Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1890-04-11
A CORRUPT CLERGY.
THE CONDITION or AFFAIRS ~
RUSSIA 4 CENTURY AGO.


The Russian clergy Of the seven
tenth and eighteenth centuries
were stepped in the GIegs Of moral
degradation for which no adequate
name exists in our language, says
the dnleT1cdl Cathode Quarterly
Retie,c. They frequently disposed
Of their churches to the highest
bidder, as IL they were pri-
vate property; they continually
took bribes TO shield hereties
and criminals from the rigor Of the
law; they eagerly sold the sacra-
ments and prostituted their sacred
functions to the most immoral pur-
pCEes. Cupidity urged them to i'll
crease their income by engaging in
worldly calling. and these subsi-
diary occupations were for the most
part unworthy Of pastOr,including
the distilling Of spirits, the practice
Of magic, and systematic robbery.
Their passion for driuk WIS pro-
verbal and the ingenious devices 10
which they had recourse in order to
indulge il, under the most unfavOr-
able circumstances, bear witness 10
the wonderful inventive fertility Of
the Russian mind.
The burden Of several pastoral
ltters 81 Jonas, the metropolitan Of
Rostoff, and of the Patriarch Joseph,
as well as certain ukases OF the
Cars Alexis AIikhailovi.eh aud
Michael Fe .dOrOvilch, was The
drunkenness, the Gu lidiiy ard the
ineontiBenoe Of the clergy. Neither
letters nor ukaSes, entreaties nor
commands, however, had much IF
feet on those TO whom they We're
addressed. AbbOts and IriOrs and
simple monks were continually I'M
der the influence Of drink and were
frequently being reprimanded iy
their superiOIs for neglectiug 20 sing
the offices, for supporting their rela-
yves and families on the provisions
Of the mOnaSteTies. for stealing NO
ney and getting drunk with their
own children-lhe fruit of broken
vows.
The state OF the moral atmosphere
throughout Russia during all those
centuries Gas exactly what one
would expect. The sixteenth, sew
enteenth and eighteenth centuries
mark n positive retrogression in the
sphere, a retrOgression
which has no parallel in the history
Of European nations, and the retro
grade movement in the domain Of
morality. which is equally in evil
dence, is In exact proportion. a
Russian historian ao-
cusrs his counirymen Of o strong
''inclinRtion for gross unbfidled
license in matters Of morals" and Of
a decided taste for brutal debluch
and iistless loa6ng." IL is always
rash TO hurl accusations Of this kind
at q whole nation, even when they
are our's own countrymen, and one
would gladly gainsay the historian,
or at least qualify his statements, if
there we're the slightest grounds for
doing 50. We know Of none, and
have therefore no choice but TO ac-
cept IL.
Ii is. moreover, fully borne out by
the testimony OF enlightened
foreigners like Olearnus, Kempfer
ami others, who saw the country
Tor themselves and have left Us
vivid accounts OF the extremes OF
immortality which were openly prae-
tieed by both sexes in Russia. The
Patriarch Philaret, writing to Kvp-
rian, Archbishop Of Siberia, in 1922,
Describes the life of the people ia
cities iulanguage almost too foF.ible
for translation. The horrii crimes
which were being constantly and
calmly committed 'faTe unknown"
he says, ''tO pagan nations and I'M
heard Of among peoples Ignorant Of