Statistics disclose that the roporis of a gradual modification of the official Soviet attitude toward re~ Higion for the membership of the soralled "Godless" organizations has markedly decreased—a sure index of the decline of authority's favour. Moreover the Education Minister has taken retisn to close Institutlons which have been notorious in their antagonism toward religion Inthe first th of red enthusiasm the' Church ame in" for di secution' en the "prinetpl religion was the opiate devised by Capitalism to enslave the proletariat, As time went on it came to noticed that in propagating its own doctrines the Soviet Government was really' resorting to the same appeal which is the essence of religious Influence, The sorrows of the Russian Church drow. the. sympathy of the world outside Russia" and this Jed eventually to some effort by Moscow to show that extreme hose {tility to the Christian religion had been abated. "Actually certain facillles for public worship were restored, Last Christmas the celebration of the season was not so severely hampered as in previous years; Indeed Christ-
(Continued on page 447)
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.