Newspaper Page Text
8
IN THE RUSSIAN CAPITAL STILL
Two Good Mottoes.
N a former letter mention was made
of the illuminated sign over the
gate of Pastor Fetler’s Church
building. Its transliteration may
be interesting. The best form of it
probably is: Dom Evangelia, House
of the Gospel. On the building it
self there will be, in letters legible
by day and especially so at night,
p..
m 3
-
as they will be illuminated, this glorious sen
tence: Bog Yest Lubor, God is Love. This
sentence Mr. Fetler has on his correspondence
cards. It has already been the cause of many
conversions in this work. Dr. Len G.
Broughton has on his great church house in
Atlanta, Ga., the word “Tabernacle” dis
tinctly legible by day and by night. We have
not sufficiently advertised our church loca
tions and services. We are restrained by
foolish traditions and conventionalities. We
have allowed men of the world to exercise
vastly better judgment and enterprise than
we manifest in our work for the Kingdom of
God.
Many Services.
On Sunday evening, January 14th with us,
and January Ist in Russia, I visited a number
of mission stations. It required some cour
age to make a tour of this character, when
one does not speak Russian, but the result
fully justified the effort which it cost. There
are several centers of gospel influence in this
city. The first visited was the one under the
direction of Rev. Ivan (John) K'argel. He is
one of the oldest and most honored of the
evangelical workers. This veteran is now as
sociated with the body known as Evangelical
Christians. On November 23, 1879, his work
came under the new law; he was then a min
ister of a Baptist Church. He at that time
took the oath of fidelity to the Emperor. In
the City Council Chamber the ceremony was
performed. Instead of the crucifix the newly
organized Church laid the pulpit Bible on the
table; and the oath was accepted without
kissing either Bible or crucifix. I found, on
Sunday night, a goodly company of believers
at this service. They were kneeling in prayer
as I entered. As is common in these services,
many took part simultaneously in this ser
vice of prayer. Mr. Kargel has had a worthy
history in this trying field; he has experien
ced many trials arid triumphs.
Rev. I. S. Prokhanoff.
This brother was, for some time, a student
in the Bristol Baptist College, England. Here
is a man of impressive personality and of abil
ity and effectiveness as a worker. He has been
editor of the Russian paper, “The Christian,”
and he is connected with the Russian Evan
gelical Union. At the moment he is in the
midst of conferences with workers from many
parts of the Empire. About 200 delegates are
in attendance on the meetings of this Confer
ence. There are certain open Conferences
and others which are private; in these latter
plans are discussed for aggressive work.
Seventeen missionaries are now employed,
and it is hoped that at least thirty may be
put into the field next year. The police are
aware of these private conferences, but no in
terference has thus far taken place. Mr. Prok
hanoff recently baptized forty persons in the
baptistery of the German Church. He is not
regularly in line with our Baptist work. Per
haps one purpose of the visit of the President
of the Alliance is to settle difficulties, to har
monize brethren, and to secure greater unity
in our work. A number of halls in different
parts of the city are under the direction of Mr.
Prokhanoff. It is a pity that there should not
be entire unity of plan as well as of spirit in
these endeavors. One difficulty between
brethren outside of St. Petersburg has been
amicably settled; some English brethren here
believe that this settlement, if nothing else
Hvere dope, justified the long journey from
The Golden Age for February 15, 1912.
By ROBERT STUART MacARTHUR
America to Russia. There are great possibili
ties in the office of the Presidency of the
Alliance.
Our German Brethren.
* It is difficult to overstate the value of the
service performed in Russia by our German
Baptist brethren. The beloved J. G. Oncken
has a place of special honor in this connection.
As early as 1864 he made a journey to St.
Petersburg to plead personally with the Czar
on behalf of persecuted Baptists, especially in
Western Russia. Pastor Miemetz was then set
tled in Memel, on the frontier; he joined Pastor
Oncken in this noble mission., Pastor Niemetz
has an honored place in the history of these
events as a heroic champion in the holy battle
of religious liberty. He died in 1873. He and
Pastor Oncken endured much on this journey;
but their labors were not in vain. Saturday,
December 3rd, or rather, Sunday morning, De
cember 4th, as it was after midnight, to avoid
publicity, the ordinance of baptism was admin
istered for the first time, as a personal confes
sion of faith, in connection with a Baptist body
of Christians. The ordinance of baptism was
followed by that of the Lord’s Supper in the
cover of the night. These were trying days for
these brave men and women. Baptists have
been and are the heart and soul of all these
Evangelical movements in Russia. September
21, 1879, Mr. R. S. Latimer, in his book, “Under
Three Tsars,” reminds us, was a great day in
the history of German Baptists in Russia. On
that day was published the Imperial decree
permitting, under certain restrictions, liberty
of worship, according to conscience, and mak
ing valid marriages celebrated by pastors of
Baptist Churches among their own members.
In 1899 the present Czar added valuable liber
ties to those granted by his illustrious grand
father, Alexander 11. Progress toward liberty
is very slow. Something has been done; much
remains yet to be secured. *
Pastor F. Arndt.
