The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1888-03-24


| tiyal of the churches IN short, it is about
what a combination of ST. Patrick's day and
the Fourth of July, Christmas, Feb. ~ and
the anniversary of the Pilgrim Fathers
would be in America
| OF course the Greek Catholic church is
that established by law in Russia, but there
has been such rapid growth in Liberalism
since 1900 that all sects enjoy equal tolera-
ton, and an official finds his religion or non
religion no bar to his advancement. Only a
little more than half the people of tho en-
pire are Greek Chrstians-about 51,OD, 600
| and all other forms OF Christianity and
| many Of heathenism have their organiza-
| tions. In traversing the country one may
see the affairs OF Shamanism, the temples of
| Buddha the mosques of Recommendation and
the synagogues of Israel; and in the cities
one will pass on single avenue the Greek,
Armenian, Catholic and Episcopal churches.
But all these are but few of the sects There
are the StarioveSty cod Believers'); the
Puritans, who refuse all ceremonies not
found in the early church, and do not use to-
bacco or whisky; the United Greeks, who
want their church to join with the Episcopal
church of England, and others; one sect sac
rlfices a child occasionally; another makes
burned offering Of devotees, and in still an
other the men emascuate themselves to in
sure purity. The government OF course en-
deavors to suppress these last, but that only
increases their fanaticism A few years ago
there were 40 600 Mennonites in the southern
provinces, but they have chiefly emigrated
to the United States and Canada. The ma
ture Of the great national festival and cele-
- hast hn ,r1a I'D
by brief review of the history of Russia
and the Greek Catholic church.
In early Greek history all the region north
of the Danube was Scythia; later, the Ro-
mans called it Sarmata, and tho people on
the Don were called the Roxolani. In the
Fifth century all the barbarians Of the north,
from China to the Baltic, were in movement;
Asia precipitated itself on Europe, and the
Huns, Avars and Bulgarians drove other
races before them upon the Roman empire.
After these came the Slavs and Tartars,
driving the Teutonic and Finnish races be-
fore them; and, after two cenuries of war
and commotion, the Varangians got the up
per hand and in S62 their king, Rurik, set
up his government at Novgorod, which is
considered the beginning of Russia. In 945-
872 the regent Olga, ruled the Varangians
during the minority of her son, and allowed
the Greeks to preach Christianity in her do
minions. She became n Christian, but her
son remained Pagan his three sons set up
a frightful civil war, and in $50 Vladimir,
after conquering and killing his brother, be-
came lord of the Varangians, He conquered
Lithuania and Livona, Red Russia and the
little Finnish and Tchudic bands, and became
"Wladimir the Great" While Pagan he
desired to marry the sister of the Greek en-
peror Mt Constantinople; so he was baptized
Christian on his wedding day, and nearly
all the mobiles followed his example. How
ever, if the reader sees in this any likeness to
the way England became Protestant under
Henry VIII. or Rome Christian under Con
stantine, he must do it at his own risk.