Show RUSSIAN AND BETROTHALS H I BY BELLE BELL KEARNEY A HEN an accepted ent of or te the Greek church W dies in Russia at once the nuns and priests go so soto goto goto r to the house hous of the dead to pray pry and this is con continued cn continued every ever moment until the body Is taken away There are arc al always always always ways four candles candIes candle used and they are burned roe for three three days The open coffin Is carried to the chapel or cathedral on the of men who lighten their burden by drawing through though the handles of ot the casket ea k t Just behind them Ulem march four others bearing the lid ld U II t the cover is small smal ys only two men are required After these thee come the imme immediate immediate Immediate diate faintly walking aU ing slowly Wen When the body reaches the church a 3 prayer is i recited recie by a a priest followed by chant chanting chanting ing lag Then Ten a I piece of or white cloth with wih black letters leter bearing the rame name and th the street tret address addres of the dead is laid in inthe Inthe inthe the coffin and a printed prInte paper and a holy picture are placed place in the hands of the corpse rp If I the family are rich nu numerous candles are given out but un under under der dee any azy conditions as many are be bestowed bestowed stowed stowe upon the assembled company as the relatives of or the deceased are ae able to buy The incense holders are swung to and fro the clergy begin to sing sIn and at last lat the announcement is made that the time hae hu ha come to say s goodbye to the dead The friends and ad anybody an body else els who desires to do so EO go 0 to the coffin coUn and ad kiss kI the th body on the forehead I or 01 vI hand The Te priest afterward takes a plate pla of sand and empties empte it in one cor corner 01 cornor nor ner Jer of the te casket signifying earth erth to earth the cover is brought forward and aud screwed down dow and the loud sob sobbing sobbing sobbing bing anti and ad crying crIng begins The coffin is then carried crrie through the streets and as the mournful procession passes along the choir coir boys sing The casket is borne back to the home ome on the shout shoulders shoulder ders der of men and at the te entrance it i is put ut Into a a hearse hea and an the funeral party go into the house and regale them themselves themselves selves lve with wih refreshments while the undertakers stand outside to guard the body As the procession goes from the th church to the home a nun carries caries a plate plat of or boiled rice and ad plums which has been blessed blesse with holy hol water This Thisbe she be gives ghe to the mourners who eat it wih with pancakes accompanied by by vodka and beer Then the journey journe is made to t the cemetery The drivers lead the horses hO which have heavy heaY black pans palls thrown thron across them reaching nearly to LO LOthe the earth and walk reverently reverent by their side holding their bridles brIdle If the body of or the tu dead is that of or a young lg person the hearse hane is white also the coffin In Inthe Inthe inthe the course cours of three thre months after the burial a ceremonial Is held at a church churchin in hi memory of or the departed The cus custom custom tom torn of or carrying the uncovered coffin through the streets with the wih corpse ex cx exposed posed to view viea ig Is regarded as especially repulsive to t strangers An English Engish lady lay living in Moscow rOSCO said sad that she had a av avery very ery v cr pleasant pleasnt acquaintance with wih a a Rus Bus Russian Bussian sian flan gentleman genteman One day from her window she glanced town down fown upon the thoroughfare below belov and was horrified to see e his dead face gleaming at her as his body was carried in its it uncovered casket to a neighboring church In Inthe Inthe Inthe the cemeteries there are fre to be found vaults which are two stories stores high Be Below Below Below low the tho tle body rests In ina n coffin while 18 nicely nice furnished little room where re the mourners can eai sit and kneel eel In it are re e flowers fowers seats and ar tables tableS and ami an aten brOad bread r d and eggs eg left over oer front from some PJ flU religious festival fc vl The bodies of mp ors an empresses that have lain in their ther tombs over oyer l O years ir ha h p col cl clore colored ored ore lamps burning them themAn An Easter E ste C orr At East r nil all al g Russia Rus t a coffin as richly decorated as asp asp p In which lies les the sup supposed supposed posed body boy of Christ Christ is car ear carried carried earned ried ned three times around arOUn each churca arid and there are great processions the thelast thelast thelast last being the tho same in both the tho Greek und Roman Catholic churches Death Is the th greatest grest mystery of or life mar marriage the holiest holet sacrament so the transition In thought from one to t the theother theother I Iother other Is not In lit the Russian empire no man marries a woman unless the she fhe has 1 a dowry dor however small sal All An I Imari marriages mari 8 are arranged from the peas peasant pes peasant ant up to the nobility It I is seldom that young people of the same village viage are wedded wede but but from freest fr different ones Among Amons