St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1877-08-03


ligion as something that runs in the
blood, which has nothing what |
ever to do with the heart or the life,-
and upon the priest as necessary men,
Der of society, convenient to Officiate at |
baptisms, marriages and funerals, to
bless houses and vineyards, to exercise
evil spirits, and ON Sundays and feast
days to perform the church service and
oficiate at the communion.
Hence the priest is not held in much
honor, nor is the place much sought for
except as a means of support by the
poorer classes of society. He has no
fixed salary and is dependent upon fees
for the services l have mentioned for
his whole support. No education is re-
quired except to read, and some are so
ignorant that they do not understand
word of the ancient Slavic in which
their Bible and liturgy are written.
DR.. Long relates an anecdote which
is sadly to the point. Sitting in his
study one day, the door opened and an
old priest slowly entered, bringing a
vessel of holy water which he began to
sprinkle around the room. The DR..
kindly requested him to desist as the
water was iniuring the books and papers
on the table, and, asking him to sit
down, inquired who he was and why
he had come. He replied that he was
getting old and other priests had en-
croached upon his parish until he had
no means of support except by going
around to sprinkle houses with holy
water, for which he hopes to receive a
few piastres. Seeing the pictures on
the walls of the room he asked about
them, and was told that one of them
was Abraham offering up his son Isaac.
'Abraham," said the old man, "Abra-
ham, l have heard of him. Did he live
before or after Christ 2"
The ignorance of the fundamental
truths of Christianity among the COM
mon people is deplOrable. Having no
Bibles that they can read, and no re-
ligious instruction that they can under
stand, how can it be otherwise The
ordinances OF the church, baptism and
the Lords Supper, are taken as mat
ter of course, and regarded a necessary
part of the machinery of the church
which it would not do to omit. The
child is baptized in infancy, thus be-
coming a member of the church, and he
receives the name of some saint, who is
thenceforth regarded as his patron. Oh
these there are many, men saints and
women saints, of whom the Virgin Mary
is the chief, holding about the same
rank as in the Catholic Church.
In fact the difference between the
creeds of the Orthodox and Catholic
churches is so slight as hardly to bt
noticed, and their forms of worship are
also much the same. The alteration o.
images is, however, not practiced by
the Orthodox, but their churches are
lined with pictures of saints without
DtI anu SCtntS llOul 11OlN w llps
, do not know whether the man who
kisses the sacred picture and prOstrate'
) himself again and again to the eartl
before it, is thinking of Christ and pray
ing that he may follow His footsteps a
| did the holy man whose picture he il
, adoring. Man cannot know the heart
I ha xynr,ll o1n 1n,it ho
he is wOrshipping or even praying t,
J the picture, but he W0uld admit, doubt
( less, that he was praying to the sain
5 who was thus represented.
? 1t is regarded a meritOriOus act t.
7 present these pictures to church, ant
: they are often covered-except the fac
| and hands-with gold or silver. If
, person is healed from any infrmity, a
lameness,-he will hang up before tn
D picture silver leg, or arm, as the cas-
may be, as token of his gratitude t
his guardian saint.
The churches that l went into in Bul
garia, some of them very good ones
had mother earth for floor, or at bes
i rough stone pavement; and wer
without seats, except row around tn
a outside. The Turks do not allow theI
a to have bell, but the people are calle
together by pounding on board.
T is called clappella and consists of
board some eight feet long, suspende
n by a rope in the centre and pounde
: with a hammer. Lately the Turks hav
II allowed them to add to this piece {
: steel and they strike the two rapidly
: succession, with a fearful clatter.
/. was the announcement of Easter,-th
IS first time heard it, rattling out ON th
: still air of midnight.
n The Bulgarians are very careful
e the observance of feast and saints day
especially what is called the name da
j. People do not celebrate the day of the
W birth, but the day of the saint for whol
y they are named. A mans friends a
= come to see him on that day,-his d,
l. pendents look for a present, and I'll
d priests expect to receive IA liberal boul
Is ty for themselves and the church.
j. In outward forms the Oriental Chri
is tian is very devout. 1 have often bee
m condemned as / have seen the earnes
es ness of their devotions,-th oft repea
ID ed genuflections, the almost passiona
K kissings of pictures, the reverent maj