With the children it is a very usual play to imitate the action of the priests in celebrating divine service. The Httle creatures ape the stately march of the popes, straining their voices into a droll imitation of the church melody. The grown people laugh, and see nothing amiss in this. Such things, and indeed the whole coarse style and manner in wliich they speak of praying and of all parts of divine service, render it unfortunately but too evident how much of their devotion is but external show.
The same thing is apparent from the very short time bestowed on tlie religious education of a child. There is no gradual development, no continuous, progressive initiation into the mysterious truths of Christianity. As soon as a cliild is baptized it is received into the Christian
The word Pojdonenie comes from poklon, which means a reverence with the Inxly united with tlie si^^m of the cross, Poklonenie AncUai mciuis as much aa u kneeling ami courtcsying in honour of St. Andrew.
commumty, and, as a perfect Christian, held immediately to participate in all the privileges of Christianity. Hence the sacrament is given to little children ; hence no confirmation or any similar solemnity takes place ; hence confession is admitted from boys w^ho can scarcely speak. They give the sacrament even to infants in the arms of their nm-ses, especially if the child is nearly dying or sickly, because they think that the consecrated bread and wine, without any thing further, will act as a kind of medicinal magic. We should consider this as a desecration of the sacrament, because we hold it efficacious only according to the measure of our acknowledgment of its sacredness, and of our own un worthiness. It is taken in Russia, after confession, by children of seven years old. The confession consists in a question from the priest, whether the penitent have sinned against any one of the Ten Commandments ; and if he own such to be the case, a penance, that is, a certain number of prostrations, is imposed ; after going tlirough which, absolution and a testimonial are given, as with tlie Catholics.
The lighting of tapers is a religious practice which a Russian does not leave to the priest, but takes on himself. At the church door an attendant of the church always sits to sell these tapers, — little, thin, and yellow, or white, thick, and large, painted or gilt, according to the purse or the piety of the buyers. The churches draw a large income from this ; for not only do they carry on the trade on their own account, but the ends that are left, and the wax that falls in drops, are their perquisites, and are a second time melted. On great hoHdays, when the churches are all thronged so that every one cannot approach the saint he wishes to honour, the lights are seen dancing from hand to hand till they reach the foremost persons, who are requested to light them up. On these occasions they have enough to do, but it is always done with great readiness and devotion.
Such commissions often traverse the kingdom. When, for example, a person is going from St. Petersburg into the interior, the request is often made to him, "Be so good and light up a candle for me of forty kopeks value, to the miraculous Demetrius, in the church of the Archangel Michael in Moscow;" or sometimes it will be a pair of gilt candles, when any particular good fortune has befallen a person, which he attributes to the intercession of the saint to be honoured. When a Russian has made a sufficient number of crosses, genufleixons, and lighted up a candle to his favourite saint, he beUeves himself as safe from the clutches of the devil as if he lay in Abraham's bosom. Unfortunately, the devil has often already secured a snug corner within the penitent's own bosom. It is frequently the case, that people harbouring the most detestable designs will light up tapers hke other pious folks to bribe the saints to assist their yillanies. A scoundrel once \vrote to one of his accomplices : " To-morrow is the day, dear Ivan, when we may at last begin our enterprise. Don't forget to hght a candle to the Mother of God in Kasan church to-morrow at nine o'clock. I will do the same to St. Jolm in Trinity chm'ch." The enterprise was to rob his master of 10,000 rubles, which he actually accomplished while the tapers were yet burning. No fisherman goes a fisliing, no mariner puts out to sea, no traveller leaves his dwelling, and no robber goes in search of plunder, no murderer betakes liim to his bloody work, without crossing himself and lighting up a taper. It is ti-uly a bad sign for the Greek religion, when the wicked hold it as favourable for their purposes as the good can do.