the families a a meeting tn is prepared prepare to bring the th boy and girl together Cups of tea te are are placed d before them the If I they are re pleased with each ea h other the te tea Is drunk by b both If it attract attracted ed the beverage remains untouched If conditions are ae satisfactory talking be begins begin begins gins gin and on the same occasion the en engagement is announced announce Often Oren the marriage marri e takes te place in the course of ofa ofa ofa a few lays days an engagement of three weeks is considered a long Jons one As A soon noon HS KS the young youn man mean and woman are be betrothed b betrothed the old people be b begIn in jn to make a bargain bain The rhe girls parents prents give ghe money mone or ur houses if it they are very vr poor a gift ff f honey hOD is made as ai l h her r dowry dOl The night before the marriage g occurs the gIrl Kirl of the go to her home hom bathe her hel and weep w p as they per perform perfo perform form fo m tho th loving service serle Marriages are til always ways celebrated In iu the churches and the th ceremonies ate are often of n on the most moat elaborate scale sale Power of the Greek Church Houses Houe and all al fo forms form of business It lL Russia Rufa are blessed be For instance a per person son soil owns own a mill mil A J priest will wil go to the manager and arl suggest that the Uie te enter enterprise prise ll hall tishI al receive rh his lila benediction When J the th day arrives the tU hands march to a church secures ures imaged and carry cary them the to the mill There Ter a a service is held in which which prayers are ar offered for forthe forth forthe the th success of oC the enterprise enter and every eer room rom in the establishment is sprinkled with holy water If the th wih I proprietors are rich or have bye a a large larg factory the im images Image ages age are a brought front from the Kremlin K in carriages After the function is s ended of or blessing the business the drink at the expense t of the fIrm and often onen gt into the most revolting states of or Intoxication in honor of ot the occasion The Jhc answer aner to the question What is sin sla by b the Greek church would be beNot Not thrift not Impurity nor drunk drunkenness runk enness ennese enne but to omit some ceremonial eer to to neglect to cross cos yourselves your les or fall faI to attend church curc on the eve of a 3 holi holiday hol holiday day Men are seen sen performing their before a shrine when in iii intoxicated intoxicate and ad men in that condition are are found everywhere e e where staggering through the city streets and ad lying in senseless helplessness by the country countr roadsides r ld There Is more drunkenness In Russia Rusa at present than ever eyer before The shops shop are are placed at convenient dis distances distances and nd the national government has a monopoly the in m manufacture of or white vodka which is the leading drink of the country count It is very cheap and ander very er strong no 10 one ever eyer gets drunk on anything else The entire entre sale of or the ment all aU that is sold is in the th govern liquor is in the hands cf the govern government mont ment shops It I is made rde of ot rye and brings brIng in an enormous Income Vodka used use to be manufactured and sold by private individuals but the tre govern government government ment Insisted that tat if it it i should hould under undertake undertake undertake take the business exclusively drunken drunkenness ness mess would be lessened Government shops were vee established the te experiment made and a n total failure In the end to tob tobe he be b attained has been the te result Other Oter drinks drink that are sold in Rus Run Russia Russia sia are ar largely foreign except that which is colored diluted and flavored favored by bv the te mountain ash ah and ad Is i no not stronger nger than tan port and sherry Frac t does not exist eIst No workman however good would heal hesi h i ito Le to get et drunk all al the spare time U e eJ J of if the te laborers borers 1 is in spent in drinking that that of 0 course coure produces indolence and ad poverty lovert Curious Religious Customs It I Is a religious custom in Rus Russia Russia sia for tor Images and shrines to be betaken betaken betaken taken from the chapels and churches to tu the homes of the people where prayers are offered by b the sick before them Different persons have different images and ad especial shrines These are put In wagons and and drawn often oren by seven seen horses hores Just outside of the gates gate of Moscow is a sacred shrine called caled which in En English gush glish means Iberian mother of God To this the czar goes religiously and at once upon his visits isIs to Moscow This shrine is he supposed to be carried around to the sick and It is understood to possess SS certain healing properties but it is js rarely removed from Its Is place and a duplicate is taken about in it 1 lip stead sted The miraculous elements In Inherent Inherent inherent herent in it must be imagined to be transferred or bestowed independently for th the time or it would be useless to n use a substitute In every railway de depot depot depot pot there are images and shrines be before before before fore which the travelers bow and pray At the