This brother is now pastor of the German
Baptist Church in St. Petersburg. Sunday
night last I visited his people in their attractive
hall. For twelve years and a half he has been
pastor of this Church, having come here direct
ly after his graduation at Hamburg. He at
tended our great meetings in Philadelphia last
June. The service last Sunday morning was
most enjoyable. German sounded much more
familiar to the ear than Russian. The commun
ion service was tender and spiritual; several
offered prayer; in the number were two sis
ters. This was the first time I ever heard a
sister pray at the communion service. Why
should not sisters share audibly in the prayers
offered at this service?
August 9, 1903, Pastor F. Arndt officiated at
the first public administration of baptism in St.
Petersburg. This was an occasion of great in
terest ; it marked an era in the progress of lib
erty in the capital of Russia. There were then
great rejoicings among Baptists and among
all evangelical Christians. It was far more in
telligent joy than when thousands of Russians
were baptized in the river Dnieper at the com
mand of Vladimir, when Christianity was intro
duced into the Empire.
In the hall where the German Church meets
services are held each Sunday in various lan
guages ; there is first a service in German, then
one in Lettish, then in Finnish, then in Swedish,
then again in German. Lately a service in
Russian has been introduced. In this respect
this Church is like the Mariners’ Temple and
the Second Avenue Baptist Churches in New
York. Pastor Arndt and his excellent people
are obliged soon to leave their present hall.
They are, however, contemplating the erection
of a place of worship of their own. Already a
considerable sum has been secured for this pur
pose; and German Churches in the United
States have promised aid in the erection of the
building. The Lettish, Swedish, Finnish and
perhaps still Qtber Churches may unite in the
use of the Church in their services, thus sav
ing expense for all and giving a center of influ
ence for all. Over Brother Arndt the police
hold a threat, as he is, in some sense, a foregin
er; but it is hoped that he may be permitted,
without interruption, to go on with his good
work. Still, who can tell? This is Russia.
Linguistic Providences.
The visit to St, Petersburg has been much en
joyed ; but the prospect of returning to England
and soon to America, is not less enjoyable. Ev
ery moment in St. Petersburg has been occu
pied. Many important lessons have been learn
ed. One lesson is the important part which a
knowledge of the English language has per
formed in the introduction of Evangelical re
ligion into Russia. This remark finds a strik
ing illustration in the conversion of Mme.
Tchertkoff, Mme. Paschkoff, the Princess Siav
en, the Princess Gagarin, Baroness Von Kruse,
and her sister, Mme. Yasnovsky. The latter
woman, noble in the highest sense, is of the ut
most service in our work in St. Petersburg.
She made many friends when in America last
summer. She has helped this writer at every
point in Russia; she has given valuable infor
mation regarding matters Russian, she has act
ed frequently as interpreter and translator from
Russian into English and from English into
Russian. All the letters written to Russian offi
cials she has translated. Lord Radstock did
not speak Russian, but by his good French he
reached the aristocracy, and the more educated
classes generally. Many of these two classes
speak English, French, German and Russian
with equal facility. There was also a wonder
ful providence in Mr. Fetler’s knowledge of
Russian and English! his vernacular was Let
tish, but the Czar’s decree obliged him, as a
boy, to study Russian. He now uses his knowl
edge of Russian to preach the gospel in the
Czar’s capital. Any man in the ministry in the
United States ought to strive to know at least
English, German and French.
Leaving 1 Russia.
The time has come to leave Russia. January
4th, Russian style, January 17th, outside of
Russia, Dr. MacCaig, Mr. Chas. Phillips and
the writer start for London, stopping on the
w T ay for a brief visit in Berlin. It would have
been most desirable could a visit have been
made to Budapest to help the Hungarian breth
ren in their difficulties, but this was found to
be impossible on this trip. A journey would
have been made to Riga, Moscow, to Libau and
to Windam had not the Minister of the Inte
rior declined to extend the time of permission
for a foreigner to speak in Russia. Much, how
ever, has been accomplished in Russia. A rea
sonably good knowledge of the work has been
secured; difficulties between brethren, difficul
ties which were almost certain to result in per
manent alienation, have been removed; the
work of the “Dom Evangelia” in St. Peters
burg, has been thoroughly studied; the varied
places of work in the capital have been visited;
and important service has been rendered in re
lation to the proposed Bible College. To promi
nent members of the Emperor’s official family
strong words have been written and spoken re
garding the numbers of Baptists in Russia, in
the United States, in Great Britain and in the
world. Their character and work were clearly
presented; and promises were received that
Baptists should, in the future, receive the con
sideration due their worthy character. One
official used hearty words in expressing his ap
preciation of Baptists as subjects of his Majes
ty. Probably such word's wer.e never before on
this subject spoken to or spoken by any Rus
sian official. It is not time yet to speak of the
full situation of matters relating to the college.
All Russian officials were most courteous and
the American Ambassador proved to be worthy
of hims.elf and of his great country. I am
most sorry that I cannot visit now Hamburg
and other places in Germany, outside of Berlin.
London seems like home, when one looks for
ward to it as he leaves Russia.