TEMPERANCE SOCIETIES OF TOMSK PROVINCE IN 1900-1911.

Modern Russia needs to change destructive alcoholic policy. The objective of the article is to study historical counteraction experience of the society to withstand alcoholic threat. The goal of the article is to summarize the data about spontaneous pubic organizations - temperance societies in one of the largest provinces - Tomsk province in 1910-1911 (Its territory covered the area of modern Republic of Altai, Kemerovo, Novosibirsk and Tomsk regions of Russia and East-Kazakhstan region of Kazakhstan). A short review of the activity of the societies from 1900 to 1917 is also presented. The sources of information used are: the reports of the secretaries of spiritual consistories (the Russian State Historical Archive), regulations and reports of the societies, periodicals and 1911 reference book by I.P. Mordvinov, an outstanding temperance movement personality. The set of sources is sorted under a special questionnaire card. The obtained results are as follows: in the late 1910 - early 1911 there were 27 temperance movements in the region with 2000-2500 members. 25 societies (96.3%) belonged to the church, i.e. operated at orthodox cathedrals; some of them had regulations approved by eparchial authorities. One society (3.7%) was operating under regulations approved by civil authorities. 22 organizations (81.5%) were located in villages and 5 (18.5%) - in towns. Most societies were located in three southern densely populated agricultural uyezds (districts) in the Altai. All of the seven known leaders of the societies were priests. The majority of the members were peasants. In the towns of Tomsk and Biysk they were unqualified workers. Most of the societies enrolled their members or took sobriety vows in the cathedral. 16 organizations conducted religious and moral anti-alcohol lectures, five had libraries or reading rooms, two organized sermons and discussions, distributed special literature and issued information lists, one society in Tomsk had a secondary school for young people and adults, one paid benefits to the needy. The number of abstainers relative to all the population was not great, but the societies had an important role of cultural landmarks, facilitating people seeking physical and spiritual health and comfortable living. They presented valuable experience of local self-administration at the level of church parish, village community and improved the situation as a whole. For example, in the village of Ridderskoe, Zmeinogorsky uyezd, a local wine store was closed by the order of the parish meeting. In the village of Lozhkinskoe, Biysk uyezd, the celebrations were cancelled which were accompanied by many days of mass drinking.

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