New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-03-16

then living about twenty miles on FOR many
generations hs ancestors on both sides, male and
female had belonged to the priestly caste. lie was
thus Levite OF the purest blood, and thoroughly
Levtical ia his character. Mr.. Wallaces miniature
sketch il worth producing: MY reverend teaeher
WAS tall muscular man of about forty years OF age,
with full dark brown beard, and long lank hair
falling over his shoulders The visible parts OF MS
dress consisted of three articles-a dingy-browh
robe of coarse material buttoned closely at the
neck and descending to the ground, WldeaWake
hat and pair of large heavy boots. As 10 inc
csotorc parts OF his attire RETAINED from making
Investigations"
Tho Russian peasantry are no exception to the
tendency of mankind to attach an inordnafe I'M
portance to the ceremonial element frcligon. Lake
all primitive people, they look upon religion AZ n
mass of MYSTERIOUS rites which have secret magi-
cal mower of averting evil both in this world and
the next
They eo,eeularly TO church sundays and hoy-days
cross themselves repeatedly when theS pass a -, u
icon In pcu of the Saviour OF the Madonna OF o.
Saint take the Iicy Communion at stated asols, soi
ously abstain from snma foocnoi only on ah Iy9
and Fridays but also during Lent ana the 9tner ions
faStsInake occasional pigilmagcs 10 nor! si GU,
in word fulfil punctiousy all inc ocs,vi Bnt
here their Righteousness ends They are seneTax pro-
nofhinS of Holy Writ peasant it is said was once
asked 10y priest if e could name the three feS tiO
How ca one net know that Baushka' OF course It is
the saviour tnc Mother OF Cod ana SAINT no~S
the theological atdnmene of yc large secii1n oi c
peasanry The aneclote is so well Known aha 80 Uin
reeacd that II is probably an invention, nut us NOT
c0iuuny OF theology and Of what PIoestants term inc
inner religious he" the Russian peasant nas no en-
cepion For MIN the ceremonial nrt OF feigioh shees
and he has the most unb unded ehdlSe eohuchG :,
the saynS casy "i r e has rsy observed the
fasts las annually rartaken OF The hoy Ooihn I
and nas lust confessed and received extreme uhco ne
fnn1l.
He to1nencd with doubts as TO the efficacy o lah
or works and has no fears that his past life may possibly
6av" Ieud"rca lin unit for eternal felicity. Like man
in sinking snip VINO has hucEled on rs hieptoseHei;
he feels perfectly secure. With fear for the future ana
N;le regret for he present the past, he awaits calmly
tie dread summons, and dies with resignation WHICH
stole philosopher might envy.
In the course of his visit to the rural village MI.
Wallace made the acquaintance of several peasants,
of whom in some instances he presents an interest
ing portraiture. Among them was one named Ivan
Petroif who was born serf. and i'll which capacity
he had lived the greater part Of his life.
Ivan must have about sixty of age but was
et robust and Str3ug, and had the reputation OF benz
peasant in the Village. His head would have made
hne study for poriinS painter he me STS nid cs
tom which perhaps owes its origin to the regloGs PIC
turcs The reverend appearance given 10 his face Dy ms
long fair heard. slightly tngel with gray, was IN part
cuuneraccd by ms eyes which had strange t~lnhie III
whether Of hUor ol rUgucly II was dhcGlt 10
say Under all circumstance III MS lE., non
descript summer costume or IN his warm surtsin, VI
which Ec PIT occasionally on Sundays ana holidays
he always looked wcli-led, respectable well-toio mem,
Der of society; while his impctuIhable compoSurc ana
the ennc absence oi b-tqIlouScsS or uncu!ehce w
his indicated plainly that he possessed 10 small
amount of calm dcpu-luOted Sc.i-rcspcc stranger on
seeing him migAt readily have lcacd TO me cohciSoh
that mas! 3e the village Elder Dut IN realty nc WIS.,
simple member OF the Commune. like his neishb0r poor
Zakhar LcehkOf wEO never lei SIP an OPbonuhliy o
getting drunk wac always ID dc6 a,G ann'
Ivan had tue been Village Elder some years Dcufe
Wien clfctcd by Tie Village Assembly against his own
wishes Inc had said quietly Very well, children viii
ny tlircc years; aud al the end OF tiat period
swered firmly. "No children; have served my time
ID tie turn on some one who IS younger ana
has more time There's ieitl A!tkse%et SooH eioN'
and honest you may choose him. Ana inc AsSGu-
by chose TIE peasant inucaIu lor lynn in C
munal affairs taan any other haiidozen members PUT 10
Ce;her grave matter decided without his being
Consulted ana there was at least one instance on record
OF the Village Assembly postoning deliberations Tor
week because he happened ~ be absent in st. Peters
No stranger casually meeting Ivan would ever for
moment have suspected that that big man, or caln com
mandiug ASPECT had been during greater pail OF ms
lie Il sen. Aud yet serf he mad been, from his birth
TIL ne aboat forty years OF agenot merely strt OF
the state bat the scrf OF proprietor VINO li9 hyGd
had,uay his property For forty years OF his he
he lad been dependent on Tic arbitrary Wal OF master
Who had lcs power TO fog him often and as Sc
verely he considered desirable In reality, however
the proprietor 10 whom he mad belonged had bcen
though III some respects severe just ana Intelligent
master
The village of Ivanofka may be taken as a
specimen of the villages in the northern half Of the
country The chief pursuit Of the inhabitants is
agriculture. Nearly the whole of the female p0pu-
lation and about half of the men, are employed
i'll cutivating the Communal land, which comprises
about two thousand acres of light sandy soil The
arabic part of this land is divided into three large
fields each of which is cut up into long narrow slips
The first field is reserved for rye, the Winter grain
winch, i'll the shape of black bread. forms the
principal food of the peasantry In the second oats
aIe raised for the horses, and buckwhcat, which is
largely used for food The third lies faow, and Is
used III summer for pasturage. The annual life OF
the peasantry is that of simple husbandmen, in a
country where the Winter is long and severe. The
agricultural year begins in April with the melting Of
the snow. The fresh young grass begins at once to
shoot up and very afterwarl the shrubs and
trees put forth their buds. The rapidty of
the transition from Winter to Spring is astonish-
ing to the inhabitants Of more temperate
clImes. On the 23d of April (St. Georges Day
the cattle are brought out for the first time and
sprinklcd with holy water by the priest. They are
never very fat but at this period of the year their
appearance is truly distressing. They have been
wntered on straw, eOoped up in small unycntil-
ated COW houses, and many of them can scarcely
rise to their feet without assistance. Meantime the
peasants are impatient to begin the field labor.
Flowing for Summer grain lasts till about the end
of May. HaynaklnS commences toward inc Ilfst
of July, and then comes the harvest in which the
peasant may work day and night and have scarcely
time to complete his task before the end of August
The field labor is finished about the last week in
September, and the list day of October the harvest
festival begins a JOYOUS season during which the
parish fetes are celebrated.
To celebrate parish ltGc III true orthodox fashion ii is
necessary 10 prepare eiOlehand large quantity Of
6rGgoa kind OF hOIne-brewcd small beer-and TO bake
plentiful supply of pir0qbt pies. Oil, too. has to be
procured and vodka RYE spirit in gOodly quantity. At
the same time the big the i5dd as the PEASANTS