Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Anacortes, Wash. Ter.) 1882-1887, 1883-09-01
DEATH AND BURIAL IN MOSCOW.

In Moscow. as in other parts Of
Russia, dissenters are met with, and
among them we have the "Old Be
levers who conduct their worship
according to the rites of the ancient
Greek Church, not admitting the va
rious changes adopted by Neon and
others and now carried out in the
Russian Greek Church. These dis
senters go to great expense whenever
death enters their dwellings,; and
just now-Ma; 1h, 1SS3-there has
been in Moscow a very important ex-
ample eff this fact. In a Russian
merchants family in that city, con-
sisting of father, mother, two mar
riageable daughters, and one son, the
eldest daug liter, about twenty years
of age, has just died, and an outline
of their proceedings consequent
thereon will be interesting. Certain
ly the social position of the family
was of the middle class-wealthy-
and their living was of fair style for
such folks. On the day of the
daughters death, immediate prepar-
ations were made for the burial,
which in Russia must be at once,
dead bodies not being allowed to re-
main among the living for more
than twenty four hours. The coffin
was made Of thin boards, but cover
ed with silk velvet, having Hall
marked silver handles, and "coffin
furniture" costing over 1000 rubles
(f1000 and in the hands of the
corpse was placed small painting
of the Virgin havil s a silver frame
and covering, costing another t1OO.
and which became the property of
the church where the funeral prayers
were recited at burial. The body
was dressed as a bride-she had be-
come the pride of heaven; and these
robes and the dressing involved, the
first f200 and the latter f100. First,
she was dressed in Il fine linen che
mise trimmed with costly lace: over
this chemisette, and then a short
tunicin white satin, embroidered with
gold and silver thread, called a sara
fan. Then the head-dress was the
usual Russian hat with pearls. But
the greatest expenses were incurred
in prayers and masses. In forty
churches of the city of Moscow pray
ers were ordered to be said for her,
morning and evening, for forty days,
for which 10000 rubies were charged,
or at the rate of los. per service
t1,600 being paid for 1900 services;
and at each service some one attend
ed and distributed bread and aims to
the poor, the bread being to each
portion a Odldtch, something more
than a penny loaf. Such loaves
We're also sent for forty DAYS to all the
prisoners in Moscow. For several
days in the bazaars the lakers were
authorized to distribute bread to all
poor people applying who asked for
It in the name of the dead girl and
engaged to pray for her. But even
this did not suffice. TO other cities
of Russia, and also to cities such as
Vienna, Pesth, Athens, where church
es of the sect exist, money was sent
and prayers ordered to be said for
forty days. The funeral took place
in The church of the weli-known
Holy Cemetery of Ragoshka, where
only Old Believers are buried, and
whers a wooden building was put
up capable of dining $50 guests-the
leading members of the sect around
Moscow The dinner was served
from the leading hotel in Moscow, at
a cost of about 16s. per person. to
which the expense of the fruit and
wine had to be added, the fruit in
Russia in early Spring costing fabu-
lous prices. 1t is calculated by some
of the most intimate friends of the
family known to the writer that a
sum Of not less than 10000 was
spent over the ceremony: and none
of the o-religionists look upon this
as at all extravagant.-Chamber's
Journal.