The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1877-05-17

Confined tnoae tlrst Page

Continued froie iIrSt Poge.)
cured. AS result, the Russian peasant
are in a iair way to excel the correspond
ing classes in many other portions C
Europe.
Honesty seems to be prevailint
characteristic, at least east Of the Ura
mountains. Travellers in Asiatic Russi
do not have TO watch their baggage
whlc the contrary is the case on thi
side the line. Why Russian in Elrop
should be thief, and q Russian in Ash
should be honest is queer tact; oil
though it may be explained upor
grounds heretofore presented, to-wit
That the former has been degraded by
scr.dom, the latter has always been
freeman. In fact, in honesty, intelIi
gcncc, and morals, the Asiatic Russian
is considerably in advance of tho els
Ural Russian. And this despite the foe
that the former is the Botany Bay thu
latter.
All through Asiatic Russia there il
found in the larger towns high condi
ton Of civilization. A party differs il
no essential respect, in dress, etiquette
and methods, from one in Paris, Lon
don, or Chicago. There arc many Ger
man settlers, few English, and an oc
cassional American engaged in business
They are hospitabIc in the extreme, eul
tvated, nearly all of them speaking
French as well as Russian, while many
are masters of English. A Russian
taught young, is domesticated with great
ease, and learns its own and foreign Ian
guages with surprising ease.
There are no seats in any of the Rus
sian churches. 1t is the theory of the
Greek church that all are equal before
God. In his service no distinction is
made; autocrat and subject, noble and
peasant, stand or kneel IN the same
manner while worshiping at HIS altar
The priests wear their hair very long
frequently below the shoulders, and
parted in the middle. They do not
shave the beard. Unlike their brctheren
in the Romish church, they marry and
have houses and families, and engage in
secular operations which do not inter.
fere with their religious duties. They
are called "popes )" and an introduction
TO "A pope's wife is calculated, at first, to
etartlc one not familiar with the situa
ton.
The points in which the Graco-Rus-
sian Church differs from the Roman
Catholic are: 1t denies tho spiritual
supremacy of the pope, it prohibits the
ceibacy OF the clergy, it authorizes all
individuals to read and study the Scrip
lures in the vernacu!ar tongue, it rejects
the doctrine OF purgatory, ana has 9th
ing to do with works OF upererogation,
indulgences, and dispensations, and rec
ognizcs no one as the visible vicar OF
Christ on earth. We purposely avoid
the finer distinctions of doctrinal points
No priests can perform any spiritual
junction before he is married, nor after
he becomes a widower. The general
church government is similar 10 that of
the Roman Church.
The Russian Church separated from
the See of Rome in 1854, and from the
byzantine patriarchatc in 1889. 1t has
now its own Independent synod, but
maintains the relations OF a sister church
with the four patriarchatcs of Constan-
::::nople, Jerusalem, Antioch, and Alex
andra. Tie sacred synod of the Greek
Church was established with the concur
renee Of tho Russian clergy and the four
Eastern pararchs. The Gar is not the
head of the church in the same sense as
the Pope of Rome. lie is officially
termed the protector or defender of the
church. The Gar appoints to every Of
flee IN the church, but has never claim
cd the right of deciding theological and
dogmatic questions. The Judgment of
the church being once given, the Gar
commands its execution.
Russia goes into war with pOpula-
ton of S6,5S6,000, deceptive total, of
course, since it includes the kirghiz, Or
icntal, etc, that, so far from contribut-
ing to the nations strength in case OF Il
war, form an element of weakness, de-
handing care or even repression. Her
debt is placed at 81, $4,000. Her finan,
ces have TO be nursed for several years
back, and in the event of a war, upon
so slender balance does her budget
hinge, that Russia would have To- borrow
largely 10 meet the interest OF her debt
and supply the DEFICIENCIES. Her last
popular loan was not success,i 1T Is true,
but the declaration Of the leading Rus
sian journalists, Kathof, ave must have
war;" counts for great deal as an as.
surance that popular feeling supports
the Car. In the essential matter OF
railroads, Russia is better situated than
she was during the Crimean campaign,
but the single tracks are not expected by
such good critics as Herr Wickede TO
stand the strain Of q campaign with Ell
iicicncy.
The inhabitants Of Russia from TWEEN
IL to forty form the army, six years
service with the active army and nine
years in Tho reserves being demaded in
European Russia. The regular army
on war footing includes the following:
officers. Hea Totat.
Active service. ......... 81 .5G sls,sSl So. ga
T,verses ..........S,521 i7l 7as 1880