The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-12-10

wine are administered TO the people.
Baptism is by immersion, and always in
running water. Images are not allowed
In church, although sacred pictures OF
'.ikons' are very plentifully used.
Strangest of all perhaps. as contrasted
with Roman customs. priests and dea-
com not only may but must be mar
ried men. The first qualification re-
quired of n who presents himself for
ordination is that he should find a wife.
If she should die, he is not permitted
either to marry again or 10 continue in
his pastoral charge as a widowed priest.
He must enter a monastery and there
continue for the rest of his life. while
his estate is administered upon precisely
as if his death had taken place.
From this fact IL is easy to understand
the common Russian proverb. "As happy
as a priests wife, 1t is safe to say
that no other body of married women
has ever been more carefully cherished
by their husbands; and the same rule
If made universal in its application
would doubtless cure much of the
worlds unhappinesS.
The Russian priest Is generally a
good kin of man, grossly ignorant,
miserably poor and so an intimate
sharer in all the lot OF the people among
whom he ministers. His sons are al
most invariably reared up to follow their
fathers profession. so that the priest
IIOOo has QIdCtiCdly Jill " NC tOh-
fined to a hereditary caste.
Bishops must be married. and so are
always chosen from the ranks OF the
monastic clergy. Many of them are
men of high attachments, and the pres
ent century has produced several who
rank as great theologians and scholars.
In marked contrast with the inferior
clergy they enjoy large incomes, for the
church as a whole is enormously rich.
being perhaps the wealthiest single cor
poration in the world, as well as the
one having the largest constituency. Its
OF treasures. the accumulated offerings
of the faithful. given during many gen.
eratiOnS past.
A CONSERVATIVE CHURCH.
The great characteristic of this church
tendon is expressed in the word Or
thodox," which forms that part of it's
official title upon which most stress is
laid by its members. 1t is a body of
extreme conservatism. holding fast to
the traditions Of the fathers Of the old
Greek church.. and believing that the ex-
act observance of all ancient rites and
M without a hair-breadth's de-
| Walton from the doctrines it has re-
ceived, is that which makes its Chris
tianity superior to that of the rest of
the world.
Even Peter the Great, who at the be-
ginning of the eighteenth century at
tempted TO make some reforms, found
himself baked by this extreme conser-
vatism. He abolished the ancient par
triarchate of Moscow and established
the present Holy Synod, consisting OF
clergy and laity in it's stead; but when
he tried to reform the ancient service
books and ritual he stirred up a schism
which resulted in large numbers of peo-
pie leaving the church that they might
carry on worship in their old way.
These or disSenterS are to-day
a numerous body, despite the persecu-
ions which from time to time they have
suffered from the They
have gradually split up into many diff
ferent sects. and many of them depart
ing widely from the faith of the old
church have evolved the strangest be-
liefs and practices that ever claimed con-
nection with Christianity. One body OF
these as a principal tenet encourages
suicide, and another surreptitiously prac-
tices human sacrifice.
The Russian church is not without a
missionary spirit and makes constant
efforts for the conversion of the heather
still found in the empire. 1t has a mis-
sion with many converts in Japan. 1t
also has some representation in the
United States. Thirteen priests, twenty
six churches and 1880 members are re-
ported by the last census.
In Alaska 10000 people, or more thar
a third of the entire population, are
members of this body; n during the
most of the century past a bishop has
been in residence here. although more
recently his seat has been transferred to
San Francisco. j. DE Q. DONEHOO.
Copyright, 1S94)