The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-05-03


 in high St. Petersburg circles falls in love with a beautiful society glrl ana wins her affection in return On the eye of his wedding, the bridegroom learns to ms horror that his finance has been the mls- trees of high official. Disillusioned With life he resigns his commission III the army. and enters a monastery, where he takes monastic VOWS as Sergius,
 In the monastery Sergius finds peace. He communes with nature, plunges in deep and mystical speculation, and be- comes reconcied to his kind. He thirsts for higher spiritual perfection than can be obtained in the monastery and hnaliy abandons it. and retires to meditation in a remote hermitage. In self mortlnca- ton he outlives the anchorites of India. He feels within himself an almost godlike power His fame as saint spreads throughout Russia. The peasants regard him as a miracle worker, and throng to him for salvation and cure of all earthly ills.
 With this closes the first part of the story The second begins with a picnic organized by youthful pleasure-seekels from a great city, who whirl along the country roads in troikas of swift horses, not far from the hermit's secluded recess. The pleasures seekers discuss the monk s romantic story, his self-int1icted tortures, his inaccessibiiity to ordinary seductions and temptations A pretty woman scorn- fully rejects Sergius' claims to invulner- ability and offers to prove her contention by making the saint fall in love with her. The temptress jumps from the troika, approaches the hermits hut, and taking advantage of a heavy rainstorm, begs for shelter.
 Then begins the temptation. The lady goes so far that under pretext of wet clothes, she proceeds to change them in Sergius' presence. He with throbbing heart and spinning head feels the awakening of old passions, and terrified at the thought that these passions should overcome him, he seizes a hatchet and chops off finger. The terrified temptress flies the austere hermitage shedding tears of shame. This triumph of good only increases the holy mans fame. Remote cities acclaim the pious anchorite, whose holy powers and wonder working faculties are disputed by none. The sick and | the suffering come by the thousand | for cure and consolation. Finally q merchant brings his imbecile daughter I in order that the saint may interceda | for her with God. He leaves the young | and pretty girl in the anch orites sell. ] The girls presence awakens dangerous i feelings in Sergius. Like a narmy O. demons. sinful thoughts invade his | brain.
 l Between spirit and flesh ensues | desperate struggle in which the flesh 1 conuuers. Sergius is lost. Daylight l finds him a criminal, almost a madman l When his passion has subsided, the monk realizes the horror of his posi- | tion, but so far from repenting, sec l ond storm of reawakening passion fol- l lows the first and sweeps away the whole edifice of spiritual perfection at- | tained during years of modification and suffering.
 1 A feeling of deliberate, indiscrim- l mating hatred springs up within him 1 toward the girl who innocently caused his fall. In an outburst of insane rage, Sergius seizes the hatchet, the same hatchet with which he had formerly | chopped off a finger and conquered temptation, swings it aloft, and cleaves 1 the skull of the unfortunate girl. Hav- l ing gazed long and madly at the corpse | Sergius flies from his cell.
 1 The last scene of the novel presents l to us a long bearded monk with his hair l floating in the wind, holding pilgrim s staff and walking aimlessly toward the 1 east.
 l Father Sergius" is said to be full of 1 tremendously powerful passages, and
 to resemble Resurrection" in the method of treatment.