Los Angeles Sunday Times
FEATURES OF WORLD WIDE INTEREST
Los Angeles Times, dated Jan 27, 1924, page B21
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Among the Holy Jumpers at Boyle Heights, Where a Large Colony is Becoming Americanized
Molokans Lead Happy Life at Boyle Heights - Visit to Colony of Russians Known as ‘Holy Jumpers’ Shows Them to be Americanizing Rapidly
By J. T. Mears, Jr.
"Ever hear of a Molokan? There are more than 5000 of them in Los Angeles. They have a colony, their own religious services, prophets, elders, and a sort of a government. The local colony is the largest in the United States and one of three such outside of Russia. The others are in San Francisco and at Guadalupe, in Lower California.
The Molokans founded their Los Angeles colony in 1904 when religious and political persecution under their “Little Father” led them to seek a kindlier father – Uncle Sam. And they are glad they did and are happy, contented, loyal to the government and not sympathetic with Bolshevism.
CENTURY OLD
The Molokans, as a distinct sect of Russians, sprang up about 100 years ago in the Caucasus region. They were called Molokans, which is the Russian for “Milk Drinker” because they went right ahead drinking milk during fast periods observed by the Orthodox Church. It was a nickname and stuck with them. They were proud of it despite the rather distasteful circumstances that brought it about.
Molokans in Russia were persecuted for two things. They did not believe in the orthodox creed and they were against war. Their religion gained them another nickname “The Holy Jumpers.” This refers to the emotional manner in which they conduct themselves in religious services. Something like the old-fashioned camp meeting shouters they let the world at large know when they feel possessed of the spirit. They scorned the hallowed traditions and sacraments of the Orthodox Church. The Little Father and his advisers decreed banishment or conformity. They chose banishment, or rather, voluntary flight, or kept quiet.
The Molokans rocked along for years until the Russo-Japanese war in 1904. Their conscientious objections to fighting brought them into disrepute with the Czar. Several hundred families left Russia, a majority of them settling in Los Angeles.
LIKED LOS ANGELES
The Molokans who came to Los Angeles, like the Iowans of the present day, like it here. The climate was mild then as it is now. Oppression was unknown and they were left to their own devices. Again, like the Iowans, they wrote their friends about the wonders of Los Angeles. Scores of families, relatives and friends of the original settlers arrived between 1904 and 1908.
Since 1908 the Molokans, nestling secure in their colony in Boyle Heights, situated in the area bounded by east First and Fourth streets, Anderson Street and Boyle Avenue, have gone about their business.
It is doubtful whether a considerable number of Angelenos know there is such a colony. About the only instance in recent years the Molokans have come to the notice of the public was in 1918. Their objections to bearing arms naturally conflicted with the plans of the draft board. The young men, sons of the original settlers, of the draft age registered and a delegation was sent to Washington to plead their cause with General Crowder, head of the draft board. They won out and were exempted from service.
The quiet and orderly manner in which the Molokans conduct themselves is felt when one walks around in the colony in Boyle Heights. Everywhere one sees the bearded men, with their quaint blouses and caps. Bright-eyed children scamper about chattering in English. The streets are as clean as in any similar section of Los Angeles, probably more so than in some where native-born people predominate.
NO BIRTH CONTROL
One thing is sure. Margaret Sanger and advocates of her kind are unknown in the Molokan colony. Large families appear to be the rule. The women, who are seen on the small porches or walking in the streets, usually have several urchins tagging at their heels. The appearance of these women, with the inevitable white shawl wrapped about their head, in many cases reassures one that birth control has not achieved headway there.
Americanization, a term objected to by many foreigners in that they feel it assumes they are not anxious to become good citizens, is working wonders in the colony. Chief among the agencies working among them is the international branch of the U.W. C.A. under the leadership of Miss Elizabeth Beglaroff, Russian secretary. Miss Beglaroff is a Russian by birth, speaks several languages and loves the work she is in. She flits continually in and out of the colony, giving helpful advice and aid to those in distress or sick.
Miss Beglaroff is hopeful that the Molokans will add a desirable part to the citizenship of Los Angeles. In fact, she says, the second generations proves it.
ASSIMILATING RAPIDLY
“The old folks who were born in Russia”, said Miss Beglaroff, found the English language and American customs hard to learn. But they are giving their children every advantage possible to grow up like other children. The children are learning English and in another generation the Molokans will be thoroughly assimilated.”
Miss Beglaroff and the reporter were walking through the colony when she made the above statement. The pointed to a beautiful young matron who was passing. The young mother was carrying a healthy, jabbering, blue-eyed baby.
“There is the daughter of one of the Molokans,” Miss Beglaroff said. She went to school, gained an education and now is happily married to a native American, who is not of Russian descent.”
On down the street, a trio of young girls was notices. They were typical flappers, bobbed hair, wooly sweaters and the other characteristics were there. One paused to fish her “compact” from some unknown hiding place. In a minute she had remade her face and roughed her lips. The conversation of the girls, in excited tones, referred to some sort of a dance and the frequent recurrence of masculine names, not Russian in origin.
“One of the necessary evils of Americanization,” philosophized Miss Beglaroff, but her smile indicated she was not quite as cynical as her words would lead one to believe.
PRESERVE DECORATIONS
A typical house in the colony was visited. There the quaint interior decorations of Russian homes were preserved. The green and red colored paper garlands hanging from the ceiling were not a survival of Christmas but an all-year feature, it was explained. The paper decorations cover up the electric light wires, the mother of household said.
Another Russian article seen was a handsome brass samovar. Poets have sung of this but it remained for the Molokan mother to explain how it is used. One put the charcoal in the little cylinder in the center of the samovar and fills the vase-like container with water. In a few minutes boiling water is available at the spout for the teapot. English are not the only ones who like their afternoon cup of tea, it would appear.
In another home an old patriarch with white beard reaching in biblike fashion to the third button on his shirt (if he had worn a shirt instead of a blouse) was asked through Miss Beglaroff, if he believed the Molokans were generally contented in this country. His replies, expressive and punctuated by gestures were finally translated.
WANT ENFORCEMENT
“What he was trying to say,” smiled Miss Beglaroff, “was that they like it very much here, except for one thing. They think the officers should enforce the prohibition law more. Their religion says they must not drink but they say their sons are able to get liquor from the bootleggers.”
The old man evidently was not satisfied with the translation, he being able to catch some of the English. Then he went off on a long string of guttural sounds.
“He said that they believe the government is going to keep the liquor away from their sons,” explained the interpreter, “but they wish they would hurry up with it.”
The adults of the colony are employed for the most part in common labor, usually in lumber yards or industrial plants. The second generation is going to school and in many cases planning to take up skilled trades or continue their studies in higher education and the arts and sciences.
The night classes at the Utah Street school near the colony are attended by more than 150 persons, it is said. The younger of the native Russians are more eager to learn English.
A reassuring picture, the Molokan colony. Although they occasionally hear glowing reports of Bolshevik accomplishments, they are skeptical. The colony conducts periodical meetings when matters of general interest come up. Recently at a gathering the matter of sending a delegation to study conditions in Red Russia was discussed. It is interesting and at the same time of tremendous importance in aiding an understanding of the Molokans to know that they desire to send the delegates to Russia not to find whether it is safe to return but whether it is possible to bring their friends and relatives to the United States."
