New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-07-26

1
| science, became the teacher Of humanity-the
Roman by his power, the giver Of order TO the
wOfld-aDd the Germ an by his novel feeling OF in
diyiduslity exhibited himself TO a conquered world
az the buttress OF a new social edihce. RI ssian
| life can belong to the Russian alone; the victory
therefore which II will win over the distractedaDd
worn out nations of Western Europe, will involve
it, own fate with it-a victory which will bring it
TO constant contact with the culture and dec ~ Of
the Occident, and necessarily destroy its purity.
| The present Gar, Nicolas, must have a distinct
| presentlment of this fate. Else, whence his sys-
TEN OF rendering all intercourse between his sub
| Jects and the people OF tho West as difficult a.
possible Why, when all the world prophesed
| that he was 10 receive certain provinces in return
for the aid he lent the Austrians. and when he
was no longer needed to crush Hungary, did he
withdraw his armies promptly as he had sent
| The m forth at the request of Austria Why does
ne not allow Prussia and Austria to butcher each
| Other,-"hy not seize those advantages, which a
| German war would give him 10 increase his power
and extend his boundaries to the west Why,
at Warsaw, Vienna and Berlin arrange peaceably
| the dlfhcultes OF the various German States, in
stead OF seeking those sure advantages, which
must result from open hostilites between them
lie chooses rather to ward of all contact of his
people With the dissolution of the West SO long as
! possible.
| The religious character of the Russians is some
| thing entirely peculiar and Characteristic.
1nht Of Germany, in which Christianity has
found It's grandest expression, is the contest of
| proud and mighty individuality with itself-the
battle OF self conquest and self denial-an inward
schlsm, which may even 90 to the extremity Of
se-destruction but in normal has as its con-
sequences Only new birth Of individuality to a
strong and mighty confidence. To this German reli-
giOus Character it received its classical express
SION IN the Middle Ages, belong, beside this internal
schism, the creation Of two worlds, the heavenly
and the earthly, the rise of two authorities the
spiritual and temporal, of which the former asserts
the superiority OF morals over politics, the univer-
salty OF the spirit in opposition to the limited ends
OF the State.
Nothing of all this in the religious character of
the Russian IL knows no internal schism no
cOniict-t is in itself something entire, an invo-
untaIy feeling, which belongs TO every Russian as
such, and needs neither to be begOtten nor nour-
ished by any spiritual history or conflict. Thus
then the relisO Of the Russian knows no oppos-
ton between the temporal and spiritual heavenly
kingdom. Ii knows no differe ace, for it has no
hopes nor expectations beyond. The family the
commune, the entire land with its national capital
the Mother" Moscow, and with them ALI, the
father to whom all belongs, the Czar-all has an
immediate religious sign fcance, while on the other
hand the Deity himself is nationalized-is the
Russian God-(R uski Bogi.)
Western Europe was struck with astonshment
when SuwarOw, in his Italian campaign at the
close OF the last century, among his original aud
peculiar expressions, spake Of the Russian God.
The wise ones of that day held this ep thet |
for one OF the bold and strange expressions pecu-
liar to that General. But the phrase is in fact |
full Of Russian eanestness-Ruski Bogi is to the
Russian precisely such a reality as the Jupiter |
Capitolinus to the Romans.
Owing to the involuntary character Of his pety, |
the Russian in general knsws nothing OF dOgmas
not even of those which divide his Church from
the Roman Catholic.
Interest in dOgmas is only to be found among
sects, and then only in those which have q ten.
deDcy to GnOstcism and have derived their rude
GnOstic sy stem from the tradition of Christian
tiqui:ies or from Asiatic sources. The StarOvecs
/ OIL the other hand, the most important and infu-
/ entail sect also in this respect has remained COM
pletey Russian O. e., it cares nothing for dOymas.
! This sect has separated from the Church simply
account Of the ritual; it still holds fast to the
old forms, in opposition to the public ecclesiastical
ordinances, which were adopted at the beginning
OF the last century, and has no idea of separating
itself from the Russian God, the religious nation
atty end The national religion.
Even the educated, who have taken upon them
selves the enlg btenment of Europe who are the
children OF French cultivation, or Of the Encyclo
pedsts, or have even gone forward TO ATHEISM,
can entertain no thought of withdrawing them
selves from all sympathy with the church, as those
OF similar Opnio ms in the West have done. That
would be impossible for Them for it would be sep
aratlDg themselves from their nationa -y-renun-
cation Of national bonds of unit, and Of their
tire being Russians. The Atheist falls with
the some passionate feeling before pictures and
images of Saints as the common Russian. Just
30 little (O with extremely exceptions) do the
Russianpnests act as religious instructors. Their
OIL Office is the due performance Of the liturgy
ard the administering Of the sacTaments. They
hardly ever preach.
The cure OF souls could only come within the
scope Of the pr SITS duties, by presupposlDg that
the Russian no longer stood firmly to TINS princi-
pie OF nationality, that he was not entirely-not
L., L..
hat need, then, OF any question, Hhefher he is
what need OF undertaking in the first place to
make him so
Pre- ach what, and whereforel Will the Rus
sian be led TO the close investigation Of trihes Is
It still u question with him. whether his salvation
is secure ! Shall he thea at length he plunged
into the deep anxiety Of pietism by the inquiry,
whether he be really redeemed! Nothing Of all
this concerns the RussIan-he is by nature some
thing peculiar, separate from the rest of mankind
a Russlsn-that OF course Is suficient-an en-
tine, resoute being, who pays attention to tri-
tes. who studies not himself but acts and is de-
termned TO make himself felt.
For u Biological science also Russia presents no
field. This presuppOses doubt. But the truth IS
just as firmly established and undoubted there as
the Russian nationality Itself The truth has been
handed down by tradition just so securly, as one
generaiion has received its praciple of nationality
from another.
This infiexibility and constancy OF their tradi-
tons exhibits itself also in The lcones sacred pic
tuIes in the churchesl which, throughout the en-
tire Empire, perfectly the same, and have in
the lapse OF centuries fully retained the stiffness
the earnestness the nns Xibity Of their features
limoges and pictures alone are received into the
churches, in regard to which it can be claimed
that they are true representatives, Of the scenes
and places depicted-artistic invention is shut out
of the church. Ii is true that recently artists
have in many places introduced changes bat the
action ofthe Young Russian echo o Y Dung Rus
sa which proposes to free their nationality from all
foreign influence is awake in opposition to this,
and Is urging the removal Of these innovations.
Herein is also a great difference between Russia |
and the West OF Europe that, while in the latter |