcINNING oF

Ttavalr

tg

who shall not have renounced their religious posts are to be expelled

from Soviet territory. During the fourth year all churches, synagogues and houses of

Draver are to be put in the hands of official institutions for the Lrg'anization in theie buildings of cinemas, clubs, and "other means of enlightened entertainment."

During the fifth and final year the previously achleved results in the strtfigle against religious'mentality will be'consolidated and developed.

ln 1,929 alor,.e, L,)7o church properties were either confiscated destroyed, and since then, othei thbusands of buildings used for religious-worship have been closed. This oppression against the chuich is furthei intensified by the fact that only atheists can obtain work and proanre food cards. The meagre food supplies sold by venders of food can be purchased only at. exorbitant small priva?e prices. Soviet orators admit that ten million PqgPl,e will be Put out tf tt. way through such methods in orilEr that-the plans of communism niay be Earried out unhindered. Many are- i,icdms of exposure to cold because of scantiness of apparel and inadequacy of ihelter. According to some estimates, about 1,000,000 prisoners are being confined on the Solovetsky Islands -in the _rJ(hite Sea. At or

Kyem, a former monastery which has been changed into a prison, are scores of evangelical ministers who have been cut off from communication with their people and who are being tottured to death in overheated prison iellf or else are confined to filthy, vermin infested, unheaied cells where their lives are being slowly snuffed out, due to such exPosure or to the r-avages of typhus.__These circumstances are the riore to be regretted since it is a well-known fact that a large number of these ministers and leaders of -evan-gelical churchs thirs doomed have been betrayed into the hands of their tormentors by their own trusted friends.l

True, these betrayals were attended by mitigating .circumstances. Bolsheviks are cruel with religious prisoners. No doubt the lists of churches and their elders were handed over to the G, P. U. as rDurinq his visit to Helsingfors. Finland, the author came into possession of an ofrcial dociment siened bv I' SI Prokhanoft as president of the All-Russian Evangtlical Soviet U.i,i. ir-*tiii'li'*E mi-6eritip of the evangeliiat Christian churches throughout R;;;; ;.r;-";;ea io 'tu"ai"iaid lovaltv to ihe Soviet Governmeot againsc all- enemies,

foreign and doiresric, because its principles con-sisrently-set.forth the teachings ot L-h-rlst' ,q, il'milar insttun:ent'*", seot out'bv Rev. Pavloff, as-head of the Russian Baprisr Union'

Tur Mysreny or

20

INrqurrv

the price for freedom. Perhaps rhese men, who, in former days were "great in the Kingdom of- God", as it manifested itself in Ruisia, little realized that such ghastly tragedies would ensue. They were governed by "the first liw oi naruie-self-preservation", when they yielded to the temptation to obtain frEedom rather than to "lay down their lives for their brethren". News of the fate of these Christian marrys is being brought to the amention of the oumide world from time to time bv a few Jrisorre19 who have managed to escape inro Finland, Polaid, and thina. Vhile in a conference with Count Berg and the editor of a re-

in the latter's home in Helsingfors, Finland, on visit, the writer was introduced to a Finnish preacher. a

ligious publication

a

recent

refugee, who had just crossed the border. This man told ris the story

of the condemned in the prisons and prison camps of Soviet Russia, which later was checked 6y the author during hiis travels in Soviei Russia. These people are put to work at the most strenuous labor, while their strengrh lasts, hauling logs to the saw mills. For the most paft, the work musr be done by hand or with such primitive tools, levers, and ropes, as they can manage to make from-the material obtainable on the island. Iron discipline is enforced upon the prisoners by fellow convicts who are beihg promised bonuies and reductions of sentence for their cruel enforcemEnt of G. P. U. des. rules.

These unfortunates are often forced into icy water to land logs. The work begins at 5 o'clock in the morning. No breakfast-is served. Each laborer must perform his given task, no matter what his srength may be. At times the day's work is not finished until alrnost midnight. Food rations are composed of coarse badey porridge and thrle and one-half ounces of b^lack bread. The only irrotein obtainable is in the form of dried fish. Meat is not to be secured. Men too weak to work are beaten, brutally kicked about, and thrown to the ground. As a result, mafiy are ruptured and maimed. In the summer time, the mosquitoes are so numerous that it is impossible to escape them. The suffering is intensified by insufficient clothing to cover the body, in the summer to escape the torture of the mosquitoes, and in the winter, the torture of the cold. ITomen and gids'are compelled to accept the advances of the cruel guards. Expectant mothers are often taken to the forest, never to renrrn.

In the Lubyanka prison, an inquisition is being conducted which in some ways rivals the inquisition of the Dark Ages. The prisoners

Tsr

BEcTNNING

oF Tnavan

2L

are conducted to cells which have been heated electrically. The iron walls heat the atmosohere until the prisoners must divest themselves of all clothing and I'ie close to the harrow crack under the door in order to catch- a breath of cool air. In February, L929, or.e hundred prisoners were taken out of Solovetsky prison and ordered to dig iheir graves. Thereafter, their legs and arms were chopped off, and they were then thrown into the graves, where they died in unspeakable agony. A Russian priest was executed in the following manner: His aims' and legs *erl broken, and he was shamefully"mutilated otherwise. riTooden pegs then were driven into his head through the temples. To complete their work, his devilish torturers poured molten l^ead into his mouth, whereupon he was thrown into a cauldron

of hot water. Other reports coming out of Soviet Russia ate almost as incredibly horrible. Yet cipitalist nations have not hesitated t9 P-urchase the lumber, manganeie, coal, oil, furs, and a multitude of other materials produced by these unfortunate exiles. The communists of Spain, South America and China, inaugurated a similar reign of teiror. I7herever communism comes, there will follow in its #ake hate and bloodshed, arson and war, starvation and want, depression and misery. Communist syndicalism is even more able thah that of capitalisrir to concenttate vast wealth in the hands of a comparative fe*, to the detriment of the masses. Unless the Golden Ruli is applied in business, the great business -mergers, chain systems, and conibinations of capitalism will bring about the other ei