El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-08-16
RUSSIA'S SACRED SHRINE.
The Misunderstanding Picture of The
mother of God"

Reverend Dillon Bronson in lions Herald
Its 7 O'Clock in the afternoon in
Moscow, June IA, Russian time June
26 everywhere else), but Russia's sun is
more than two hours high and will
peep over the horizon tomorrow morn
ing before clock. We are standing
in the broadcast street of the city near
the incompatible Kremlin and
opposite gigantic gateway, under
which nestles little chapel of colored
marbles with blue pyramidsl roof
err by faces the chapel, uncOvers him
self, and solemnly makes the sign of
the cross several times. Even the
passengers on the crowded double
decked horse cars 60 through this
strange ceremony. Here comes a gang
of dusty laborers. Every one of them
stops, and, bowling low toward the
chapel, crosses himselfagain and again.
There are some long b ali ed long-gown-
ed priests of the Russian church,
very intelligent, good-looking
men, too, with clear complications and
kindly eyes, kneeling on the marble
steps with their faces pressed against
the hard pavement. Every cab driver
in his padded robs, which makes him
fill the front seat entirely. finds time
to remove his squatty hat and touch
his forehead, chest and right and left
shoulders. just over there a splendid
carriage with prsncing black stations
is hating, and wealthy lady with q
cred shrine. Here close by Us
are merchants coming from their
pretty shops in the matchless glass
arcade near by. They, too, without
exception, pay their homage and make
the sacred sign, and the poor peasants
from afar, with black bread and onions
in cloth, with coarse clothing and
straw shoes and stout walking stick
which has helped them over a hundred
versts-they, of course, are filed with
rapture. and PROSTATE themselves fiat
in reach In passionate alteration.
"What is the meaning of this?" we
ask, and as We search eagerly but in
vain In the throng for some one who
looks as though he could speak Q word
of some other language than Russian,
our eyes rest on a royal carriage
which he had overlooked. It is drawn
by beautiful black horses, with liveried
bare-hesded, attendants, who are
picture of the Blessed Virgin. This,
then, must be the wonder working
"Mother of God," the most sacred
picture In all Russia, before which
the Gar prostrstes himself before en-
tering the Kremlin. We open
our German Bsedeker and
read that the picture is 25O years old,
was brought from Mount Athos and is
covered with pearls and precious
stones. 1t is taken in q royal carriage
every day to the homes of the sick,
where It works miracles and receives
great sums of money. 1t has cash In
one cheek made long ago by Tartar
sword but millions would now give
their lives to save the idol from such
indiguity.
We enter the chapel when the pic
ture has been set in place again, and
buy a tiny candle, which we place
alongside hundred others, filling the
room with a sitting odor. This. how
ever, is real perfume compared to the
othodox forty-seven district smells of
Moscow, We awill not kaeel, and we
cannot stand with score
ing to see the sacred ikon.
so we back out into the air, feeling the
scorn reflected from a half-hundred
faces and wonder what the Christ and
his sweet mother think of this. It is
awfully sincere. The tears and prayers,
the prostrations and kisses. and the
lavish gifts of the wretchedly poor
make our hearts ache. We have seen
raw idolatry in many lands, but moth