New-York tribune., 1905-06-11

but with the growth Of the city they became
tie very oeutre of II.
Yet it Is Eot among the d:ssenters Of Russia
that one VIII find all the modern paganism OF
that county. The suicidal and cannibalistic
sects are not the only heather outcroppings OF
that haIf Asia tic. half European folk who have
for 50 many centuries permitted one man 10
rule over them the head of both church and
state In the very members Of the Orthodox
t-H'Fch mere IS deep Sabstratuin OF heathsll-
ism. tdst number of pagan rites per-
formed daily by the great bulk of Russian peas
ants IN addition to the services penances ana
prayers Of the Church. they have certain exor-
Cisms AMI incantatiOus which have come down
to them from q hcathen past. but in whose po-
tency ;hey believe as fatvently their savage
forefGthcrs. They see wrong in worshippinS
both God and The devil. for they will explain
that If heaven falls them he'll may come to
their aid.
"Not infrequentiv.' saws Francis Fl. E. Pal
mer, in ''RUssian Town and Country a peasant
viii light two taPecs before the ikon or holy
picture Of St. George-one for the knight and
the other for the dragon Throughout the whole
of Great and Little Russia rhymed magic con-
jUratons ere employed to avert variety Of
calanities. and these exist both in Christian and
pagan form The two forms are used success
sively-in the pagan appeal is made to tho
. elements and thrice Blessed sun; in the other
to the most sacred person Of the Christian
faith"
In the minds OF vast majority of Russians
Christian saints and pagan divinities are hope
lessly confused. With st. Blaise they cOnfouud
Was, the SlavoHic god of nochs and herds, and
they confound ST Elias with the god Of thuD-
vindctve. and say that il sufficient homage is
not paid him, # his fete is not conducted with
scrupuloUs regard to all details, he will de-
strOy all the crops OF the offending community
with lightning.
The festival celebrated in the honor of this
safrlt-goG is twofoId One service is to appeal
20 his Christian mercy, the other 10 his pagan
jealousy. The first is performed in church or
at home before his ikOn. the second in the field
according to rites which make it much re-
semble the worship of Cain. the day OF
the WORLDS first murder Under the open SKY
is built stone altar on when is iald pun
die OF rye or other grain. FOR n sacrihce Arter
certain incantatonS have been spoken the grain
is set fire. the votaries watching The flames
with an almost frenZied eagerness, for II any or
the grain escapes being burned il is sign that
the god is angry. and viii soon vent his rage
in n disastrous storm
vast number of Russians to invoke or disperse
spirits. It indeed this exercising power OF
Biblical phrases which helped cause the Rus
sian Church TO split apart in the seventeenth
century. and which still prevents the great
schisIn from healln When new SiaEon,s i me
translation of the Bible was put forth by the
Patriarch Nilzone in the seventeenth century
the people were shocked at the result. Eacn
letter in the Siavonic has numeric value, ana
according to the Nikone reading the magic num-
bers which they had recited to save the dying
or consecrate this newly born we're hopelessIy
twisted. EccordineIy the believers in the old
numbers withdrew. and formed dissenting sects,
while the rest finally accepted the new version
and built up a new system of magic
BLESSING THE RIVER.
Many of the religious observances OF the Rus
slams which the Church countenances. and in
which its priests take part. are characterized ty
Western Europeans as more or less pagan Such
for instance is the ceremony known the
Blessing of the Waters which not only is per-
formed with great ma agnifcence in Moscow and
St Petersburg, being attended there by the En-
peror and all his court but which Is also OBJ
served in the furthest recesses or the great EN-
pre where only few wild Cossacks meet to-
gether.
Whether at the capital or on the border the
blessing OF the Waters emphasizes the oeheI
of the Russian in evil spirits. The ceremony
comes with the approach of winter. for AT thar
time all the fairies and demons or the foTeSI'
which have been playing in balmy weather IN
the trees and grass. are frightened by the cold.
and turn toward the warm hearths of men. II
he does not defend himself against this ghosty
invasion the Russian peasant believes that his
izba, or hut, will he filed with preternatuTaI
and pull his hair in his sleep. So it happens
that when the rivers freeze for the first time In
the early winter the men and women OF VII
lage call out tha priest. and with him az the
head they march 10 the nearest stream. On
their way they chant hymns continually SO as
to attract all the gnomes and spr1tes OF tne
region, and they leave a wide space in the pro-
cession, where these creatures of the air may
march along with them. Into this trap they
hone to entice the Vodiamy or water fairies.
which are so fond OF alternating in the mills
and bevitchinc the machinery; the Rousalkas.
or mixes, who forever tempting the luckless
moufik to fall. and drown in still pools, at
tracted to the brink by their silver skin and
woodland elves who love to lure the traveller
from MS path to starve fall prey to wild
beasts.
on reaching the frozen stream the crowd
gathers around the cross of the priest, taking
care not to break the ring which encircles their
aerial prisoners. and all the time chanting while
q half dozen peasants chop large hole in the
ice With the last blow of the axe the priest
utters certain words which frghten the
elves and fairies that they immediately jump
into the icy chasm. They would fafn turn back,
but their escape is cut off by the drops OF holy
water which the priest showers upon them, and
keeps showering until the water begins to crust
over and they are all imprisoned beneath.
With the coming of spring the community IS
threat tened with fresh dangers. When the ice
meIts the fairy captives II liberated again,
voving vengeance against the human beings
who have SO fearfully punished them Then ft
ie that each family invOkes the priest to bless
IFS house AMI barn and fields that sprite may
dare set n blighting foot any of it's belong
ines At harvest time the fields must again be-
blessed that the grain may not be rusted or
nildewod.
VIRTUE IN PILGRIMAGES.
Every new building whose owner is an ortho-