Saskatchewan Gen Web Project - SASKATCHEWAN AND ITS PEOPLE by JOHN HAWKES Vol 1I 1924 BR>


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SASKATCHEWAN AND ITS PEOPLE
1924



         

PERSONAL KNOWLEDGE OF THE EARLY EUROPEAN IMMIGRANT.

DOUKHOBORS.



Councillors divided the money, or its equivalent, according to the size of
the families.

A Doukhobor could not personally own a house, or a cow or a calf or anything else, although purchased with their own money. This became very galling to those who had gone about and learned something of modern ideas, and many withdrew from the community and entered for home- steads in accordance with the regulations. Like many Indians, some of these learned more of the white man's vices than his virtues; they not only ate meat, but drank whiskey, smoked and even swore,of course in English as there were no swear words in Doukhobor. However, they be- came excellent citizens as a rule. The older people and some of the younger, making a majority of the whole, stood fast to the old order

The Doukhobors were at first very poor. Count Tolstoi had financed their passages out and some assistance was given from the Dominion Government, but all the fit men had to go to work, leaving the old men and women and children in the villages. They had at first no oxen or horses, but got ropes and strong young women hauled the plows with the old men between the handles. This was done principally for gardens, and not on a large scale.

Amongst other activities the Community took the contract to grade the Grand Trunk Pacific branch from Yorkton to Canora which meant thirty miles through a country a good deal of which was low and wet and alkaline. They made a good job of it and earned a lot of money between seeding and haying. Of course there were a great number of them to do it but the labor was well organised and the work was systematically car- ried out. Other Doukhobors undertook to grade some of the wet parts of the Canadian Northern between Dauphin, Manitoba, and Prince Albert, Sask., being a job that others would not accept or take hold of at any price. The Doukhobors drained the muskegs, cut the sod with spades and carried the "dirt" to the dumps in hand barrows. They got a good price per cubic yard, and they worked from daylight to dark and they made a lot of money.

With this money the farms were equipped. Their living was cheap and they saved most of their earnings, and they certainly were a hard- working, happy and contented lot, both men and women. They were very religious, being literal interpreters of the Old Testament; they had prayers night and morning, and sang hymns at their work; withal they were very courteous and hospitable and would take no money for accom- modation, as I frequently had to discover, but a gift to the children was allowed.

A change came over them, however. Some fanatics worked them up to fever heat. They were "God's special children," and God would take care of them. They should not work animals or use them in any way as they were the Almighty's, and so on. So, many of them turned their stock loose, and hauled all their implements and wagons by hand, long strings of them being thus employed. They discarded all leather and woolen clothing, because it came from animals, and wore linen garments and rub- Bibliography follows:



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THE STORY
OF
SASKATCHEWAN
AND ITS PEOPLE



By JOHN HAWKES
Legislative Librarian



Volume II
Illustrated



CHICAGO - REGINA
THE S.J. CLARKE PUBLISHING COMPANY
1924




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