The New York herald., 1871-12-09
THE CHOLERA IN RUSSIA.
Curious Effects on the Ignorant People-Peasants
Returning to Heathenim -Curiosiies
OF Modern Superstition.

same mann !. as the naturalist Carl vogt as
serts, that individual men and animals or
modern tim are iound TO res mbls ancestors OF
generations ago. Even among the peasants Of
Germany we find customs and supcrstitions whose
origin must DO looked for In the era wnen the
ne8tnen Ieutons were clad IN skins OF bears and
goats. During the days or carnival life on the
khire the Germans give themselves up to an un-
bounded Iestai season-a mixture OF the ancient
German festival In honor of the spring and the
Roman satnrnalia. The hero-worsnip OF Barbarossa
ID the echo OF the ancient German Zip of Udn;
ana when the carousng student wanders amid the
German forests and sings, as ne must necessarily
do, In the woods.
Wer hat Dich. du schooner waId
Aufgeuaut so hoch droben.
he unconsclously calls up q spirit OF forest rever.
ence tnal was developed to Its full extent among
the ancient Teutons, who wOrshipped III their
sacred groves"
EXPELLING THE DEVIL.
Do not for moment imagine that superstition is
banlsned from Europe. Tne very year 1910 furnished
many proofs that Almost AL the peoples OF Europe
can snow an immense numoer OF superstltious.
Prussia, with It's basis OF Wendsh population more
especially IN the Old Polish provinces Is particularly
rich In su erstit.ous lie. in Bereni, West Prus-
sa $50 reported the Dantsic Zeitung or sep.
tember, 1862, peculiar trade -four sned, namely,
the exDelLng OF the devil from possessed animals.
For the sake OF proof Will quote tne original &C.
count which mad in German Journal -
The oacia Beren Newspaper con- aims notice from the
LanaraIh under date OF the 10th of september 1867 in
which ne warns the people wao 60 aou the country with
business Is very lucrative Aoiuazes Ap nisadow-tne
hs had 4s run
.s .. he with I% 1s.ey 's es III
in me russian province OF Poscn
miles Bereni the ca ,ef
g! these leaders na drive oa ne dev rom various cat
tortins more than nine haers the mple peasan
In advance coming and spread abroad
stories OF the miraculous cures that have made py
MODERN SUPERSTITION.
Only few months ago repor.s were IN the papers
that the Wallacnlans had commenced again their
never-ceaslng prosecutions OF the Jews. stranger
accompanied by boy, had landed at Bucharest
having come by the Danube steamer. No sooner
was the man perceived tnan crowd gathered
about him and matreated him, saying that no was
= Jew and that he had stolen Christian trnat ls,
Wallachan) child Tor the purpose OF forcing nm to
Juda SIN. The government hai to interfere In
order TO prevent further disturbances. Again, It
thieves that candlcs made from human
lat rendered the bearers Invisible. We
aAve so,oas se'ofas oaaa aa reay iseS
many which made use OF this remarkable
means TO .revent discovery. later case OF crime
at tue botto n OF which superstition played prom.
fnenC part. took place In August 1859. A peasant
woman OF Wladimlro, In the Russian govern
ment Of volhyna, old her lover In confidence that
sne Was able TO get secret treasure n case sne
could procure the SKIN taken fr lm a 1--we human
pei g. Inc lover an Ignorant peasant, thea en-
uceu hov OF fourteen TO accompany him into the
forest, when he knockei MIN seascless. ana then
completed the o,eration with penknie. Tne be-
he IN witcnes ana vampires - bv no means extinct
In Europe. several vanDlre cases nave lately been
revealed In Germany and Hungary.
