El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-10-09
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
BEFORE WHICH THE DEVOUT
RUSSIAN PIOUSLY BOWS.
The Priests Who Escort the Image
Its Travels Believe 1t Ungodly to
Wash, and Gather in All Offerings
That Are in sight.
Especial Lottery

Especial Lottery
To Americans, Russian religious GER
emonies appear to be STEPPED in super
stition and idolatrous in the extreme.
The chief symbol of this church.
which claims to be the one unchanged
and Interchangeable Bride of Christ"
is the ikon. or holy image, which may
be met with anywhere and everywhere.
This strange sacred picture is dis
tinctly primitive looking production.
Byzantine in style, painted in dull col
ors on wooden panels, vague in out
line, but curiously fascinating in its
angularity and aloofness. To enhance
its beauties, which might otherwise be
considered too severe, it is more or less
covered with metal plaques, which
vary greatly, and run up the scale
from gilded tin to jeweled gold. But
the miracle-working ikon is sumrtu-
Ously clothed in gold ana jewels, the
face alone being visible. and perhaps
one foot may be haze, in order to leave
convenient spot for the wOrshipers
to kiss, for worshipers, in fine frenzy
of religious ecstasy, have been known
to kiss away the precious jewels,
which. being holy, apparently melted
in the process. The piety of the Rus
sian peasant is a universally acknOwl-
edged fact, and so well have the priests
understood this that everything has
been done to encourage him in the way
he should go. The IEcl represents the
Almighty: therefore ii.cus abound
the churches are crowded WIFI them;
in fact. the ikonostatis. OF screen,
which divides the oody of the shurch
from the altar. is entirely covered with
these holy images. They are to be
found il eve.y room in every house, in
little wayside chapeis in town and
country, and during the autumn
months they may be met with wan
dering along the rough. dusty roads,
sauntering from village to village in
the care of long haired, dirty monks
Cleanliness being considered ungodIy),
until the fall of the first snow. when
they return to their own particular
monastery or church by train-a more
comfortable hut less holy way of trav-
cling. The wandering ikon in the il
lustration is a painting of the Virgin
Mary. with metal halo and frame. gold
and silver necklaces, crosses and anu
let. In its journeyings it had gathered
together a curious collection of head
sian peasant woman's costume). home
spun linen and towels all of which
were hung over the rail placed in
front of the image for that purpose.
1t is a very ordinary thing for the
peasants to present their offerings In
kind, money being a rare commodity
with the majority. The villages
through which the ikon is to pass are
deH<1l- Cd hi
Of each log hut there is a table with a
white cloth, and on this cloth a big
loaf Of black bread and salt-cellar full
OF salt await the arrival of the wan
derer- The priest who officiates on
these occasions is robed in his white
gown, and murmurs unintelligible
prayers as he wends his way from hut
to hut, sprinkling each one with holy
oil, while the inhabitants bow repeat
eddy, throw back their heads, and make
the sign of the cross three times run
ming, then kneel down and touch the
ground with their heads, in token of
humiliation, after which they rise to
kiss the cross which the priest holds in
his right hand. The priest and his at
tendant monks in the meantime keep
an eye on the bread and salt, which is
swept off the tables by the latter, who
also vigorously rattle tin money boxes
as gentle reminder to those whose
homes have been blessed that even
blessings can never be had for moth
ing.
The entrance Of the ikon into town
is generally timed to take place on a
holy day, for then every one turns out,
and the wanderer is borne forth in tri-