Tama County Republican. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1867-1872, 1872-01-18

!amation AM compulsory extortions
The people entered i.to the helllsI
work with spirit, believing they wer.
thereby performing a service well
pleasing in the sight Of the Lord.
AMONG THE CHRISTIAN POPULATION
the superstitions showed themselye
in form perhaps less repulsive, but
equally curious. In the Russian vii
lagos the people collected at mid
night and endeavored to draw a
Charmed circle around the village
threatened with cholera. in order
thereby to protect the inhabitants
Women with disheyclled hair, just az
one sees the spirit Of the elements, :"
the Russalkas, pictured, came in long
procession. Ia most cases there had
to be certain number OF these wo.
men in the procession to perform the
ceremony-mostly twelve, and their
leader-whlle some were yoked to a
plough, others held the stills, and
then q furrow was cut completely y
around the village. In other places
sacred fires were lighted by rubbing
together two pieces Of wood, and
charred fumigating wood placad M
on il was used to smoke out the
village. These superstitions, though
of moro naTmls1D Cn1Pa>Ao.- Ahar
those recorded OF tho Vitebsk Jews
furnished evidence of the low state
| Of mental culture Of the district
HEArHENrsH PRACTICES AMONG CHRIS
TIANs.
The further East We come, con.in
ues she writer, athe more developed
Iis the inclination to heatheniem
smong the Christian population. In
the Kazan Government, among the
Tcheremes and Tchavashes, which
have belonged to the Russian EN-
pire more than three hundred years,
and, so to speak, dwell al the very
doors of Moscow, Christianity has
never taken real root. The people
worship there their sacred trees, just
as they did three hundred years ago,
and there il nothing for the priests
to do but to join in the custom
themselves, though in order to pre-
serve decorum they have placed holy
images in the trees or make process.
sions over the burrows drawn by the
women at night. The priests are al
most compelled to this course in or
der order to procure, their daily
food; otherwise they would get moth
ing at all. 1t is under these con.
that
THE MoHoSiMEDAy PROPAGANDA
makes great headway, especially
among Tartars IN the Kazah Govern
ment and in other districts of the
volga. During the past month vii
lagos have fallen from the Russian
orthodox belief and turned Moham-
medans. Especially willing converts
are the rich Tartars, who have in
truth remained steadfast to their old
religion. In view Of the degraded
condition Of the population of inne,
Rassis. 1t is urged that the attention
Of the Russian patriots should now
be directed to home regions instead
OF Czech emlgrants, Bulgarian NAL
pens and Pschernagorianch youths
But this, you know, is the story oil
as the hills. Like as Exeter Hall, il
England, sends ont its thousands t
convert the heather Africans and tor
gets the pagan workmen living il
dark allevs OF London and Manches
ter, so do the Russian Slavopiles sere
their thousands for churches and
church bells for Prague and else
where, overlooking the bsrbarianism
that still exists in the interior o
their own land. The clergy of the
districts infected by Interpretations
are not to be blamed; they are com,
PEELED to wink at Generalization and
10 order to secure their
scanty daily bread.