sUPE s,TIriOUS Eff ESTS or THF .OIERA IN RUSSIA
Turning to hussla, tine late cholera code mic
there mas produced among the Ignorant population
stitlon, verglng uOon heatnenIsm. St Peters
burg correspondent OF the aug, uygs, Auq ,,,eine
the suoIect. The spread II tue fearful Destl,ence
ment sent from God. In their 80 extremity
they thought to protect themselves by
taking refuge in the performance OF old nsages
which. 1t was Thought, mad 0een forgotten for cen
turies. 10 was observed tnat both Je ys and Chris
tians devel ped the same propensity 10 heathenism
alike. Among The Jews, SAYS our IN ,orlnnnI the
superstitlons appear to he connected with raDblnl
Cal zcalotIsm, rs seen In various which took
place III the province Of ,iteDSk where the chOera
peslllence Carried on n a short space OF time i've
hundred OF the jewish population. As a remedy
against the cholera, the rabies ordered the
DUBIOUS USAGE
that TWO couples sh0u q be publicly married upOn
the cnurchyard. the dowrv. furniture and all oner
costs 10 Dc voluntarily supplied by the congregations
The excitement during tue ceremony and the sub.
seIucnt iet5,Ins had tne effect OF increas ng the
ravages Of the cnoeri. TnereuDon the e.ders OF
ali the prayer houses sent cmissaries about the VII
laQes TO gather from the people y sum of money
wncn snoaid Tree them (the people, from the pesIi-
lence Tne people were told that the physl
clans Charged ssn.o %ash more than the con:
remedy was inalible. But, In s,te Of
the purchased RENE ", The cholera still continued
became constantly moro irrational. Tnev proceeded
10 demand OF lher con gre sati IONS that the Ihysi.
congregation to get rid OF their sins Dy the one de-
nouncin me other; tor Instance. that one should
denonnce another on account or adultery and stint
lar sins fearful social condition was me eDy ere
ated. ending IN low QosSip defamation and cOmpul.
sorry cxtortons The people entered into the hcllsll
work with spirit, Deiieviig tney Were tnereDy per-
forming a service well pleasing In the sight OF the
Lord.
AMONG THE CHRISTIAN POPULATIONS
the superstiuons showed themselves in form per.
haps less repu slve, but equally cmious. In the
Russian VILLAGES the people collected at midnight
the village threatened with cnolera In order there.
by to prot tact the inhabitants. Women with dis
clemens" the RussaIkas. picture'. came in
long procession. In most cases there had
cesslon eriorm the cerem0ny-mostly tweive,
an their Ieadsr-wnile some were yoked 10 q
as cut aInnd sn AMI yaue eh a.
places sacred fires were lighted by rnpbing together
two pieces OF wood. AID charred fumlgat,ng wood
placed upon lt was USED to smoke out The village.
These suJerstit ons, though OF more harmless
character han those recorded uf tue vlteUsk Jews,
furnish evidence OF che low state OF meatal cuture
oil the district.
HBArBEN SH PRACTICES AMONG CHRISTIANS.
The further east we come continues the writer,
tae more deve.Oped Is the inclination TO hea hen
ism nonx tne christi5n population. In the Kasan
government, among tne rcheremes and Tcnavasnes,
which nave belonged TO the Russian empire more
tnan three hundrcd years, and, so TO speak, dwell
at the very doors 0, Moscow Christianity has never
taken real root. The people worship there their
sacred trees, Iust as they dd three hundred years
ago ana there Is nothing Tor the priests 10 but 10
JOIN IN the custom themselves, though IN order to
preserve decorum the have placed holy Images m
the trees or make PROFESSIONS the burrows drawn
by the women at nlgit. Tue priests are ALMOST
cnpelled 70 ,hts course In order to procure their
dally iood; otherwise they would get nothing oil ALL
1t Is said that un Ter these conditions
THE MOHAMdEDAN PRosAGAvpA
makes great neadway, esoecallv among the Tar
tars In the kan government and In other districts
OF the volga. during the past month whole VII
lagos nave fallen from the RUSSIAN orthodox belief
and turned Mohammedans. Especially wInng con-
verts are the rich Tartars, who have In truth re-
mainoi sfeadiast to their Old religion. In
view o. the degraded condition OF the populations OF
inner hussia, It IL urged that the attention