stations nuns come into the trains with tin tn boxes boxe and ad plates beg begging begging begging ging for the church Everything pos possible possible sible sibie is done to raise funds to carry carryon on the vast yat ecclesiastical machinery machiner In Iii Inthe Inthe the cathedrals holy bread is sold which looks like thick hick round biscuits biscuIt one placed place or welded into another At the doors priests stand to sell sel images image and amid carry carryon on a traffic in books in front of the entrances to the chapels nuns are stationed for Cor the purpose of beg begging begging begging ging inside priests wait with plates to it tC receive pay pa for the holy hoh water which is found close dose by b to be drank by the visitors On tables at hotels are cu curious curIous curious rious little tin tn receptacles surmounted by a box of matches and at the base bas is a tray for tor ashes of cigars or cigar cigarettes cigarettes cigarettes ettes These affairs are for the de deposit deposit deposit posit or of money which goes to the Greek Grek church for tor travelers The larg largest largest largest est business done in Russia is for the church One which is especially lucra lucrative lucrative tive te is that of making candles When the worshipers are unusually devout they light a delicate taper and place it itin itin in tn the holder before the particular shrine which they the have chosen When one leaves a candle cadle before an image it shows that he is willing to sacrifice his money mone in his worship as well wel as a to offer ofer prayers The tapers are allowed half rule to be burned only hai way as a then they are sent back to the factory to t be made into fresh candles It I is to the interest of the church financially as well wen as ns otherwise otherwise to see that the The people are kept in ignorance monks monk make in the monasteries the delicate and beautiful ornaments for forthe forthe forthe I the church as well wel as the Images also I the brown bread and a a sort of ginger ale which l i is sold id in time the shops The nuns embroider and do all al kinds of exquisite needle work Any An one can cn leave leae orders and the sisters go out outto outto outto to deliver delver the articles as if they were clerks in a store The priests never visit and they the never preach f 11 11 ll they theyo do tb o is to attend to the church functions and md once nce a year ear go to The he houses houss of the people with the images chant and sprinkle holy water The Greek church is the established church of Russia It I Is called the th holy orthodox by its is adherents Foreign F reIg religions are arc tolerated in the empire but it is a criminal offense for a Russian to leave Ms his church to join another Every Eer child cl ld above a 7 every vry v man who holds an all jo show their certificates at they thoy have Itc taken the he they they are members member of the Greek GrOe church or not No peas peasant ant amit ever misses that ceremony How Lent Is Observed During Lent every orthodox person peron partakes partakes of the communion The previous ous week week is spent in going goinS to different and und confessions services in f The system em of or government never of offends offends fends the church for it i gets get its it sup support support port from It i The people are told by byis Its ts functionaries that tat the emperor is is the be anointed ted f of ot Goth God Goe In turn the czar the cz r caters ct rs to the church In 1903 the synod brought forth an order for the he creation creaton of a 0 anew new saint The emperor has to approve before such a thing can be done The czar endorsed the idea dea ideo cn wih with lavish laish cordiality and attend attended ed d the consecration of ot the shrine Many lany thousands were present to witness winess the ceremony Tho The recognition of the power of the church by the state is strongly typified at the coronation of a czar as he kisses the hand of the of officiating bishop however in reality the emperor is the head of the church churchOn On OJ the of every January at 1 il in the day da the czar and ad his hissie suite sie the thc ladies dressed In national costume go down to the Neva Neya to bless blessIt blessI I It t taking taing a priest with them to per perform perform form for the rite Every Eer one secures a bottle botte of the water which is sacredly kept If an accident should occur through I the year or sickness visit them bodies are sprinkled with wih the holy fluid and believed to be helped if ii not cured cur d day the water ater is blessed t thousands of soldiers soldier are grouped in the square in front of the Winter palace There is constant fric friction friction tion between the priests prest and the peo people people ton pie in the country countr r districts The for former former former mer are entirely dependent upon their parishioners In order to be sure of a sustenance 1 they never bury a a person nerson without first making a bargain as to the amount of money they shall re receive receive for their services The people In Inconsequence Inconsequence consequence of this think tink the fathers father are In the towns and ad cit cities ci ies iss ie it is different for the fees fee amount to a a great geat deal del and ad the clergy are well todo The priests have hac |