The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-06-19
A STRANGE CHURCH HERE.
DETOUT WORSHIP At THE RUSSIAN
ORTHODOX CHAPEL.


vices That Transform an Ordinary Dwelling.
New York worships many gods in many
ways. The big uptown churches, known Of all
women and Of many men. are not the only
places Of public prayer. There are small affairs
not dreamed Of by the crowd. The manner of
worship in these places would seem strange in.
deed to the average New Yorker.
Travellers come homo and tell how In GER
tain foreign lands people prostrato themselves
before their affairs. For the matter OF that
they do the Same thing over In second avenue.
Not far from Stuy vesant Square there is a
modest red brick house which has become the
New York home of tho Russian Orthodox
Church and its priest. The priest lives upstairs;
the church has the main floor. Every Sunday
morning at 10 O'Clock there is service in the
ancient Slavonio tongue, tho language of the
church.
The surroundings arc not ecclesiastical.
There 10 tho usual New York house arrange
ment, q narrow hall containing the stairs and
opening into n large front room, which, In
turn, opens by a wide, high arch into the rear
room. Al one side Of the front room Is the inevi-
table Crate with q white marble mantel. There
arc TWO front windows reaching to the floor.
They are open on these hot Sundays, and the
yellow shades, which are pulled down, blow
back and forth.in tho breeze. The floor Of this
outer room Is of polished hard wood. There are
no seats except q few little camp chairs. Pow
rents do not vex the Russian congregations.
The back room Is two stops above the front
one, and is carpeted with red. About four
feet back Of the archway there is a high
wooden screen, with double doors in the middle.
The space back Of this screen contains the
altar and only the priest may enter there. At
certain parts of tho service the doors are opened
and the worshippers may look at as much of tho
altar as Is visible to them. But that is as near
as they may go to it. In tho corner Of the roar
room, between the screen and the wall which
partly separates the front and back apartments,
stands the choir of half a dozen young men. In
the opposite space there are q few privileged
persons, the Consul. for instance, and his friends.
at each side of the archway, down in the
front room. are tall silver candelabra which,
before the service is over, twinkle with their
full complement Of votive candles. They stand
beside two racks, hung with cloth Of sill
YER and supporting deep picture frames. In
der heavy glass, these frames contain pictures
Of various Madonnas and saints, almost COW
cred with solid embroidery Of seed pearls. On
the walls are Byzantine pictures of the saints,
and Lefore each one hangs a tiny oil lamp,
whose fame is not permitted to go out.
There 10 nothing particularly striking in all
this. Priest and congregation absent. the
chapel 10 almost commonplace. But last Sum
day morning, even before the hour for service.
the congregation had begun to arrive and. in the
eyes of one stranger at least, that old stereo-
typed city house was soon forgotten.
In the middle of the front room q man was
kneeling. Not on ono knee, in a comfortable,
transient way but squarely on both knees, not
scampinR his work. His lips moved and his
eyes were fixed on tho doors behind which was
the altar. Two or three other men kn0lt near
him. There wasn't a sound in the place. Their
lips moved, but silently. Finally the man in
the centre of the room crossed himself and
bowed his head, repeating this three times.
Then he bent forward. his hands on the floor,
touched his forehead to the polished wood. and
kissed 1T. Again he repeated his prayers and
again he crossed himself and Frustrated himself
In the dust-if there was any dust.
After repeated prostrationsa and fervent kisses
he got up and Creaked carefully across to the
picture on the rack at the right of the archway.
Here i 10 pr9yed again but this time ssandi Ing;
crossed ae ID himself often and devoutly' each
time bowling deeply. Finally he reverently ap-
preached the picture and kissed the glass. He
then turned his attention to the pictures paint
cd on the panels Of the screen. He did it all in
the most thorough, manner. never irreverently
hurrying his genuieIions.
Meanwhile the other men were following in
his wake. The whole effect was strange. There
was utter silence save for the creaking of their
heavy boots and the familiar street noises
T Thafe in 0p p%Paetid shFU %ndem t@s oRisn New g1nS SoTF.
dressed In the familiar products Of the ready.
made tailoring shops, were men kissing the
their: knees; One felt IKE saying. as In He'd;
da Gabler," But people don't do such things"
At 10 o'clock q young man standing in the cor
ner reserved for the choir began reading the
hours. 1t was a long and rather monotonous
intonation, interrupted at intervals by tho
voiee Of the priest behind the screen. Mean
IN hai9 m. %ns sto oS one n9 thu f%e ri GGne s;da snd t qFit Ton IN;
on the left, but as there were about three times
as many men as women, they spread gradually
| acroaa nna Anfira end 0f rho T0ppn and AllaI tho
hall as we'll: For the most part they stood pas
sively listening 70 the not qnmrsioal droning
repeated their prayers, and kissed the empty
floor spaces amonS the feet Of the people,
picion Of ievity. Gradually the room filed.
until more than a hundred men and women
Of the reader and the slight shufffiine as people eotio
shifted from one foot to another, the quiet was
complete.
AS before said. tho great majority of them
were men and there was among them a remark
Der not more than half a dozen departed in
followed. They were a strong -jawed, square.
headed lot. a serious, stubborn. slow. sure set
tern. the KaimucE nose. That nose would have
been a revelation to New Iorkers. who have
pictured the Russian after their knowledge of
As for the women, they might easily have
passed for q gathering of american women;
Nv hINV VAh.oA hAiot NiVuA soy VyObs anu
rather light hair. II anything. they were less
deyout than the men. They wore hats, which
floor. II there had been any struggle between
religion: and millinery. millinery had won tho
day: But they made no other concessions. They
knelt without regard for their gowns. and hey
stood patiently TO the very close of the service.
Next to the exceeding deyoutness Of the wor-
shippers. tho music Is the most striking feature
OF the Russian Church. OF course, at the little
Second avenue, chapel one docs not expect the
singing which has made the church in Paris,
for instance. famous. But the music here Is
an agreeable surprise. During the winter It, ia
bettor than at:presont, as some OF the best mem.
bers Of the choir are away now. There is nc
instrumental music of any description. There
10 no accompaniment on the organ. There is nc
organ. All OF the music Is vocal. In the New
York church the choir Of young men leads. but
the congregation joins In.
There Is q peculiar charm about this music
In the first place. 1t is exceedingly reverent
Thore is n dignity, a Soiemnity about 1t which
is not always found in ecclesiastical music
There 10 no hurrying, and yet there is no eff
feet Of dragging. The harmonies are often pc
culiar, but they arc rich and satisfying. The
singers have a way of prolonging the last note
so that IL seems to float slowly and inner
ceptibly into silence. The individual members
- she do nat aoVal fhair I,--.