Show TRIP TO ST PETEllBURG Itler of Carl A Ahtquist President of the Swedish Mission CurtnU Cttini or 110 Itilan i linage Wur111 110 lre ud In I ChcTh Stki hoho Ilroub I 1 Stockholm July 30 18J7 To the Editor I i tl It In i very seldom I that we see anything any-thing In the News from thin part off of-f I the world We will submit the follow litf I account of a trip to Russia Iln land and northern Sweden I Our first object was to visit a family j by the name of Llndelof At St Peters t burt who Joined the Church two years y ago and have been Quite alone ever I since Our boat laid to at several 1 places between Stockholm end M Petersburg i Pet-ersburg o we didnt reach our destination destin-ation until the morning of May 30th Before going on nl land here wo fail l I to product our passports which lj > tho I war we had prwund 1 before we l1l left Sweden from the American min l Intel Mr Ferguson wT5S red lap business or we wre allowo to GO If on land I where we Merc met by froth I er 1lndlot who escorted its to its home We found Brother Llndelot and I family feeling will and firm In the I faith Ho utter partaking or a Rood tq hearty meal vve betook ourselves to one of the parks where we pat and observed f ob-served the masses of people wit t passed back and forward Our first Imprtoplons find tho4e we it retained during our visit were not the = most favorable to St Petersburg and b Its people The Hulan themselves or at k I I least the working classes arc uncouth And repulsive In ajpaane and certaInly cer-taInly cannot lay claim to much CIVIlIzation CIV-IlIzation Our readers will loe keep In mind that vo dont give 1 these Ideas as r I authority but merely as first Impressions Impres-sions vvhieh by the way are generally i gener-ally lasting at least so far as the observer ob-server Is concerned it I H lndO space will not permit ot 4 going Into details so will Just describe Ihelr minner ot worship which was I omethlng nw tn us Not III one In I their 1 churches but in numerous pieces oil tile olr public thoroughfares are i Images of the Virgin Vary and the I child Jesus of Jesus arter he had at Joined 10 manhood or the father ot I Jesus or rather the husband of Mary f l and of many lheu Saints even aT Alexander 111 g I Every good lIuIn whthr ho Is Ion kill I-on the street pr In the church drunk or sober does honor to these Images bthOdO amX1i j I IN I ng the following formula After doffing his I hat he touches t the I forehead i rlo the I first three lingers rWh the g right hand then the breast then the I rIght shoulder then the left thereby I dese rlblng a cross The three fingers rprent the Fattier Ron and 1101 Qhost and as they go through the J service l they I mumbla what Is meant lfa d 1 ij1 for a prayer We learned later 1 that I they really do offer their prayers 10 Idl these Images having been IBughl 1 b7 ni our tK1hxy j that they themselves were lInIYorthy I I I or approaching Go I but must use their if I Imag 0 ao a moIlum notllthtanollag L CJod God before says me Thou hsalt have no other 1 1i Their strfet worihlp It I of course iitl very plain and Pimple In comparison 11 1 with their church services ill Th wall of their church which by the way Are something Brand and Imposing aie hung all over with l these f Innces mad of different kinds oj costly metals ard In 1 different Sizes 1 it tl fro in a I full life size to over i six Inche I I 1 I > built I In the I shnp if a PICa Illro 101th pic-a frame around II the 1m I ape Itself I belne raise a little In bus J relief so r t s to gUo I It shape Thtr I huirb ten Ices as mar Hi an be described II II a follows Tile worshiper comes In Any time during the day and tip lie inters he buys n mall wax tIC or Iwo IIr three as If I rlr < unItSRn s dOMn lIe thPO Place himself In front or his favorite l Imag unit drops down on file kneE kne-E and lakes the lgf1 of the cross at 0 f the same time keeping I his eye fastened r fasten-ed on the Image then he I bows himself o until I I his head tnjched the floor This form Is I repeated time times Then he gets t up I from his kneeling volition and kisses the land and It or u Ito Image Itt the fine 11m placing the lapr 01111 he ought n hen he came Inr In a uinJUtlrk which stands right In front of the Image They light tills uolle uhich ende tit I vices tlhi In serious Cilnea iv hen they go thniugh the same formula In I front of three gods We lOW imuny other things of In terra nhl b h I tIe and r11ce mill not p1I1t I lie 10 mention h r now Se held our rolInA In SI meert burg Iho first Iuhll MAmon met 11t ever held In 1usla and baltlzel one Woman After MstlnB In Petersburg ilx die di-e bade the faints ROud bye and left I June Eth on the boat Finland will which we went as fur till llelslnsfors Inland where ive hunted up u few Saints Ue ulso I took K trip Kbnul flv miles out In the country to a place railed 1111rillpim where w found un old couple who hadn seen n mln Plonary for six or en Years Thy were overjoyed al Seeing it find tried Ule children Nil lien we left IIlockholm conference In I the largest conference lu Irano1lna11I tint has over thirteen hundred members There arp tvlontyone Elders from Utah and oe Ieol mllr vt 100 wok In the co i f rerv under the Plepidelicy if llrolher C A Ahlqulit tleports front the uutl > lnB branches are Just coming In now > nd show that the work Is I making good headway In Stockholm branch they have four DIM rj Including the president of the conference anti hold public meetlngi regularly beshleis IL eRlilar Sunday chool There is I also n llellef Bocle ty and Y JIVM I A which havo ro IIlal meetings The prospect in tills br anfh are Pry promising The Weekly News comes to the olllco regularly for which wo are nil thankful CARL A A1IQtnST Pret NOI1MAN LEE |