The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-10-09
SOME BEGGARS.
Those of Russia Make a
Very Good Living.


class by themselves, says a writer in
the Commercial Advertiser. In giving
aims to them the average Russian
thinks that he is making so much more
likely his welcome in heaven and they,
of course, stand by him in the conceit.
If you give them a rouble they will
swear that you are going to heaven,
and even 20 copecks makes ones chan
ces pretty good.
The most easily distinguished type
is what is called the religious lay
mendicant. He is always standing
around the churches in st. Petersburg
| and MOSCOW, and everybody who has
visited these cities will recall him. He
| is generally an old peasant, begging
for some village church, and the police
or church authorities give him the
| necessary passes and stamped docu-
ments He stands at a church door or
near some shrine, bareheaded and with
a little plate in his hand covered with
cloth, on which is embroidered the
cross. This is a passe-partout wherever
! he goes, and serves as an excuse for
entering restaurants, railway stations
and other public places. AS a. Russian
gentleman said to me: You can't
| drive man out with the cross in his
hand" and he is consequently allowed
to go pretty much where he pleases.
| Unfortunately, however it Is not very
difficult to initiate him, and there are
q number of "Goriouns" in Russia, pos
| ing as religious lay medicants They
counterfeit the necessary papers, buy
the plate and cross, and then beg with
all their might Occasionally they are
discovered and severely punishd, but
the winnings from this kind of beg
ging are so tempting-som as
much as ten roubleS of five dollors q
day-that they are willing to run the
risk. There are also monk beggars who
proceed in the same way as those of the
lay order, except that they wear monk
costumes. 1t Is consequently not easy
for the common tramp to initiate them.
but it has been done.
Authorized and permitted though
these monks are, there is but little
need for them to beg, for their con
vents are almost without exception
rich. The more they have, however
the more they want and 80 these monks
are sent out to beg of poor and rich
alike. An amusing story o. told of
how one of these converts was re-
lieVed of some of it's superfiuoEs
wealth. During the Crimean war, Mich
olas the First borrowed 10000, 600 rou-
bles from the Laura monastery, at
Kief, and gave in exchange his note
like any other mortal. Alexander the
Second, after his ascent to the throne,
made tour of the provinces and Wis
tied Kieff, where, according to custom,
the first thing he did was to call at the
Laura" He was received by the
metropolitan and clergy in great array,
and during the ceremony the note of
Nicholas was presented to him, of
course, for payment, on a beautiful
plate. He took the bit Of paper, read
n mr. h
IN the air, said in a very solemn voice:
Behold the most touching proof of
the patriotism of Russia's clergy when
she has need of them I cannot better
thank you than by giving you, as a
glorious memento, this autograph of
my august fatherl" And that ended
the matter for all time.
The pilgrims are another type of re-
ligious beggars. They are also mainly
old peasants, who have made a vow to
go afoot to some distant shrine, often
thousand miles away. They take
with them only money enough to buy
candles to place at the affairs where
they worship en- route, and trust to the
mercy of the people they meet for food
and shelter. No peasant would refuse
them hospitality, and they are taken
in whenever they appear. Money is
never offered them, because it is known
that they will not accept 1t. All they
want is food enough to keep body and
soul together, and this they feel free
to ask for.
These pilgrimages are very frequent
in Russia, and are always the result
of a vow, made sometimes many years
before. Each famous monastery, like
the Solowiecki, near the White sea;
the Troitzki, near Moscow; the Tau
RAJ at Kieff, and many others, has its
days of Grand pardon" which attract
pilgrims from the farthest points Of
the empire. They travel invariably ON
foot and occasionally in bands, but the
typical pilgrim goes alone. His des-
tination is sometimes even Jerusalem.
This is often the case among devoted
monks, who make this the last act of
a life consecrated to the church. The
peasants feed and shelter him. and he
is one of their main objects of yenera-
ton.
There is one more class of authorized
beggars in Russia-the nuns. These
women with long robes and pointed
bonnets generally travel in couples.
They beg on what is called "the con-
tract system" An arrangement is
made with q convent by which they
are allowed to exploit certain districts,
and agree in return to give the con-
vent a certain percentage of their win
nings; all over this amount belongs to
them personally. They are taxed ac-
cording to their ability, the percentage
varying from one to three roubles a
day. When they are young and pretty,
which is often the case, they do very
we'll. AS a Russian who has often
given to them said to me, You can't
give copper to a pretty woman" and
they know wonderfully well how to
make their attractions tell. They are
acquainted with all the good places"
ever, that much is given them without
any thought Of the church or religion,
and it is an open secret in Russia that
there is q great deal Of corruption
among them. I myself saw them in
state of intoxication several times, and
their conduct was not at all in keep
L 81, l;-.sot